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English teacher struggles to transcend invisible boundaries of Eikaiwa life

TOKYO, Japan (GTA) -- English teacher Mike Matthews (33) continues to ponder his life after having spent his fourth year teaching English in Japan.

"There is a builder who builds their sand castles too close to the tide, only to see them brought back to see by the inevitable tide. Only I am that sand castle. Life is the tide. Eikaiwa is my brightly colored bucket and shovel products."

"Over and over. I am trying to pile the sand up. Only to be washed away each time."

Friends at Gaba showed concern over Mike's recent behavior.

"Mike's been acting really strange lately. He's always been weird, but now he seems to be slipping with his constant talk about sand castles and tides. One day, we are at the coffee shop and Mike blurts out something like hefs a failure since he's never been able set any clear objectives. I tried to calm him down."

"I'm 33. Ancient Greeks lived their entire lifespan in that time. Jesus Christ died at 33. Edison invented everything by age 27. I've been to Thailand and own a mountain bike," Mike explained.

Despite receiving several books on attaining success, such as the popular Rich Dad Poor Dad and The Seven Effective Habits of Successful People, the overall impact of the books only reinforced Mike's certainty about his innate inability to succeed.

"Well, I went though the list of '30 reasons why we fail' and as I was reading I laughed and realized 'Boy that sure sounds like me!' However, by about the 12th or 13th reason, it didn't seem very funny at all. I guess I let events control me rather than take a pro-active stance, and I tend to blame others for my failures. I guess I tend to panic in the face of adversity. Plus, my relationships tend to be damaged by my insecurities."

As it turns out, Mike seems to meet each individual criterion on the list of 'Why We Fail.'

"No CSF's (Critical Success Factors). Not a visionary. Not long-term oriented. Not a visionary. Not long-term oriented. No Personal Vision of Happiness. No Personal G.E.M. List!"

According to Mike's friend Vince, "The thing I tried to explain to Mike is that he not only failed each and every single point on the checklist. He failed them all spectacularly. Setting long-term objectives? Mike can't even get his gas bills paid on time. The checklist is your friend, Mike!"

The Gaba Teachers Association: Serving teachers at Gaba Japan, Nova Japan, Geos Japan, Aeon Japan, ECC Japan, and Berlitz Japan since 2005. The Gaba Teachers Association is dedicated to reporting the latest news from the English school industry. This is a site for that covers all news that impacts those who teach English in Japan. If you are teaching English at NOVA, GEOS, Berlitz, ECC or any other Eikaiwa school, check us out.
The GABA TEACHERS ASSOCIATION is the most provoc-ative name in eikaiwa news today. Since 1994, the Gaba Teachers Association has been dedicated to reporting the latest news from the English school industry in Japan.