Hello Everyone! I’m Machi Izumi, a student in the Summer 2010 Personal and Public Speech class. Welcome to the Online Leadership Forum from Hawaii Tokai International College in Honolulu. My selected reading comes from ‘A Passion for Success: Practical, Inspirational, and Spiritual Insight from Japan’s Leading Entrepreneur,’ Kazuo Inamori: Optimism: Always Remain Positive Always remain cheerful, positive, and full of enthusiasm even in the most trying situations. Remain open-minded and excited about your goals at all times. Banish any sense of doubt or negativity from your mind. Realize that being an entrepreneur requires relentless determination, effort, and a willingness to face countless risks. Do not allow these challenges to make you negative, pessimistic or cynical in your views. Remind yourself daily that a cheerful disposition invites success. It is difficult for any nihilist, cynic, or pessimist to become successful in a positive endeavor. But more important, the attitude of the leader –positive or negative- will directly influence the work force and how they deal with customers, suppliers, and each other.