At various points in life, people find themselves stepping into unfamiliar environments.

Starting at a new school, joining a different workplace, or moving to a new city often brings both excitement and anxiety. Alongside the anticipation of new opportunities, there are always questions and uncertainties.

Will things work out?
Will I be able to adapt?

Shohei Ohtani faced a similar moment early in his career.

After graduating from high school, Ohtani initially hoped to go directly to Major League Baseball. However, when the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters selected him in the draft, he had to reconsider his path.

During the negotiations that followed, Ohtani surprised manager Hideki Kuriyama with an unusual question.

Instead of asking about how Japanese players had succeeded in the United States, Ohtani asked:

“How do Japanese players fail in America?”

For Kuriyama, this question revealed something important about Ohtani’s character.

A player who seeks to understand failure before success is already thinking about how to overcome challenges.

Moving into a new environment always carries risk. Even for someone as talented as Ohtani, uncertainty must have been present.

Yet his perspective remained clear.

If a new environment offered the possibility of growth—both as a player and as a person—then it was worth embracing the challenge.

For Ohtani, fear of failure is not a reason to stay where you are.

Instead, it is part of the process of becoming better.

Source

This quote comes from a Japanese book published in Japan and is not currently available in English.

Opening a Path, Crossing the Ocean: The True Story of Shohei Ohtani, p.52