The last thing someone wants to do after a crushing defeat is to grab a rag and a mop and start cleaning. But that’s exactly what the Japanese National Team did.
Sharing Space
One of the skills of self-discipline is Sharing Time, Space, People, and Things. In the case of the world cup, teams from all over the world are sharing space at the Russian football stadium.
When people practice sharing space, they think about how they will leave the space they use, the same as or better than they found it.
A Crushing Defeat & A Surprising Act
After their loss to Belgium, the Japanese team had to remove their personal items from locker room and head home. This is the expectation for every team that loses. However, the Japanese team stands out for one reason. They didn’t simply clean out their locker room, they cleaned the entire locker room as well—spotless! (You can check out the photograph of the locker room online or you can see a short video clip here.)
The players left the locker room the same as they found it, and left a Thank You note for the hosting country. The reason people are talking about this on social media is because it is an example we do not see often.
Was it for attention? Not likely.
It was not just the Japanese players cleaning the locker room, the Japanese fans in attendance also began cleaning up the stadium—picking up trash and putting it in garbage bags they brought with them to the game. That is a sight I have never seen at an American stadium, ever.
Japan’s Approach
The need to clean up goes back to how the children in Japan are schooled. For Japanese students, part of their school day is spent cleaning their classrooms and school. Children are explicitly taught that they are responsible for cleaning up after themselves.
Japan’s approach to cleaning the school, is not necessarily the approach for American schools, however, I dare say Japan has done well teaching children how to share space with others by taking care of the space they use. This is the lesson we take from Japan.
A Simple Way to Teach Sharing Space
From a young age, teach children how to share space well.
Since we all know that nagging children is not only exhausting for us, but also does nothing change a child’s behavior, the next time you want a child to clean up after him- or herself, ask them the question,
How can you leave this space the same as or better than you found it?
Do not forget that often more is caught than taught. Cover your bases and model sharing space by asking yourself
How can I leave this space the same as or better than I found it?
Try it and see what happens. Let me know how it works for you.
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