Learn to rise again.
再起することを学ぼう。
We fall, and we get to learn how to rise again.
Even after we learn how to rise again, we still fall—much harder than before.
But that’s not to beat us; we just get to learn how NOT to fail to rise again.
Forgive others.
他の人を許そう。
“Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace.” — Jonathan Lockwood Huie
This quote is worth pondering whenever we feel anger or resentment. Why can I say so? Because for years I resented many people who insulted me in the past. And I still sometimes do.
Feeling resentful only poisons our mind, but it’s not always easy to let go of our resentment. This quote is a good start to change our perception and practice to forgive.
Feel abundant.
豊かさを感じよう。
Well, I’m not talking about self-help crap. Feeling abundant is one of the great ways to lead us to creative thinking.
When we do something, we almost always benefit from someone’s inventions and labors. For example, at the beginning of my morning routine, I always drink a glass of water. I can do so every morning because there are people who produced a glass, faucet, and clean-water pipes, and those who maintain a waterworks system every single minute.
When something goes wrong or doesn’t go well, we tend to think that everything sucks and we are powerless, but that’s not true; we are always surrounded and supported by millions of resources that work well every single moment. Even when only a few of them don’t go well as we expected, we still own many resources. There is no need to feel anxious, because we can always create something new by using what we already have.
And never forget that you always have the most abundant and precious resource: YOU.
Leave a trail of compassion.
思いやりを残そう。
All of us struggle with something in some way. And we tend to focus only on our own issues.
That’s completely fine. We have to take care of ourselves first before helping others. But even when we can’t actually do anything significant for others, we can be compassionate to others.
Smile. Make room for others. Speak gently. Such small things make a difference, and can sometimes help others. Don’t overestimate what compassion is; don’t underestimate what you can do either.
See everything as an opportunity.
すべてを機会として見よう。
This is the thought experiment I wish I could have known in my twenties.
First, start from the negative way to see this world, which we are sometimes succumbed to: this world is full of nonsense; we have to deal with nasty people every day; my job is meaningless.
Now, turn them around: this world is full of wisdom no matter how it seems; we get to help the people who have a problem to solve; my role in a workplace is totally indispensable.
It doesn’t matter whether you truly believe these thoughts or not, because it’s a thought experiment anyway. You just have to pretend as if you believed that way, and reflect on what you would do with that perspective. This is a great way to exercise your creative energy.
