What progress do you make today?
今日はどんな進歩がある？
If we take action, there is no failure; we only make progress.
“Moving forward” is not the only progress. There are many types of progress — learning something new, getting closer, becoming stronger, getting more organized etc. — no matter how we describe, we are making progress.
Don’t underestimate your capacity to make progress every day. In a year or two, it can take you far from what you are now.
Be coolheaded.
落ち着こう。
You don’t always have to rush even when everyone is in hurry.
“Shi-wasu” is another name for December in Japan. There are several theories as to the word “shi,” but one of them is to refer to a Buddhist monk. “Shi-wasu” means even a Buddhist monk, who is usually very calm, runs around because he is busy at the end of the year. This word also makes many Japanese believe that everyone is — and should be — busy in December.
It is one of the examples of collective beliefs in our society. It also shows that such collective beliefs often have no reasonable ground.
No matter what others believe or behave, don’t lose yourself. Stay calm and focused. You may notice that people are just running around or driving crazy with no reason.
Recharge your heart.
優しさを充電しよう。
It’s impossible to be grateful to others if we hate ourselves.
That is what happened to me until my early thirties. I hated myself more than anyone else. I wasn’t grateful to others — as well as to myself. I lost many friends and supporters because I repeated self-destructive behavioral pattern and didn’t care about what others feel.
Above all things, we need love for ourselves. It’s not a sappy self-help or woo-woo; our love for ourselves is a prerequisite for any kind of gratefulness to others. If we don’t have enough love, we can’t simply share it with others.
Some people hate us anyway, no matter how grateful we are. But it doesn’t matter at all if we always recharge and revitalize ourselves with our self-love, which is much stronger than someone’s hate.
Holiday season is a great opportunity to recharge ourselves with unconditional love from our loved ones. Hope all of you have a great Christmas Day.
Have a great weekend everyone 🙂
There’s always a way out.
抜け出す方法は常にある。
If you don’t set a limit on yourself.
We all have a tough time at some point in our life. There is no exception. But no matter how tough it seems, there is a way to make our situation better.
Don’t give up or let the circumstance dictate you. Stand up, calm down, and look around yourself through a fresh eye. Try some experiments. Learn from what doesn’t work, and double down on what works. If nothing works, just start over. Again and again.
Only you can make a way out of no way — for your own sake.
