Portfolio

 

Set a bar high.
基準を高くしよう。

 

A common mistake most of us make is to start from far too behind. It’s not about our abilities to make things done; it’s about our mindset.

We often underestimate ourselves. What we think is our standard can be quite lower than the standard that is suitable for us. And we settle for that—less than what we deserve—because it’s comfortable. Because we don’t have to challenge ourselves. Because lower standards quickly give us a sense of accomplishment. Comfort is a sign of starting from far behind.

When we start from the right place, we feel a sense of excitement. Some may also feel slightly uneasy. Because the right place to start is almost always outside our comfort zone, which is slightly above our standard.

So when you plan to start something, try to make yourself a bit uncomfortable. Set your goal a bit higher than the one you feel comfortable. Demand more of yourself. Believe that you are more capable than you think. If you do so, even when you fail, you can learn much more than what you get from an easy challenge.

 

 

Burn with curiosity.
興味津々になろう。

 

What is the one thing you can do ‘like a child’?

When I decided to create a book of my Doodle Cards, I had another look at them and thought about what they meant to me.

I have to admit that I didn’t have a clear goal when I started. I was just devastated and looking for something I can feel I’m alive. Then it turned out that drawing—and later, writing as well—became my daily creative practice and also helped me purify my soul.

I’m neither a professional artist nor a professional writer. I just draw and write something every morning like a child. Out of pure curiosity, I try to find something positive and useful from negative experience of my own. It helps me understand who I am and how I am, regardless of the number of Likes I get on Instagram or other social media.

Doing something like a child helps you discover your true self. For me, drawing and writing did the work. What is your thing? What makes you forget about time, money, reputation, or anything all adults care?

 

 

Rebuild your belief system.
信念を再構築しよう。

 

What belief systems do you have? And to which belief systems do you give power?

It’s not about religion, although religious belief is an essential part of his or her belief systems for some people.

It’s more about how you live as a human being. For example, there are thousands (if not millions) of beliefs about money, but most of us choose and live with only a few among them.

Your world will change when you change your belief system. Or when you just give more power to the belief system that you didn’t value before. It’s not always easy to do so, but it’s much better than living a life of frustration and complaint.

 

 

See things differently.
違った見方をしよう。

 

I’ve decided to self-publish my book. I don’t need to write from scratch—because I have about 380 Doodle Cards with a short essay. I just have to pick up better ones and compile them into one book. Or maybe more.

Someone might say, “English is not your first language, and your writing is not good enough.” I know. So I am going to use Grammarly app to check my past writings so that I can remove grammatical errors from them.

Someone might say, “Well, your drawings look like the ones drawn by kids.” I take that as a compliment. As Pablo Picasso once put it, “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”

We don’t have to have permission to do a thing. We just have to choose ourselves, do what we decide to do, learn from the outcome, and move forward. Until the very last day of our life.

 

 

Don’t be a fake.
偽者にならない。

 

‘Trying to be’ is way different from ‘being.’

Someone may say to you, “Be yourself.” It implies that you are not yourself, at least from his or her point of view. So you try to be yourself, and sometimes feel like you succeed to be yourself. Sometimes don’t.

But we have to be aware that we are always ourselves. It doesn’t matter if others can see it, or how they recognize it. It doesn’t matter what other people say about us either.

You are always you. No matter what happens or how you feel about it. Don’t try to be something or someone else.