Doodle

 

A milestone is not a destination.
道標は目的地じゃない。

 

My creative pursuit started from desperation. Before giving up on everything in my life, I wanted to do what I loved most in my childhood: drawing. And now I’m still doing my daily creative practice, and creating my 300th doodle card. It is a milestone, and the daily practice has showed me a whole new world. But I’m still in the midst of my journey.

Our ultimate goal, or goals, should be big enough that we can’t even see the whole picture of it at the beginning. Every day we move toward the next milestone, which is visible, hoping that it will lead to a path to our ultimate goal. Sometimes it does, and we begin to see a clear image of our goal. Sometimes it doesn’t; instead, it poses the question of whether we should keep doing what we’ve been doing.

The road to our goal will never be straight. Going back and forth is inevitable; in fact, it is necessary to reach our real goal. So always be yourself, be honest with yourself, and enjoy the ride.

 

 

Manage your brain.
アタマを操ろう。

 

Whenever you get hooked on something, you’re controlled by dopamine—so-called “brain’s pleasure chemical.”

Many mammals—including rats, monkeys, and human beings—have the reward system in the brain. Once the system finds something pleasurable, it releases dopamine—the hormone that makes us happy and motivates us to keep doing that thing.

Keep posting on social media to get Likes. Go to the casino every weekend even though the house always wins. Keep playing mobile games to raise the level.

Regardless of whether these things are good or bad, we’re under control of the reward system while devoting ourselves to something. Once we know what stimulates our reward system and how the “brain’s pleasure chemical” works, it becomes a bit easier to avoid any kind of addictions or being brainwashed by someone else.

 

 

We’re only human.
私たちは生身の人間。

 

We’re not machines, but fake leaders treat people like a machine.

Don’t get hooked on perfectionism. You might think you’d be able to do everything perfectly, but that’s not true. Accept imperfection and consider it a chance.

Don’t expect others to be perfect either. Anyone—including you—can make mistakes. And people can get better when they make mistakes. Give them a chance to grow further.

Letting go of perfectionism is the first step to put growth mindset into practice. We’re all human that has a potential to grow.

 

 

What’s your focal point?
あなたの焦点は何？

 

Your brain creates the world around you. Not anything else.

Do you believe that your job is a dead end, or it’s time to do something new?

Do you consider your industry saturated, or full of chances for innovation?

Do you think that people around you are incompetent, or that they have a plenty of room for further growth and improvement

You’re what you’re focusing on. Don’t waste your time and willpower by concentrating on what you don’t want to live with.

 

 

Create contrast.
対照を作ろう。

 

Positivity comes from either of two sources: fear or hope.

Some people try to be positive to stay away from their fear. Fear of missing out, failing, losing money, or being marginalized.

Some people try to be positive to keep up hope, even after they miserably failed and lost everything. Even when people around them call them a loser.

The former positivity attracts people who have the same fear. The latter positivity is not for everyone—because many people don’t listen to those who failed—but is a real act of courage.

Experiencing bad times is not a bad thing at all. It makes a striking contrast in our life and gives us the power of being ourselves.