Be healthy.
健康でいよう。
I’m not feeling well since last night. I have a fever. I’m going to my doctor from now — if I got the flu or something, my schedule for this week would completely change.
Being sick reminds us of the importance of being healthy, and makes us realize that being healthy itself is an opportunity — that we often overlook.
When you get sick, don’t beat yourself. Take it as an opportunity as well. It gives you a chance to be grateful for your mind and body.
Endurance matters.
忍耐が大事。
Yesterday I heard one of Japanese professional wrestler said: “Your muscle and friends will not betray you.” I found his view very interesting, although I don’t fully agree with him.
Our friends would betray us, especially when we desperately need them. But our muscle — that is, the outcome of the weight training that requires your continuous effort and self-discipline for years — is something we can always rely on.
You might say, “Wait, dude. Our muscle can easily atrophy if we don’t use it, say for two weeks. How could it be something we can always count on?”
You’re right. Our muscle can easily atrophy. But the experience and confidence we gained through years of hard trainings are our intangible asset and will not easily disappear. Because of that, we can feel we can do it again — even when we lose everything, including our friends.
Don’t underestimate the value of what you have kept doing with an effort and patience. You can get stronger at every moment of every day, even while you do the job you don’t like.
Make things.
モノを創ろう。
If you doubt yourself, make things. Writing, cooking, singing a song, even doodling on a piece of paper — anything goes. You’ll know you are still capable of creating something from scratch.
It doesn’t matter if you’re good at it or not. After all, we’re all novices at the beginning. So is an expert. A unique talent is not given; it is to be developed from raw materials within us.
Recognize that each one of us is a creative creature — without exception. Don’t be afraid of being creative. Make things every single day.
Save yourself.
自分を救おう。
Let’s face it: we don’t always like our job especially if we’re employed. There is always something annoying that makes us feel drained — our boss, co-workers, abusive clients, company culture and politics, or pay level — you name it. We need to recharge our batteries before these things completely make us burned-out.
Meet your close friends, read books, go to a museum, listen to live music, get surrounded by nature — as long as it relieves and inspires you, anything goes.
If you’re too busy to do any of these things, you need to start changing something — before your job literally kills you or your mind. You can change your job, but your life is irreplaceable.
Seize the day.
今を生きよう。
Our life is full of choices. All of us made many choices in the past. We are going to make some decisions today. And we will keep choosing something in the future.
Here is a problem: some people — including my former self — tend to think more about what they could (or should) have done in the past, rather than what they can do now. Even worse, they often create a memory bias — one of common cognitive biases — and make up a different story about what they experienced in the past, like these:
“I could have done this if my boss had been supportive to me.” “I could have done that if I had stayed in that company.”
It means nothing to think about these fantasies. Even if we did, we wouldn’t be able to change what happened in the past. It’s just a waste of our brain power. Your former boss or employer still s**ks because of what they did, at least from your current point of view. That’s that.
It is always better to use our imagination to think about what we do now to create the life we want in the future. We are not always able to forget what others — like our parents, teachers, bosses, acquaintances or exes — did to us, but we can always shift our focus from the past to the present moment.
So my friends, seize the day — to make your lives extraordinary.
