Doodle

 

Thank you very much for your likes in 2016!

As many Instagrammers do, I’ve also created my 2016 best nine on Instagram. (Check yours here -> https://2016bestnine.com )

I had no idea about number of likes in 2016 until I created the best nine. I didn’t even care about getting likes on social media when I started using Instagram again in last May — with less than 50 followers. Most of them were dormant accounts of my old “friends” on Facebook, which I didn’t even remember who the heck they are. They never liked my photos.

But now, I have many followers who are kind and supportive. You are the driving force behind my daily creative practice. Thank you very much for being my followers. I really appreciate it.

I’ll continue my daily creative practice. I’ll keep trying a new thing even though it doesn’t end up with success. If something lets you down, come and see me struggling every day. I want you to know that there is someone who never gives up no matter what happens. If something makes you happy, come and share your positive vibes with us. That makes us happy as well.

Thanks again! 🙂

 

Here are the links to the 2016 best nine:

Doodle Card #76 – Real Leaders Lead

Doodle Card #225 – Practice Is The Real Work

Sketchnote #50 – 5 Rituals To Make You Motivated

Doodle Card #232 – Recharge Your Heart

Doodle Card #231 – Happy Holidays

Sketchnote #51 – 4 Easy Tricks That Will Make You Productive

Doodle Card #192 – Your Brain Makes You Happy

Sketchnote #52 – The James Altucher Show: Overcoming Your Worst Weakness

Doodle Card #228 – Be Reborn Every Day

 

 

Happy New Year!
新年あけましておめでとうございます。

 

The New Year lies ahead

With ideas to be visualized,

And wisdom to be shared.

May you unleash your creativity and potential

All year long!

 

 

Life is a moving target.
人生は常に変わるもの。

 

The end of a year or the start of a new year doesn’t make me excited or sentimental. I used to – at every year-end, I was very keen to look back on what I did during the year and set ambitious goals for the next year. But I stopped doing that a few years ago.

Now my life is based upon a long-term vision and short-term experiments, not annual goals. I visualize what things (including myself) would be five years from now, then do experiments to see what works better for getting closer to the vision. Each experiment is no longer than 2 months; it’s usually around 2-3 weeks. When something works during the experiment, I keep doing it — but if nothings works, I stop doing it and move on to the next experiment.

Things change quickly nowadays. If we stick to setting annual goals, we might be left far behind. But we definitely need to have a vision — a compass that will lead us to where we want to be in five, ten, or twenty years.

We don’t have to wait for a new year to make changes happen. With a long-term vision and a series of short-term experiments, we can change ourselves at any time during the year. Just start now — no matter what day it is today.

 

 

How’s your year-end?
年末いかがお過ごしですか？

 

It’s a bit quiet at year-end. We rarely get client calls or emails — unless we’re in the retail industry.

For business owners, year-end is a great opportunity to reflect on next steps. Our brain will work differently in a quiet and relaxed environment.

If you were too busy during the year to do “important-but-not-urgent” stuff, it’s also a good time to catch up. Spend time with your family. Read books. Meet old friends. Do what you really love — No matter what it is, it will give you a fresh insight into yourself and your work.

 

 

Action x Challenge = Growth
行動 x 課題 = 成長

 

Action leads to growth. If you want to multiply your growth, you need a challenge. But you have to be careful about a few things:

– Don’t set a bar too low. If your challenge is too easy, it is no longer a challenge and may cause you to weaken. Starting small is always a good idea to gain momentum; but one small step itself wouldn’t give you huge growth. Take hundreds of small steps, then you would notice your own growth.

– Don’t give up easily. Things will not always go well as you expected. You might need to try ten, twenty, or thirty times to achieve one small goal. Remember that the entire process is also part of your challenge.

– When it comes to your own growth, never care about what others say. Other people will never be responsible for your life as well as your growth. They are busy taking care of their own. It is you who decide what is the appropriate challenge for you. Self-awareness will always help you choose the right one.