Doodle

 

Embrace your biased view.
偏った見方を利用しよう。

 

When people say something about me, it is always a bad thing.

It is a biased view, but I realized that it exists in my subconscious mind when I woke up during the night on the other day.

I know where it came from. At one of the companies I worked before, people talk about bad things of others more than good things. People often make fun of others and rarely appreciate what others did. As you can easily imagine, people kept leaving from the company. Especially good ones.

This biased view was, and perhaps still is, the way to protect myself. If I believed that people always say bad things about me, I wouldn’t be shocked even when it happens. If I had no expectation, nothing would hurt my feeling.

Is this a victim’s mindset? Probably it is. The good thing is that, since I’ve already noticed this perception, it can be changed.

Finding unfavorable perceptions is not a bad thing, although it can be a tough experience. Once we know them, we can change them. We don’t need to deny them — even if they seem inappropriate now, these perceptions might have helped us a lot in the past.

 

 

Explore your deeper thought.
より深い考えを探求しよう。

 

It’s fun rather than pain.

I often wake up several times in the middle of the night. Sometimes it’s because of a bad dream. Sometimes I come up with an idea.

When we wake up during the night, our subconscious mind often shows up. It can appear with the feeling of anxiety, fear, or being afraid. It also can come with the feeling of joy, happiness, or great relief.

No matter what kind of feelings we have, the subconscious tells us something. Whenever possible, explore the deep world in the brain. The point is, as Bruce Lee puts it, “Don’t think, feel”.

 

 

Things you own do not make you a better person.
持っているモノで良き人間は生み出されない。

 

I used to have 1000+ books at home. I read every day. But I was just an egocentric person at that time.

Since then I’ve failed many times. These experiences helped me grow further and understand what really matters.

I threw away most of the books I owned. But it doesn’t make me less intelligent person. I’m not egocentric either.

We are always exposed to the commercialism that makes us feel we need something. Or something makes us look really good. That’s an illusion. It’s true that companies need to sell something to make them profitable, but we do not have to buy from them.

We always have an option. To choose what we need. To have our own criteria. To live our own life. And that allows us to be a better person in our own terms.

 

 

Don’t fake it. Just take it.
偽ろうとはせずに、ただ受け入れよう。

 

I lived and worked in the United States for seven years. I think it’s long enough to talk about something.

Not a few Japanese people living in the U.S., or came back from the U.S., tend to dislike Japanese people and Japanese culture. They often say “Oh it’s so Japanese, I don’t like it” when they see something strange about Japanese behavior, culture or tradition.

I also thought and behaved that way. For 4 to 5 years after I came back to Japan. But it only made me realize that I am TOO so Japanese. It was just the matter of how I see myself and the world around me.

When and after living abroad, we sometimes face some kind of identity crisis. We become unsure of who we are. Then some of us unconsciously start to believe that we are like the people living in the country we live. So that we can make ourselves a bit comfortable and feel like we are ‘home’.

But that’s a delusion. We can’t fake our true identity for a long time. Unless we are a well-trained agent like Jason Bourne.

Accept who we really are. There’s nothing to shame or blame. We do not have to label ourselves or others as something either. Let us enjoy being one of 7.4 billion people on this planet.

 

 

Get out of your phone.
携帯電話から抜け出そう。

 

Walking outside is one of the great ways to get my creative juices flowing.

I do such a ‘creative walking’ two to three times a day. For about 10 to 15 minutes. I do not carry my iPhone with me while walking.

What if someone calls me while I’m walking? I will call back later. What if someone texts me to let me know something urgent happens? I will take care of it after I finish walking. And most of the time, neither of them will happen during the creative walking.

We are not a slave of our phone. Nor a slave of someone who tries to contact us through our phone. At any time, we can set us free from our phone – by turning it off or leaving it at home.

Having no phone gives you a new perspective. Look at the things around you. Feel the wind on your body. Or hear the rain pouring. Ask the most important question to yourself and think about it.

Enjoy being offline.