Daily Yamabushi

What are you feeling?

Focus on that when you need to concentrate, or even the opposite, when you need to doze off. What are you feeling? Good, bad, it doesn’t matter. Just focus on the sensation. Move throughout your body, feel your weight on the ground. The clothes on your back. The sounds and smells around you. And just be in the moment. That’s all you need to do.

A crucial distinction

One of many is fine if you’re lost. You can rely on others to be lost too, and work together to find your way. One of one, on the other hand, the so-called category of one, have that and you can still rely on others, but with the advantage of them having to rely on you. That’s a crucial distinction.

Get Critiqued

You want to be better? Get criticized. Once criticized, your mind gets set on proving the critics wrong. Not that this always has to be the case. The critics have to be credible. But still, cheerleaders are good and everything, but a strict coach is how you get really good.

Build it Better

A limited number of blocks means a limited tower height. Two or more towers means a very limited height. Work together, build bigger, build better.

Did I spell it out too clearly?

Some people get offended simply because you exist. Think about that. People get offended without even knowing a thing about you as a person. All they see is a face, or a name, or some category or something you belong to, and that’s enough for someone to take offense.

How petty. Do you have time for that?

Don’t think you can convince those people otherwise, well, easily that is. I’m sure you could if they spent time with you. But still, either let them realise that for themselves, or don’t even bother bothering about it and just live your life.

Your existence is offensive to somebody. Let it be.

The Perfect Spare

When I applied for the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program in 2009, I feel that I was the perfect applicant. I spoke Japanese, I had studied it for at least 5 years by then, including a half-year study abroad in Japan. I even had English teaching qualifications, fancy that! None (well, pretty much) of the ALTs that I met here had anything like that, besides maybe one or two linguists. Anyway, I truly felt I was the perfect candidate. I was someone that they could definitely rely on to adapt well to life in Japan, rural or otherwise, and also give the English teaching part a good go too.

Which made me the perfect spare.

Think about it. If someone with less Japan or English teaching qualifications were to drop out, that would make me the perfect replacement. It’d be a no-brainer. And that’s exactly what happened. I was declined on the first go. I only ended up going when my predecessor gave up midway through their contract (at least I assume so). And what did they do? Called up the perfect spare. It was the only time before and (even) after that they had a New Zealander (that could be saying something else though). So I was an anomaly. But guess what, they were right. I’m still here. Too good for the All Stars, but just right as the perfect spare. Go figure.

Make sure it’s worth it

Make sure it’s worth it. Make sure you get them good. Take them out in one fell swoop. When the chance is there, you take it. When the chance is there, you give your best. Anything short risks them winning. Or even worse, you having to do it again. Don’t give it that chance.

Your situation, or your attitude

If you find yourself complaining a lot, or complaining about one thing in particular, it’s probably time for a change.

1. The situation so the complaint is a non-issue. If that’s not possible,
2. change your attitude. Accept the situation for what it is, and focus on the things you can change.
3. Worst comes to worst, get out of the situation entirely.

But only if options 1. and 2. are infeasible.

There’s no real reason to complain about anything. It doesn’t help the situation, and can even make it worse. Don’t let it. Change something.

When you know the alternative will knock you over

When big changes are afoot, and it’s hard to keep your head on straight, focus on simply getting the basics right. Do the things you usually do, how you usually do them, and let time and perspective do its thing. Keep the rhythm and you keep the peace. Because the alternative could knock you over completely.

Your default stance

An attitude for gratitude is a default stance of appreciation no matter what. The world throws some pretty hard stuff at us, some more than others, but having an attitude for gratitude helps to counteract even the worst of it. No matter how hard things get, there is good to be found in everything. With an attitude for gratitude, that becomes much more apparent. Let an attitude for gratitude be your default stance.

Hold on to them when they come

A good coincidence is what happens when two energies of the same frequency come close to one another. It’s rare. But when it happens, you can feel it. Hold onto that, make the most of it, but also remember they are few and far between, and need to be treated as such.

The only data

Real-world data is the only data. Anything else is unverified and should only be used with extreme caution. Don’t rely on the unverified data. Get the best there is.

The decisions you make are based on the now

The decisions you already made were based on the now of a time gone by. They are irrelevant to the now now.

Making a decision on what might happen in the future is a risk to your future now. That doesn’t matter now, which doesn’t mean it won’t in a future now either.

Dealing in nows means focusing on the current moment and all but ignoring every other moment. It means working at the best of your knowledge in this moment, and not worrying about things in the past or the future that don’t exist.

They may have existed in the past, and they may exist in the future. But is that a problem for now?

Just make what you’ve got good

I’m about to enter my sixth yamabushi training. The first time around, I had one Hakui jacket, and two undershirts. Watching the other Yamabushi, I saw that many had different shirts for different days. Then I noticed one Yamabushi in particular who is extremely carefree. It wouldn’t surprise me if he spent the whole training in the same wear.

That’s what I want to go back to.

It’s a little impractical to not have a spare Hakui or undershirt, I won’t go that far, but I will limit my numbers. That just means I need good stuff, and if my first yamabushi training was anything to go by, well, I should have good enough.

Get rid of the things that don’t serve you. Keep everything else.

Sometimes all you can do is laugh

Sometimes the situation has the nerve to just come completely out of whack, and all you can do is laugh about the absurdity of it all. Well, if that’s all you can do, that’s what you should do. The situation brought this upon itself. No point blaming it though.

Where the real lessons come

Under the bright lights is where the real lessons come from. That’s where you are put to the test, and you have to be at your best to make any sort of impact. Under the bright lights is where you should be.

It’s all a step in the right direction

Even if it feels like you’re going the wrong way. Even if you’re still not at your past best. As long as you’re still doing it, it’s all progress. It’s all a step in the right direction

Treat it as such.

What everyone needs every once in a while

Everyone needs a healthy dose of not giving a F every once in a while, if not more often. If something feels right to you, if it feels like it’s better said than not, better done than not, then F it and get it done. Don’t worry about what others say or don’t say. Give it a good dose of not giving an F and get it out there.

Celebrate later

What’s the bare minimum that needs doing? What’s the thing that every other thing counts on? Get good at finishing that, and finish it first. Focus your initial energy simply on getting that done. Do that many times and you will get better at it. Then you’ll be good to go. Finish first. Celebrate later.

Is It Good Work? Does it meet your standards?

When we don’t get the results we want, or when things we make fall flat, it’s easy to feel dejected or like all our effort was for nothing.

Is it good work? Does it meet your standards? Are you proud of it? Then it’s not for nothing.

Your best work is always ahead of you. Keep this in mind, and you’ll always strive for excellence. You’ll always be motivated to do your best. And you should. That’s how you get to your best.

The common denominator

It’s pretty easy to get caught up in the wrong metrics if you let yourself. Vanity is by far the worst as it counts for absolutely nothing while simultaneously wasting your time.

Think about the bottom line. Is it one worth pursuing? Is it the right metric? It’s not called the bottom line for nothing. More often than not, the bottom line is your common denominator. Get that right and everything else falls into place.

Purposely or not

You don’t emerge from the experience merely unscathed, you emerge different. If you emerge different, you emerge changed. Otherwise, it’s not an experience. Emerging unscathed means you haven’t done anything of significance. It means you haven’t grown, whether you wanted to or not.

What I’m going to do

Everything I can to change it is what I’m going to do. It’s something that needs doing. It’s what I can do, it’s in my wheelhouse, and it’s going to get done.

Everything I can to change it. That’s what I’m going to do.

Accept and move on

Some choices are made for you. Some choices you have no choice but to accept. Some choices may seem like a choice, but they are not choices. Sometimes otherwise is not an option, you have no choice but to make the choice. Just accept, and move on.

Take a look around

Take a look around. Who’s winning? Who’s living life fully? Who’s not just grinding for the sake of grinding? Who’s making the most of the time they have?

Is it you? Should it be?

One way or another

Change the people who like it in some way. Give them something to excite them, something to educate them, something to encourage them, something to change them.

If that doesn’t work, change your fans. Get new ones.

Seen a Few Things? Know a Few Things.

Those who have seen a few things, know a few things. When you’ve seen a few things, you know some things aren’t as bad as they seem. You have a different perception and a different perspective built on experience, the purest form of wisdom.

I’m not saying you should go out there and see a few things, it’s very possible that these things just happen to you. Although, maybe you should, if wisdom is what you seek.

How will you use them?

The next ten years.

The next ten months.

The next ten weeks.

The next ten days.

The next ten minutes.

The next ten seconds.

The next ten breaths.

The next ten thoughts.

The next ten actions.

Focus on the next step, and you will get through.

Accepting the now is the hard pill to swallow

Are you too focused on the past, or something that will happen in the future? Focusing on the now is the medicine. Focusing on getting through the now is how you get through. It can be a very hard pill to swallow at times, but it can also be a lifesaver if you let it. Focus on the now. It’s how you get through.

Just slower

Sloths just have to start earlier. They’re still moving. They’re still making progress. It’s the same momentum, just slower.