Daily Yamabushi

I was thinking of switching my blog entirely to medium, but I think I might stick with WordPress but add a new blog section that makes use of medium. WordPress is supposed to be the most popular blogging software, but I’m not getting much benefit from that. So I thought I could use medium to try and increase the readership a bit.

Medium already has a big audience that I want to tap into, and one other big advantage is that I won’t have to edit photos like on WordPress so that they aren’t giant and slow down the site. I can just post from my phone.

My idea is to add a new blog section at blog.timbunting.com that is based on medium. This only costs the domain fee and a yearly $50 which also includes access to medium’s paid content. My original idea was to just use medium, and I may do that in the future, but I have a whole lot of stuff I would have to switch over which will definitely take some time (if you read yesterday’s post, you’d know I’ve nearly written 1,000 blog posts).

I’ve also been considering changing my email address to look more official on the timbunting.com domain.

Thanks for hearing me out. Any opinions are appreciated.

I remember reading somewhere that we humans often overestimate how much we can do in a short time, while at the same time, we underestimate how much we can achieve with prolonged effort over a long period of time.

If you can dedicate 20 minutes each day to a blog, you can dedicate it to writing a book or some sort of exercise regime or something similar.

I started this blog not so much to have a blog, but to keep to a disciplined schedule. I guess I wanted to prove to myself that if I wanted to, I could continue something like this, and I have been able to do it every day since January 1st, 2019.

This combined with some other posts I have and I’m nearly at 1,000 total posts. That’s insane. Think about the sort of asset you could build with 1000 posts’ worth of effort. But even more so, doing this disciplined activity day in day out also proves that if you wanted to, you really could do something extraordinary.

My most popular (to date) video on YouTube is about how Japanese people can be both Shinto and Buddhist at the same time. This video started out as an introduction to the five story pagoda. I stood in front of the pagoda and spent about 10-15 minutes explaining things about it, but when I got home to edit the footage, it was just me talking about a pagoda.

Watching the footage, I realised that there is such an enormous background to being able to even begin to understand the importance of the structure. I mean, sure it looks cool in the middle of the forest and everything, but that to me is not the attraction (well, not entirely). The attraction to me is how the history and culture of the place (the Dewa Sanzan but also Japan as a whole) came about, and the five story pagoda is just one way it is expressed. So I set about making a video to explain the background, and this is what came out.

Which leads me to today. I’ve started my 100 mountains of Yamagata project, and I’ve already released two videos, but I’m starting to think just introducing the place might turn out like a five story pagoda video. When I’m climbing, I start to think deeply about how to express the location, or, more correctly, I randomly hold the camera up and hope something good comes out of it. But this just seems superficial.

Last week I climbed and filmed Takadate, and I’ve already gone through and made a video about it, but it might just end up in someone’s highlights reel. I’m starting to realise that this isn’t what I want to do with the project. I want to get to the underlying culture and history of the place, and try and go some way in explaining why this part of Japan that I love so much is so full of life lessons.

I realise that this is quite an undertaking, but if you’re going to do something, you’ve got to do it right, right?

Or more accurately, people who have an ego. If you have an ego, winning at all costs becomes your modus operandi. This is why ego is so dangerous, you try so hard to win, you lose sight of the real reason to play the game in the first place; to play the game and learn to be a better version of your yesterday self.

The ancient Japanese (while borrowing from the Chinese) were right in knowing things were a way, rather than a black and white win and loss.

There are no winners in Kendo, the ‘way’ of the sword. Instead there is the concept Utte hansei, utarete kansha. Hit, and analyze (were you just lucky? Where could you improve?). Get hit, and appreciate (the lesson). This idea is taken straight from centuries of samurai warfare.

People with an ego think they can do one thing to ‘win’. ‘Winning’ is not the aim of the game, the aim is to play the game. As long as you’re still in the game, you’re still in the game.

This post was inspired by the recent Japan Experts podcast on Kendo. If you haven’t, I recommend you give it a listen.

I’m not a professional photographer by any means, but one thing I’ve had to learn over and over again when it comes to doing photography in a certain location is to think big then go small. It could just be due to the type of lenses I have that are made for getting maximum Bokeh, meaning you’re better to be doing a close-up on something, but I always seem to forget to get a photo of the outside of a location, or something that encapsulates the whole place. I’ve found this to be the case the past few times I’ve been out on the mountains, and I’ve had to resort to taking stills from my video footage, which with the GoPro isn’t actually that good (unless the light is right, which it often isn’t inside forests).

Think big. Take in the whole picture (literally and figuratively), and only then should you move into the finer details.

There is a world where all is peaceful. There is a world of forgiveness and understanding. There is a world that is both unrelenting and testing, some might call it tough love. There is a world that you can escape to if you just let yourself. There is a world where surrender is the only choice, but ultimately, it’s about love.

To know that this world exists, to know that you can always enter this world if you so desire, to know that no matter what, no one can take that world away from you, that is a superpower.

So when you’re feeling down, or when something big happens and you struggle to let your emotions out, you know where to go. The mountains will always be there.

My hairdresser also happens to be one of my best friends and quite an active dude. He does quite a bit of fishing, is into photography, bikes, boats, cars, music, coffee, cafes, and all sorts of other hobbies. I’m also like him in a way in that I have a lot of a lot of interests.

We were thinking that all these interests might have lead to a lot of jobs for the both of us. Even though he’s a hairdresser by profession, he also sells classic cars and bikes on the side and has done quite well. He’s also thinking up other businesses he can run. It’s really quite inspiring.

Similarly, I try to make my hobbies into a side income as well if I can. I haven’t had much luck yet, but I’m hoping that I can at least get something from all the work I’m putting into this blog and my other projects.

For the blog, I know it has already helped me in my daily life to collect and process my thoughts in a meaningful way. It’s also helped keep me disciplined, although in the past few days I have missed my self-policed 12pm deadline.

I think having a lot of interests means you also have a lot of chances. Besides what I’ve said already, it also means you get to meet a wide variety of people who may be able to help you out in some way. But I think you still need to be somewhat engrossed in the hobby to be able to talk to people about it and to be able to benefit.

Tuesday’s mountain was a reminder that it’s how you think of the experience that matters. Once we had reached the top of Mt. Takadate, I must say I was a bit disappointed with the place, yet I still thoroughly enjoyed the hike as a whole, especially the long path on the way back.

Had I let my experience at the top spoil the whole experience and just returned straight to my car, I would have missed a whole lot of fun that was waiting for me on the other side of the mountain.

While it may not be fun in the moment, your expectations can really affect your experience. If you can’t go into the experience with zero expectations, remember that what came before isn’t necessarily what will come again.

Ok, there are many reasons, look at politics and in the business world for easy examples, but I just saw this segment on TV that exemplifies and perpetuates just how bad it is. The segment was a ‘what not to say’ and ‘how to say it’ of common occurrences in Japan, starting with eating curry. The segment said that instead of the husband (sic.) saying “curry will be fine”, the correct phrase will be “I would be happy if you made curry”.

Can you see where I’m coming from? The whole premise that it’s the wife who does the cooking is wrong. And yet this is national TV trying to say that this is the correct way to do things. Fortunately, there was a woman on the show who agreed with me, and she went some way in putting the presenters in their place, but it still ended with these phrases being ‘correct’ in response. And you wonder why Japanese people are so oblivious to the plight of gender equality, the idiot box (which still has astronomical viewership in Japan) is perpetuating the stereotype.

I’m saying this in that these sorts of attitudes pigeon-hole women into a certain category that means that they can’t fully utilise the skills we try so hard to develop through the education system. This to me is a blatant waste of talent that I would love to see put to better use, if the women also feel that way of course.

The first part of the climb up Mt. Takadate was around the Shimoike lake, before you head up into the forest along the Iwakura route that takes you to a road that takes you to the summit. This part of the trail is uneventful, although there are some memorable parts with some glorious trees, and cool wooden bridge type things that are all overgrown.

Once we got to the top though, if I’m honest I was a bit underwhelmed. It’s just a clearing with a pagoda and a whole lot of cell towers. Except, there’s also this old lookout that you can climb up, and once you do, you get 360° views of the ocean, the surrounding mountains, Sakata city, Mt. Chokai, Mt. Gassan, Tsuruoka, it was quite a sight to see.

So at that point I thought I had met the highlight of the mountain. Turns out I was wrong. We headed back the way we came, to the start of the Iwakura trail, but then we went down the road a little bit further until we got to where the path goes up to Mt. Hachimoriyama, a smaller but really cool peak.

The path to the summit was quite long, longer than I had expected, and once we got there, we stopped for some prayers as apparently you get some really good views of Mt. Gassan from there when all the trees are bare in late autumn.

For the first time ever I prayed with my Yamabushi partner Tak, and it felt extremely humbling. Right in the middle of the forest with the birds calling in all directions, that was really cool. I can see why Sendatsu always says it’s the prayers that make the difference when you’re out in nature.

After heading further down the mountain, through the trees we could see another mountain in the distance. Eventually we came out of the forest and what a sight. We could see Mt. Gassan clear as day in the distance and the rice fields and houses in the foreground we really quaint. Then we kept going until we also saw Mt. Chokai in the distance. Seems like we had timed it perfectly.

We returned to our car by going on the path that runs along the Shimoike lake, Mt. Takadate gently looking over us.

Altogether, it took us about 3 hours, just as it said on the yamagatayama website. I think I have to come back here in the autumn now. I’ve seen the autumn leaves here before, but didn’t go into the mountains at that time. Next time I hope I can see Mt. Gassan 🙂

This path was shorter than Mt. Kinbo from Shoryuji, and shorter than Mt. Arakura, but probably similar to Mt. Kinbo from the Yutagawa entrance. This means that it’s great for an afternoon or morning hike, but you’d struggle to make a day of it (unless you combined it with a picnic or something).

Overall I’m really glad that we got to climb, but I think the experience would have been different if the weather wasn’t so good. You spend 95% of the time in the forest, and then the top is quite unremarkable, but this probably makes it really good for Shintinyoku if that’s what you’re into 🙂 defs worth a visit.

Sometimes people do us wrong. Sometimes people go out of their way to make our lives difficult. Sometimes they’re doing it as a means of survival, and you just happen to get caught in the crossfire. Sometimes people think you truly are to blame for their misfortune, and they do whatever they can to let you know.

Whatever the reason, we need to show compassion. We need to take the higher ground and show them that we see them. While I love you is definitely a close second, sometimes we need to stop and say ‘I forgive you’.

Don’t let the situation drag on. Don’t let them get the better of you. Just accept the situation, let them know your feelings, calmly, and then you can move on.

I find explaining one certain aspect of my life makes people go quiet because they have no idea how to respond. And I don’t blame them, it’s not an easy topic (maybe you can guess). But by talking about it, I can talk about what I learned from it, and at the same time I can show that it’s healthy to talk about these sorts of things.

It’s a pretty simple observation, but the unique experience you have in the world brings unique insights to the world.

I have had a number of experiences that I’m certain other people haven’t, at least not in the same combination, so I think I have some unique insights to give. But the problem comes when people can’t relate to them, so you have to express them in such a way that people can relate and respond to them. At least that’s what I need to work on.

I think sharing these unique experiences is extremely important, for one, our ideas are exponentially better when they’re shared, and for two, it might just help someone in need.

Strangely, I’m starting to feel like I’ve been liberated in a way, as if up until now writing a blog or expressing myself as a means of making a living has been banned or looked down upon. When you’re gainfully employed, you have bounds. You have to live within a sterile environment and it is anything but freeing. I feel that until now, in a way I have been discouraged from doing creative endeavours in favour of taking on more ‘normal’ jobs, meaning being gainfully employed. But now I feel as if I’ve unlocked a door into another world, a world that really has no bounds. And it’s odd. All I did was write a newsletter.

I had felt a hint of this before when I was working for a private English school. It wasn’t the teaching to a prescribed curriculum, it was when I was actively creating and designing activities to use in class. Now this is taking it to the next level.

When I first did interpretation, I remember thinking it was completely different to my experience to date because up until then, I was using Japanese only for myself. Up until today, I had also only written newsletters for Yamabushido or the Dewa Sanzan (at the bottom of the page). Just before, I sent out the first of my Mountains of Wisdom mailers, and it was fun! I wanted to keep people in the loop with the 100 Famous Mountains of Yamagata Project, and with the mailer you see (to the right on the PC, below on smaller screens), you can sign up and I’ll be sure to send you updates as they come. Now I guess I just need to do this a bit more often.

Our lives are inexplicably complex. I was thinking of how I would explain the situation I’m in to someone who doesn’t know me, and I just kept remembering layers and layers of stuff that is all important and all contributes to who I am right now. In short, it would take a very long time just to explain the basics.

So I gave up thinking about that. But this little exercise reminded me of the one constant. The one thing that we can always go back to, and the one thing that we can always rely on. Nature.

I do believe that the answer lies within, and I do believe that nature has the power to draw it out of us.

No matter where we are, no matter who we are, no matter what we are, nature has our back. In whatever situation you find yourself in, you find that you can always go back to nature to rediscover your inner self.

Knowledge of this one constant alone is encouraging. Knowledge that we always have something to fall back on, no matter how tough of a situation we find ourselves in. So when you’re feeling overwhelmed, get outside! It doesn’t matter how you do it, get outside and appreciate nature for all it does for us.

Sincere gratitude is the name of the game. The Japanese are smart. They know that everything starts with appreciation. Before every meal they say ‘Itadakimasu’ meaning ‘I humbly receive this meal’, but there is the connotation that you are thanking every living being (including plants) that played even the smallest part in bringing the meal to your table.

When you practice Kyudo Japanese archery or other Japanese martial arts, before you even take a stance, you pay your respects to the gods of the Dojo.

And of course appreciation is the premise of Yamabushi training. We go out to nature and thank her for everything she has given us, which is, of course, everything.

Sure you may not have the most recent gadgets, or you may not have what others do, but if you are able to appreciate what you do have, your life, your family, your friends, and much more, then your life will be fulfilling.

Golden week’s coming up, and that means I will have a bit more time to work on my own projects. But it also means I think I will have extra time to do everything I need to, when in reality, I don’t.

When you have a bit of free time coming up, it’s easy to think that you’d have enough time to do what you need to then. This is called procrastination, and you need to make a concrete plan to counteract it.

I find it helps to overestimate the time it will take to do something, and to then put that overestimated time in your calendar. Dedicate time in your calendar for each individual project, otherwise you’ll never get it done. If it’s not on the calendar, it doesn’t exist, basically.

Also make a point of reviewing the things you did and didn’t do, and adjust your calendar as necessary. Thankfully this is easily done these days.

A few years ago, I was getting ready to host a party at my house, and suddenly it got harder for me to breathe. At the time I thought it was the fumes of the Kerosene heater (hard to believe but this is still the norm in northern Japan), and I actually went to the doctor to see what was wrong. Turns out I was having a panic attack.

Over the years, these have become more common. I put it down to being overwhelmed, and if I were to explain the details each time you would probably agree that it would be a natural response. I try to do everything I can to avoid these, like meditation, cold showers, and going out into nature to calm down if things are getting a bit hectic. But they still happen, and I’m starting to do a better job at finding the triggers. I wrote a post a few weeks back about being the victim of misdirected anger, that was one such occasion.

Then today, I had to explain my parents’ situation to someone for a legal matter, and before I knew it, my throat started to close up (at least that’s what it felt like, it didn’t actually). Such simple things can have such a profound impact, you have to be very conscious that they are happening, and know what to do in that situation.

But, as with any stressing event, there’s one failsafe way to get over it. Focus on your breath. It’s that simple. Sit down comfortably and consciously take the time to do ten big breaths. If that doesn’t work, keep trying to do slow breathing, or try something that makes you focus on your breath, like swimming or running, or even just walking.

I think it’s really cool how breathing is something that is simultaneously a conscious and unconscious thing. This means that focusing on your breathing is one way we can manipulate our unconscious mind. So the next time you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, just breathe.

Setbacks are setbacks if you let them be setbacks. Of course when you’re trying new things, not everything will go smoothly. That’s what I would call a setback, a little hump on the road, or sometimes a big one.

That’s part of the excitement though, you go into new projects knowing that there will be setbacks, and you mentally prepare to deal with them when they arise. When doing new things though, those setbacks are highly unpredictable. This just means that you need to be highly innovative to overcome them.

Don’t fear the setbacks, embrace them. They are your chance for growth, they only lead to growth one way or another.

In retrospect, if anything, this day five years ago was a reminder to live. I’m not sure he’d want many people knowing this, but if it helps even just one person to get off the couch and do what they’ve always said they’d do, then I’m sure he’d be happy to let people know.

My dad hated his job. He was a high school teacher, but it seems like he did it more out of necessity. To hate something is very strong, so I’m sure there were definitely aspects of the job that he liked. But there were also things dad told me he wanted to do, someday.

The thing is, someday doesn’t exist. It’s just a dream. If you’re wanting to do something, do it. If you’re wanting to live, live. No point waiting for the stars to align, because that might happen when you’re no longer with us, and what good is that?

Perhaps he was waiting for retirement. My dad was already receiving a pension, and he was three years away from retiring too. But even retirement isn’t guaranteed.

So for me, I’m trying to NOT be like my dad in that respect. When I have even a slight inkling that I want to do something, I’m trying hard to push myself so that I do it.

That’s a bit unfair on dad, he was working towards some things, but I want to be even more proactive, so that there is at least some positive to come from what was the saddest day of my life.

P.s. if you’ve lost someone, it really does get better with time. Just make sure you’re looking after yourself, and allow yourself to come to terms with it on your own time. Also, be sure to reach out when you feel the need. You’re never alone.

(Photo of the Sakura when dad came to Shonai in 2014)

I was listening to an interview with a movie producer this morning. One guy was a student who was into cinematography and editing but ultimately wanted to become a director. That guy asked the producer for advice on how to proceed.

The producer’s advice was to work on editing skills, for now, because a director who can also edit is able to understand much better what is possible and how to do it. But it was an interesting insight from the film industry because there seems to be a lot of cross-role work going on. People moving from acting to producing to directing, etc., but also how to do so effectively.

The producer’s advice was also to just do that thing you are aiming for. Writers write, producers produce, directors direct, and just to make something that you use your skills with to build them.

This also reminded me of a podcast by Seth Godin I heard some time ago when he said he met the author of 50 Shades of Grey but only after she had written it. She was in a funk because she knew she would never be able to better 50 Shades. Seth’s advice? He told her she was a writer, and that it was her job to write. And that’s exactly what she did, or so I heard.

I don’t think we have to think very deep about it. I think it’s just a matter of doing what your supposed to do to be what or who you’re supposed to be. When you’re a writer, write. When you’re a producer, produce, and so on. Just do it and focus on getting better at it every time.

I climbed Mt. Arakurayama today, a mountain to the west of central Tsuruoka that straddles the Shonai coast and overlooks one of the coolest places along the Sea of Japan, Yura.

The weather was just too good. I woke up, looked outside, saw how clear of a day it was and felt the urge to be on the mountains. So, I decided to take half a day off. I had been thinking about climbing Arakurayama for a while now, and since the mountain Sakura were in bloom, I felt it would be a good idea to go today.

I intend to make up for it by working tomorrow, but I’m really glad that I can just do that. It’s supposed to be cloudy tomorrow, and the weather today was crisp, so I thought I should make the most of it.

Once I got to the purported start of the trail according to yamagatayama.com, I had no idea where it was. Luckily I know the town a little bit, and I headed further up the road and saw these two women who looked like they had just gotten off the mountain. I asked them and they kindly let me know where to go.

Firstly, this was completely different to what the yamagatayama map says. In fact, it’s a whole hill away. You have to go through a tunnel to get to the right spot. And secondly, there were zero signposts. The only signpost I could find was one saying to watch out for bears. So I ended up walking into an area that I assume was formerly rice fields before I realized that the path ended and I had to turn around.

Luckily, I could see a very small trail going off into the mountains, and this was the right one. I have no idea how people who don’t know the place are expected to find it. It’s at the end of a narrow gravel road off the main street. Thankfully there is a massive hotel to use as a landmark.

So I followed the trail, and before long there were some spectacular views to take in. The trail goes up a ridge that then overlooks Yura and other parts of that coast. With the mountain Sakura, it’s really quite pretty at this time of year.

Keep following the path and you come across a lookout at the top of one hill, then head down a bit until you get to a road area. This road leads to Arakura shrine, and splits off to the summit. Before you get to the summit, there’s one clearing that has great views of Mt. Chokai, and you can see Mt. Takadate quite easily from there too. The summit isn’t exactly exciting. Just a clearing amongst a forest. But it’s the journey that counts right?

Arakura shrine is sure a sight to behold. There were at least five buildings in the whole complex, and some of them looked brand new. There is also this awesome staircase and red bridge over a pond that I posted on my Instagram stories. From here, there’s a clearing and you get a good view of Mt. Gassan. From there I took the same path back to my car.

All up it took me about 3 and a half hours return. I was walking fastish, and of course I stopped to pay my respects at the shrine, where I also took my time to get a few photos.

I would recommend this for anyone who wants a bit of a challenge, although it wasn’t that hard in retrospect. That’s probably why it’s an A grade mountain, meaning casual hikers can climb it too. I’d definitely recommend coming when the mountain Sakura are in bloom. I think I was a little too late. This would mean maybe a week or two after the Sakura are blooming in central Tsuruoka.

I also enjoyed the cover of the trees the whole way, so the sunlight wasn’t very intense. It should be a good place to climb in summer before jumping into the ocean in Yura, or among the autumn leaves. 4/5.

[replace run with your preferred form of exercise]

One time when I was working at an elementary school here I was asked why I swim. My answer was probably too honest, but I said I swim now, because there will come a time that I will not be able to swim. In other words, I fear not being able to.

That’s a bit of a negative way to think about it, I do swim because I love it, but both of these combined gave me the mantra ‘Any day you can run, is a day you do run’. If you’re physically able to do it, you do it.

This has been my mantra for a few years now. It means that even if you’re not feeling up to it, and you’re debating whether it will be worth it, it doesn’t matter and you should already be making a move. This mantra takes the thought out of it, often the biggest hurdle in getting a move on. So excuse me, I have something to do now.

The other day I wrote that I may have to break someone’s heart by turning down a job offer. Turns out I don’t have to. I’m just going to make it so I only do the essential part of that job, and outsource the rest. That way I can still be a part of solving the problem that I am fully on board with, and I can also develop a different type of skill, people skills.

I haven’t really had the chance to do something like this before. I want to do the best job possible, so I’m taking extra time to make sure everything goes smoothly. I know what the task entails, and I know who has the skills to do it, it’s just a matter of linking the two.

If I had kept the job to myself, I would have just developed the same skills I always use. Now I have a chance of developing a different range of skills, which hopefully will increase the value I am able to give the world.

Along the way I’m hoping the people who take the job also see it as an opportunity to grow themselves, and that we can all grow together. This may mean I have to share some secrets of the trade, but it’s all in the name of producing a superior product for the client. Which is to say, I’m excited! This could lead to more such work in the future if it goes well 🙂

When I was 15 I worked in a pizza shop. It was a great experience looking back. I met one guy who taught me not to get into credit card debt, and that the pizza sandwich was indeed a concept.

However, one thing I remember well was my boss taught me to treat putting on the cap as the on switch. Every time we work, we have to put on our cap, and every time we work, we have to be switched on. It’s only logical.

I have tried to carry this concept with me wherever I go and whenever I work. As a Yamabushi, it’s pretty easy to do so, and our Shiroshozoku have that role anyway, but the on switch could be as simple as buttoning up your shirt, combing your hair, or brushing your teeth. If you don’t already do something like this, try it 🙂

I’ve set up a page for learning Japanese at timbunting.com/japanese. My aim is to help people get to a conversational level of Japanese in the quickest time. I’m doing that by teaching a friend of mine once a week on Clubhouse, and keeping notes on this page.

There is a quick way to get conversational by memorizing key sentences and key vocabulary and simply replacing the words as necessary. I’m not entirely sure what those sentences are, but I have an idea, and the same goes for vocabulary.

I’m not sure what the list is like for Japanese, but in English the most common 1,000 vocabulary will give you about 72% coverage of all English spoken. The next 1,000 words give you an extra 6 or so percent. Which is to say, by memorizing a few key phrases, and the most common vocabulary, you could be conversational relatively easily. I’m assuming the same for Japanese.

The problem with Japanese for native speakers of European languages or people without experience with Asian languages, is the written system is quite difficult. But if you break it up into understandable parts, it can be easier than expected to pick up the characters.

You’ll want to start with hiragana and katakana for sure. These can take about 3 or so hours each with the Heisig method. Kanji takes much longer. It took me about three months to learn Kanji using the same Heisig method. If you want to become conversational though, I’m not sure it’s necessary to remember these. If you’re planning on becoming fluent though, give these books a try.

I’m going to use one blog post each week to dedicate to sharing my knowledge of Japanese from now on. This is just the beginning.

From our bedroom in our new house we can see Mt. Chokai. The views are anything but unobstructed, but we can see how much visibility there is quite easily.

I always look at the mountain and think I should go out and get some shots, but I tell myself if it’s like that now, it’ll be like that tomorrow. But then tomorrow comes, and of course it’s cloudy.

We need to stop kidding ourselves that another opportunity is just around the corner. Although that may be true in some cases, that specific opportunity is never available twice. Thus, we need to treat each opportunity with the respect it deserves.

I think we need to position ourselves to be able to make the most out of these opportunities, so that we can jump on them when they arrive. And I think that’s what we spend most of our lives working towards. Both building these opportunities, and building our skills to be able to take advantage of them when they arrive.

P.S. I think this makes a great analogy for sport, giving yourself opportunities and then being able to take them is what sport is all about.

Essentialism is doing only the essential. No until it is a definite yes. But what do you do if you’ve broken that rule? Say what was a definite yes, has now become a maybe? That’s the situation I find myself in, and I’m afraid I may have to break someone’s heart.

As rich dad says, however, if you’re earning extra money, it’s fine if you’re putting it to use to make extra money (at least I think I read that before). Then I can invest that money to buy me more free time in the future to work on the essential. So I could think about it in that way I guess. It was a definite yes in the past, so maybe I can give it a try for a while and see how we go. By then I’d know if I was right or not.

Proactive means control. Reactive means leaving things up to chance. As much as possible, do what you can to have proactive control over your life.

Reactive puts you on the back foot. Reactive only leads to regret. Regret that you didn’t do something when you could have.

Proactive can at times lead to regret, but you have the knowledge that you took what you thought was the best course of action at the time. Proactive gives you more control over what goes on.

Your response to feelings can also be reactive or proactive. You can wait until you experience something to prepare for it mentally, or you can be proactive and try to practice calming your mind under stress. Proactive gives you a better chance of getting through unscathed.