Daily Yamabushi

Which One is it?

Japanese has two words (among others) to describe the concept of ‘one day’ or ‘some day’.

Ituska, meaning ’one day in the not too distant future’ is wishful thinking. It might get done, but poorly so.

Izure seems to be the better of the two because there is an air of this one getting done at some intermedia restaurant. It might take a while to get round to it, but it will get done.

So, someday or one day? Which one is it?

Get rid of them

Don’t let yourself be bogged down by things you should have done yesterday. There’s no need to hang on to loose ends. Tie them, forget about them, move on.

No choice but to act

A choice when there isn’t really a choice is the decision on whether to take action or not. If you have even the slightest inkling that something needs to be done, more often than not, you need to do it. You need to put that inkling to the test. Give yourself no choice but to act. Then act. It’s that simple.

You can choose how things play out

You can choose how you react. You can choose how things play out. You can choose how people respond to you. You can choose how people behave around you. And all you have to do, is choose how you react.

Be grateful they exist

A lot of moving parts means you’re kept busy, but not necessarily on purpose. Moving parts help keep you entertained, but they can also keep you from doing the things you want.

Automate the moving parts as much as reasonable. And be grateful they exist.

Isn’t a win next time.

A win this time isn’t a win next time. A win is a win, but did it teach you much? How much did you truly gain from the experience?

Losing is good because it teaches you more. What will you do next time around? Then, if you start winning a lot, now it’s someone else’s place to gain from the experience.

It’s no big deal

You’re either in, or you’re out. If you’re not entirely in, you’re out. Once the decision’s been made, there’s no point dwelling on it. Be in, or move on. It’s no big deal.

Treat it as such

Either the situation will change, or your perspective on it will. Either way, it’s only temporary. Treat it as such.

When compounded make a world of difference

Done one by one, one after the other, it’s the small things that count. The effort doesn’t have to be massive, it just needs to be sustained. Even the small things, when compounded, can make a world of difference.

Will see to that

The new normal gets increasingly normal, even when it’s not normal. A new normal is just part of the change, and with time you will get used to it. Let things happen as they do, don’t get worked up over them. The new normal will see to that.

Chasing your tail

Running in circles is exhausting. It’s hard to know when you should just give up. Well, if you’re thinking of giving up, why not? If you have a compelling argument against it, then by all means keep going. If not, don’t blame yourself. Accept that things didn’t work as planned, and move on. Try again another day if you really need to.

Is why you give your best

The greatest chance to succeed in any endeavour comes from you giving it your best. If you truly want success, whatever that means to you, well, you know what to do.

Accept and move on

You weren’t to know. And if you weren’t to know, there’s nothing you could have done about it. So why worry? Accept and move on.

Because it already has

You just don’t realise it yet. Act as if it’s a winner. Even if you’re still unsure of the outcome. Act as if the decision has been made. Because it already has.

Live rent-free in their heads

Leave it there. Draw a line in the sand. Don’t go any further. When people try to get you down, or try to push your buttons, you have a choice. But often that choice isn’t really a ‘choice’. Often that ‘choice’ is to leave it there. It’s to move away and move on. That way the person trying to get into your head has nothing to go on. You are living rent-free in their head, and it’s their problem, not yours.

Pivot at the drop of a hat

I try to do things as a spur of the moment as much as possible. This blog I truly do write every day. There is no advance planning involved, bar an exemption for yamabushi training.

Having the ability to pivot at the drop of the hat is taking advantage of the spur of the moment. In that regard planning ahead is ideal.

There’s only so much advance planning you can do anyway. Best to have things be flexible and still able to take advantage of the moment.

Nothing to hide

This is me right now. A new me. There is nothing to hide. In fact, there are only things to show. Put your best foot forward in spite of what others might think. You’ll be better for it. And the best part? You just have to be yourself.

What to do with it?

Sometimes it seems like the world is conspiring against you, like you can’t catch a break. And sometimes it is actually that. So what do you do in those situations?

You do your best. And you don’t blame yourself after for doing your best in the situation. After all, the world was conspiring against you.

A wise man did

A wise man does. A wise man knows that true wisdom does not come through thought. True wisdom comes through doing. A wise man knows true wisdom cannot be attained through contemplation. A wise man knows true wisdom is attained through action.

A wise man once said nothing. They just did.

And out

I don’t like it when people I don’t like go through the wringer. Reason being, I know they’ll be better for it. I know they will grow in some way, and I guess it makes me jealous. Going through the wringer is tough. It sucks. But once you’re through, it fills you with confidence that you can get through anything. It both forces and proves your growth. I’m not saying we should actively seek it out, but when it happens to us, we shouldn’t be so dejected.

As much as possible

Gravity is a form of leverage. If you wash something from the top, it cleans down to the bottom. It doesn’t work the other way, you’ll just be left with more to clean. Let the gravity do the work as much as is reasonably possible.

Just get it done

At your earliest convenience means exactly that. Not when you feel it is convenient, but when you have the time to do the thing. Don’t even think about it. Just get it done.

Or not?

For some things, there’s no such thing as good timing. For others, any time is good timing.

Do the things you set out to do. Accept the things that happen. Either way, timing the thing that matters.

What will we see?

Moments are like film. It’s just a whole lot of photos put together all in a row. Trying to catch one is like trying to take a photo. You can catch it, but only for a split second.

What will you focus on? What needs to be the point of attention? What seemingly auxiliary objects are actually part of the narrative? The film is rolling. What will we see? What should we see?

A gift from your former self

Do it, and forget about it. Do it so you forget about it. It will feel like a gift from your former self. Which it is, and will be.

Let the momentum do its thing

When you’re playing corners, you don’t go against the flow. That’s just silly. You roll with the corners, and let the momentum do its thing.

If that.

Even if they care, it will only be for a minute. No one really cares enough for it to really affect you, so why bother even thinking about it?

And time

With a change of perspective, and a bit of time, even the worst news can be spun to work in your favour. Some of the worst things to have happened to me have been a catalyst for so much more. “Bad” things can be a strong motivation to do things before it’s too late. The sheer audacity of them happening to you can give you incentive to do things you otherwise wouldn’t. In these cases, “bad” things can be turned into good. It’s just a matter of perspective.

Is not going to work

‘I’m not even trying’. How often do you hear yourself say these words? Why not? All you have to do is put a little more concerted effort into it and the results could be so much more. If only you tried.

Just Surrender

Just accept. Just surrender. Just give in. But don’t give up. Sometimes all you can do is accept, surrender, or give in. But sometimes it isn’t. And those times, well, you give it your best. And when your best isn’t good enough, well you just accept.