Daily Yamabushi

This morning I went for a swim at my local swimming hole and who should show up but the Hurricanes rugby team. I’ve been a fan of this team since before they started way back in the mid-90s, and to see them in real life was something special. It was just two nights ago that I saw them on TV, albeit in a losing match.

When I was swimming, I saw a sign that said; ‘lane booked from 9 to 9:15’. I thought, who would book lanes for only 15 minutes? And then I saw the players come in one by one and sit in the stands. That’s when I knew what was happening.

Once I finished my swim, I noticed that they were all in the spa pool. I never usually go in the spa pool, but how often do you get the chance to join one of your favourite teams in the spa pool? So of course I went in, they kindly made some space for me and there were a few other swimmers there too so it wasn’t too awkward. The players were very polite to those of us who were clearly fanboying, but they purposely avoided making eye contact. Pretty smart if you ask me.

As I left the changing rooms, I saw Ngani Laumape so I asked him for a photo which he kindly obliged. He also asked what I was up to today, such a cool guy! <Ultimate fanboy comment

So yeah, that was my experience, and I got to feel what it was like to be a full-on fanboy. I was quite embarrassed, but I couldn’t give up the chance to meet some of my favourite players!

I’ve realised that in a few areas I have become the default option. By being one of the only native-English-speaker bilinguals in my region, I am consulted by people when it comes to internationalization. I have been asked to help with developing the Dewa Sanzan and recently with the development of Sakata City as an international city. I don’t have much experience in marketing or too much success in business, yet, but I do have a drive and I do believe that these places have bursting potential that I want to see come to fruition.

But I don’t think it’s just because of my language ability. I have also made an extensive network by going out at every opportunity, and by sticking around in this one location. If I had moved to Tokyo or another big city, the chances of these opportunities coming my way are very small. Also, the freedom I have in my job to spend time in the way I wish also makes a big difference in being available to take other jobs.

So, I think it’s about putting yourself in the right place at the right time. What that involves is a bit of consistency and stick-to-itness, and faith in where you live to deliver. It’s still early days, but I intend to keep building on my current projects, and developing my business skills more by taking risks. That should help solidify my status as the default option for international business in Shonai.  

If you live alone, it’s hard to get the motivation to cook or make something special that takes a bit of effort. I’m about to head back home to my family, and my mindset has shifted from last week when I was cooking for myself to all the things I can make now that it’s more feasible and also economic to share. It seems that the motivation to do something special really comes when an idea is shareable, as if things take on a special meaning when they are shared.

When you think of an idea, think of how you can share it with other people. It will only make it better.

It’s not very often that we are impacted by the way someone lives rather than what they say. Too often we use words to try and convince people to act a certain way, yet we all know that actions speak louder than words. If you really want to make a change for the better, you do have to live that change otherwise you risk not getting through to people. Be the change that you want to see in the world, right?

It also helps to live in someone else’s shoes, even for a short while, as by comparing different lifestyles we can see firsthand what we like and dislike, and we can choose the option that is best for us. We can talk to the people we aspire to live like, as well, and even try living in their way, as that’s much better than diving head-first into a situation we think we might like.

From what I’ve witnessed in Japan, it appears that there isn’t much consideration for the audience in many different places; service industry, schools, presentations, etc. It’s more as if the person is doing it for their own sake, not for the benefit of the audience. Whenever I make something, anything, I always consider how the other party will view it, and whether or not they will enjoy and learn from it. I have noticed a lack of this in Japan. Well, that they aren’t taught this kind of stuff in school might come into it… anyway:

A lot of Japanese service industry is centered on the systems and getting things right at the expense of what the customer wants. There isn’t as much thought of what the customer wants, it’s rather ‘is this feasible for us?’

Teaching in Japan is extremely teacher-centered, often ignoring what the students are feeling opting for the easy option. This may have come about with the large number of students to process, but there is less attention paid to the individual, truly treating them like a cog. 

Exams in Japan are designed to be easy to mark, so they can assess the students’ level, but this is not necessarily at the benefit of the student. If it really were for the benefit of the student, for example there would be a speaking test to encourage that skill too. 

When it comes to presentations in Japan, it’s obvious that they are for the presenter not the audience. Pages and pages of words, so that the presenter doesn’t have to remember too much, and they don’t have to focus too much on the presentation itself. -think more about the audience, put yourself in their shoes and make it interesting! Fun even! 

Food for thought! I think I will have more to say about this post 🙂

This post was written on the 21st of February, but was only uploaded today because I didn’t have the Internet where I was 🙂

The other day I picked up a SUV that we will be renting for the next few weeks. It’s a little bit different to my Prius, it’s higher, and it has more bells and whistles, it’s also noticeably bigger inside and that coupled with the height makes a huge difference when turning sharply.

I’m not sure it’s really worth all the hype to get such a big vehicle. If I had a big family I could probably get behind it, but it feels so superfluous. It was only a little bit more expensive that a normal-sized car, and I knew I would be using it for transporting adults long distances, plus I thought it would be a good experiment to see what it’s really like to own a car like this for an extended period of time to see if I liked it. Either way, it’s still early days, and it has been quite good until now. Let’s see how we get on.

This post was written on the 20th of February, but I was out of range to be able to post it 🙂 Hope you enjoy it

Why is it that we connect well with some people, and some people not at all? I have a few friends who I can share anything with, but there are some people who are close to me that I don’t feel comfortable talking to about some things. Maybe it depends on the topic? Or maybe it’s simply dependent on the amount of time or sorts of conversations that you’ve had up until that point? Either way, it’s important to be able to speak your mind with at least one person.

This post was written on the 19th of February, however I was out of range for a few days so I’m posting it now 🙂

Haruki Murakami was asked what he thinks about when he runs. His answer was that only someone who doesn’t run would ask that question. What an awesome response! It’s like that whole, if you’re worrying about the meaning of life, you’re not living thing. Basically, it’s the doing that counts, not what to think of the doing.

This blog, for me, is a bit like the things I think about when my mind wanders. The problem is, I forget a lot of these things when it comes time to write them, so I’ve been trying to keep notes to use when writing, and I guess this is the result.

These are the sort of ideas that pop into my head, and I hope that they can inspire others to take action.

I think I have a unique viewpoint on the world due to my experience as a kiwi living for an extensive period of time immersed in Japanese culture. By being an outsider, but still understanding the thought process of the insiders (?), I come to insights that would be impossible for others. I just have to be careful not to go too much into either culture, as that does have an impact on things. I have to keep the Kiwi in me.

Some places I realised that I had gone too far into the Japanese psyche; when I fail to pick up on plainly obvious things in the west, like having a comprehensive website as either an advertising or marketing tool, or when I empathise with the Japanese knowing that it’s probably not a good idea, i.e. when they fail to confront people over bad actions. But then again, these could just be my own confidence issues, and I should really take it to them.

Don’t change your mind twice if it affects someone else.

Recently I was working on a joint project with another group, and that other group claimed full ownership part-way through. They were able to do that because we didn’t have a formal agreement, and they did have a rightful claim, but of course I was disappointed because I wasn’t to see the fruits of the project I had expected. It affected my motivation for the project so greatly that I started looking for alternative projects to work on. And then, about a week later, I get word that the other group is giving me back 100% of the ownership, seemingly because they are otherwise too busy.

The problem is that in the interim my motivation for the project went through such a rollercoaster, that now I don’t feel motivated to work on the project at all. Perhaps the reason for this lack of motivation is that although I was initially very excited to work on it, during that short interim my role switched from that of an owner to more of a worker. I still have the feeling that it is a job, rather than something I can claim. Or it could also be the fact I am questioning the sudden drop in motivation of the other party who were fully on board.

Basically, I need to revert back to the mindset I had earlier. I need to get back to that original burst of motivation.

Which leads me to my main point. Think very carefully when you change your mind if it affects another person. The very core of an important project may depend on it.

Why don’t locals take the default option? What is it about us that we a predisposed to not rate where we are from? I could be making this up, and it is entirely anecdotal, but I find the same thing in Japan as in New Zealand, where we just think the place we grew up in, or a place we have lived for a long time from a young age, is too normal to be special to anyone else.

New Zealand, once again, has succeeded at impressing me. That we are truly surrounded by nature is a blessing, waking up to the birds, the strong flow of the river, the interesting flora, what a great place. New Zealand is great in that there is ‘nothing there’. Just like where I live in Japan is great because there is ‘nothing there’.

Where I live in Japan is full of culture, good food, good people, and bountiful nature, so there’s always something to do. People are just so used to the default option, they think there is no other choice, that they don’t feel as much pride as they would had they been outside the place, let alone overseas.

I hear people say things like there’s nothing to do, or nothing fun ever happens here in both countries. But they’re most certainly wrong. They’re obviously looking in the wrong places, and seeing their default option as less worthwhile. I guess that’s one major advantage of travel, you get to see places in real life, not just in the photos and in the media where the grass is always greener. Being able to compare things first hand with other places, objectively at that, is a great advantage when it comes to choosing a place to live, but also in how to sell a place too.

In Japan, I often see this first-hand, but as the Japanese are generally quite passive, they really take after something if someone else sees the attraction in it, and usually only then. I assume the bell-curve of users that Seth Godin touches on often would be quite an effective way to look at things. Convince the right people to do something, and more and more people will follow. That’s how you change a culture. At the fringes, not in the centre. Never in the centre.

What’s the best way to make the default option attractive? I assume it would be to show locals that outsiders enjoy it. Perhaps that’s why those recent television shows of non-Japanese enjoying different aspects of Japan is so popular these days. The Japanese seem genuinely surprised that other people are interested in what they are interested in. We just have to convince those people to come to us.

When I was an ALT in Shonai town, I used to play the system in a bit of a sneaky way, but it was the only way I could get my ideas across. Basically, and thankfully, I worked at two junior high schools, and it took me a while to realise this, but I started saying ‘at the other school, they are doing this’, to great effect.

By simply saying that other people are doing something, it’s enough to convince people to do things. I’m not sure if this is just a Japanese thing, but I assume it won’t go down as well in New Zealand.

It’s sort of lying, but whatever. That’s a good reason why you shouldn’t do something just because someone else is, or someone else is said to have been doing something.

With ownership comes opportunity. If you own something, you own the rights to what it makes.

With ownership comes responsibility. If you own something, you are responsible.

With ownership, if you complain, you better do something about it.

Without ownership, if you complain, you can’t do anything about it.

If you don’t own anything, you don’t have any opportunity.

Not being able to talk fast enough for the current pace of conversation, and not being able to elucidate yourself, besides the obvious frustration of not having your opinion heard, can be a bit of a struggle for second language learners. But, as with everything, there is a silver lining. And although that silver lining may not be apparent at the time, it is always there.

In my case, I still have periods where I can only really listen to the conversation, and only contribute when I’m called upon, or when it is something that I regard as my speciality. But, being forced to listen like this helps you to develop one key skill that you otherwise wouldn’t: put simply, the ability to listen.

I’m not talking about comprehending what is being spoken. Listening is not only a one way task anyway, it involves you communicating that you are understanding and following what the speaker is saying.

No, I’m talking about the ability to really listen and empathise with the speaker. This is surprisingly useful too. As humans, I feel we naturally have the urge to talk, and being able to listen to someone for a long time can really help you develop interpersonal skills, as well as your relationship with them. You don’t really have to do much, just sit there and listen. And that’s all that’s really involved.

Monolinguals and people who haven’t had much experience in the real world using their second language may not have the chance to develop this ability, but they should definitely try.

A few years back I was invited to speak at an event in Sakata called Moshieno University (Moshieno is the word for interesting in Shonai dialect). At the Q&A session at the end, I had a very good question, which was: how were you able to extend your network so much while in Japan?

Now, I can’t remember exactly what I answered, and there is no definitive answer to this question, but I will give you my thoughts:

When someone approaches you, it is because they are interested in you. Be interested in them too. Often people will ask me where I’m from, either in Japanese or English. In those cases I give them my answer, and then I ask the same question of them. Most of the time the answer I get is ‘Japan’, showing how often they are asked this question, so I have to ask them again ‘where in Japan are you from?’ Having been all over Japan, except for Hokkaido, parts of western Honshu, and southern Kyushu, I can usually relate a story with their hometown (travel could be one answer?). This is usually enough to break the ice quite well, and the conversation continues.

I also have a few things up my sleeve that I can ask people as well. You could start off with the typical Japanese conversation of food in the area, or weather, but I prefer to be a little more personal and ask why the person is where they are. Then comes the next tip:

Listen.

Easy. That’s all. Just sit there and listen to their answer, providing responses when necessary. You can use questions like ‘why’, or ask what they like to do in their spare time, quite a bit, and other things to help the conversation tick along. Once you’ve had a little bit of a connection like this, it’s normally enough to become more than a general acquaintance, and you can continue the conversation the next time you see them.

These answers may be good enough for someone who’s outgoing, although they probably would have already developed these skills. Which leads me to my next point: Going out when it’s an option.

Whenever you have the choice to sit at home or go out to an event, go to the event. The old saying don’t mock it till you try it comes in here. I always try to try new things. You honestly never know what you’ll learn. If you go, and you find out it’s not for you, that’s fine too. You’ll never know if you’ll like something until you try it. But also, you never know who you’ll meet, and they just might be (hint: they will be) someone who you want to meet too.

Japan is covered in weird English in the strangest of places too. T-shirts are the obvious one, but also shop names and signs are plastered with the oddest of expressions that it truly makes you wonder where they came from. One of my personal favourites is from near where I live, where there is a hairdresser whose name is ‘weed’. The sign says:

Weed: Men 2,000 yen. Women 2,000 yen. Children 1,500 yen.

Personally, I think that is quite a reasonable price to pay for some wacky tabacky, but selling to children? That’s a bit too much for me.

I used to kind of get annoyed at all the strange English, like they were bastardising my native language and I would get the urge to correct everything, but now I really don’t want them to stop. The strange English is a source of entertainment for me, and it would be one less thing to enjoy about living in Japan.

So, although I do want Japan to improve their English, I’m OK with seeing strange English everywhere. Keeping up the good works!

Here I am sitting on a bus heading for Hamilton, New Zealand, with a group of about 30 Japanese students. For all of them I imagine it’s their first time to this country, and yet they’re all asleep! Look outside at the beautiful scenery, Huntly’s pretty nice at this time of year. But I guess they’re all tired from a long flight. I’m not going to lie, I had a snooze too.

Well, now I’m reminiscing on my time in Japan, but also long road trips in NZ, like those we took every year in summer to Christchurch to Nana and Poppa’s house to spend Christmas at Greenpark at Uncle Colin and Aunty Carol’s house, then off to Timaru to Chris and Tine’s for New Years. This was basically every year until I was 12. I remember New Years’ when I was 12 because we were in Wyndrum Ave, and Liam had his Pokemon cards that he got for Christmas, I think.

Or the times I travelled up to Auckland for waterpolo. Too many times to count.

Right now, it’s hot. The green grass-covered hills with their customary sheep and cows, and the shrill sound of the cicadas, New Zealand sure knows how to do a summer.

This is the culture I love.

In a recent Akimbo podcast by Seth Godin, one of the listeners called in asking about putting out a ‘bad’ quality daily blog post. Say all your blog posts were of a generally good quality but one day you were just having a bad day, and your post wasn’t of the quality of the others. What are you to do?

Well, of course Seth’s answer was to just do it anyway. The purpose of writing daily isn’t to put out quality posts, the purpose is to put out posts, and believe that over time the quality will come.

He also gave the example of a photographer saying their photos were no good. Well, you can’t really say much before taking 10,000 photos. I’ve done that, and I’ve noticed an improvement in my photography. I now consider the composition more and it’s obvious if you look at them. Does this mean that I think I am a good photographer? Well, I think I’m better than the average iPhone photographer at least, but I still see a lot of room for improvement.

Which leaves me to my next point. I’ve been running the Instagram accounts for Yamabushido and the Dewa Sanzan, as well as my personal account. When it comes to deciding on whether or not to make a post, I always lean towards doing it. The posts I make, I do to provide even a little joy to someone. Of course, that person also includes myself. If I’ve done that, then I’m pleased.

I recently finished reading The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, a book often quoted by Seth Godin, and let me say what an excellent book! Short and sharp, and full of an overarching idea that really resonated with me; The Resistance is a force in all of us that stops us from being our creative selves. The key is to be aware of the existence of the Resistance, and to battle against it. However, one idea that particularly interested me was that the ideas in our brains are not our own. They come from outside us, and our bodies are just the agent of the idea.

Pressfield likens it to a mother and a baby. The mother is the agent of the baby, it is not the baby itself. In other words, our ideas (our babies) are not our own. And, if we have these great ideas that can provide benefit to others, it is our duty to let them out into the world.

So, first I would recommend reading Steven Pressfield’s book, The War of Art, and second, I would recommend simply getting your ideas out.

I have a general dislike for how the public service is run in Japan. Firstly, those who want to become public servants have to take exams, which apparently dates back to Confucian China. Judging on the other exams I’ve seen, I imagine they would be very broad and would require rote memorisation of a large number of facts to succeed. The first reason why I’d never want to do it. Then, I’ve heard there is also an age limit, of around 30. Agism is rife in Japan, people gain positions simply by being older than others, it’s also one reason I feel that Japan won’t have a female Prime Minister in my lifetime. Too much control by the old men at the top.

But probably my biggest issue is that the people who become public servants do so for a comfortable life. Who could blame them though, right? They get good benefits, and a good salary. These jobs have been especially sought after since the bursting of the economic bubble and the recessions that followed in the 1990s.

No, my issue is that, once you’re a public servant, you’re set for life. I have quite a few friends who are public servants, and they are all very good and very likeable. I have no problem with them as people. But, in most cases, there is an inevitable wall that has to be overcome, and there isn’t too much incentive to put in that little extra bit of effort.

In addition, the requirements for the above-mentioned exams are very broad and include a lot of ethics, which, although necessary for public service, aren’t exactly good for public service. Budget constraints make it hard for those in the public service to outsource, and so you’re left with people with the greatest of intentions, but with a lack of ability to actually get jobs done.

Case in point is the tourism industry here (although, I also question leaving it up to the public servants). People have the greatest of intentions, but they are quite single-minded, by which I mean they all think the same way, and since they lack skills that could have been developed in the public sector, nothing really develops.

The conclusion to take from this, is that in my opinion the public service should be run more like a private company, or public servants should be exposed to outside influence more often to develop their business skills. I guess I just have to support them how and when I can, which I think will only increase with time. This requires a huge skill-development on my behalf though, for which I need to be experimenting more.

But, I definitely also have to remember that without them, a lot could go wrong. Not everybody has the same ideas as I do, and if they are perfectly happy doing what they’re doing, then let them be! They’re always very helpful to you! I should also take a leaf out of their book and think about the public more than myself a bit more often!

The typical Japanese meal comprises of multiple small plates with a variety of different foods. Fish, rice, miso soup and pickles typically make up the core, but of course for more variety other dishes are often added.

The dishes are all of a reasonable size, so that you can control how much you eat, but I always found it odd how when you ask for ‘omori’ or a large portion, this ‘omori’ applies to each and every dish.

What this means is that the total amount between a ‘normal’ portion and a large portion is quite considerable. There is no middle ground between this nomal and large.

In my case, when I was served food, such as at elementary schools, or at my in-laws, because I am taller than most people it was assumed I eat more (not true), so I would often get omori, even without asking for it.

Basically, I was getting more food without wanting it. Obviously this means that I was getting fat, something that I never want to happen to me. In this case, it really helps to say no. However, of course it is difficult to say no to something freshly made for you, put right in front of you. It was a pretty funny predicament to be in when I lived with my in-laws, but it really taught me the power of saying no.

When we don’t speak up, we are given the default options. The default option is decided on the community basis, so often it can be at odds with what the individual wants. If the default option is OK for you, then that’s great. But if you don’t like the default option, realise that you have the option to say no, and you can do things in your own way.

When I was learning Kanji, focusing on having the correct stroke order was of the upmost importance, almost as important as forming the right character (which I think is more important). Knowing what number stroke a single stroke is is also part of the Kanji Kentei tests, although thankfully I think it’s only at the lower levels. When I asked why it was so important to focus on the stroke order, I was met with ‘because this is the easiest way to write it’. Well, I don’t know who decided that it was the easiest way to write it, and I don’t know why if the results are the same it really matters, but it was quite strongly enforced.

This led me to think more about method and results in Japanese society. From what I’ve seen in Japanese culture, when it comes to things like work and making products, they very much focus on whether your method is correct, rather than whether the results reflect what you want them to.

Well, when the results do come, obviously they do measure their performance, and I guess this means they are putting the blame on internal factors, even when the blame could easily be placed on external factors. I guess in some way this means that they are better at accepting responsibility.

Focus on method coupled with the subsidies that local governments offer is actually in a way a recipe for disaster because to meet the requirements of these subsidies, you simply have to show that you are making an effort. The important thing is that you are trying. The result is not as important. This makes it easier for people to take advantage of local government subsidies too, because they can bend the results to show that they made an effort, where they may not have (not to mention the subsidies are usually only good for one year at most, so there is no long-term responsibility <is this a result of a relationship-based society?).

Either way, a balanced approach focusing on both method and results is necessary. The west tends to be focusing on the method more and more, making sure things are made in an environmentally, and harm-free way, which ironically Japan doesn’t seem to care as much about, i.e. the amount of plastics used in packaging.

When you’re in the middle of a creative project, and the ideas stop flowing, I often find it helps to take your mind off the project by doing something completely different.

When I’m working on a creative project, like an article or translation, I find that getting away from my work environment and doing something completely different can have the reverse effect of helping form my ideas, or in the case of translation, it helps me find the right words.

My process for making coffee is a case in point. From the measuring and grinding of the beans, to the initial ‘wetting’ of the beans, to the pouring, my mind is completely focused on getting the most out of the beans I buy. Not to mention the added benefit of a delicious, cafe-quality beverage for a much cheaper price.

Normally by the time this process is finished, and I’ve had my drink, I’m ready and energised to get back to work. If I’m struggling with a particular problem the time away from the office and time spent concentrating on something completely different normally gives me at least something to work on.

The key, I guess, is to make sure you start the thought process early enough. Spend even 5 minutes making up a very rough draft, or set out your ideas, so that you can have ample time to really think over the problem at hand. Just make sure the break doesn’t take up too much of your time, and make sure to get started!

When you say yes to one thing, you are saying no to another. -Peter Mallouk from his Tim Ferriss podcast.

By having a list of basic principles or things that you prioritize over others, when someone asks you to do something, you can say no with a bit of confidence. If the person was truly a good person, they would understand. This was how Peter Mallouk wrapped up his conversation with Tim Ferriss, and I think it really does ring true. It also correlates with Warren Buffet saying no basically 99% of the time.

This is an area I can truly learn from.

In my current position, I am often asked to help things, translation, a bit of promotion, etc. but these things may not line up completely with my long-term goals. That’s probably why I’ve been thinking more and more of stopping everything, having a blank slate, and starting anew. Financially, it’s fine for me to do that, but I do have other responsibilities that mean I shouldn’t, at least not without a concrete plan.

In the meantime, I guess I will continue with my projects, but will keep in mind that I have the ability to say no. I have already said no to a few things anyway, I guess I just have to do that on a larger scale.

Maybe it’s time to read 7 habits again…

 The Kiwi philosophy of ‘she’ll be right’ is sometimes at odds with Japanese culture, except at the same time it also helps form the basis of one of their core principles.

The philosophy of ‘she’ll be right’ is that things will all turn out ok in the end. This is a great philosophy to have, because it means you don’t fret over the small unimportant things, but sometimes there is value in doing just that.

The Japanese very much have an opposite attitude to when it comes to preparing anything. They prepare for any eventuality, that’s why they are over-insured, which is great for someone like me who sometimes isn’t prepared, because I know I can rely on other people, but if everyone was like me in that sense, it probably wouldn’t work.

There is a philosophy in Japan called ‘sho ga nai’, which would probably be translated as ‘it can’t be helped’ or ‘there’s nothing that can be done about it, so why worry?’

This philosophy is very similar to the Kiwi ‘she’ll be right’ in that it’s about not caring too much about the small or unimportant things, the difference being when they happen, however. It can’t be used before an event like ‘she’ll be right’ can.

This may be a case where language has an influence over culture. ‘She’ll be right’ is talking about the future, ‘Sho ga nai’ Is talking about something that is happening now, or that has happened before.

Both have their place in society, and both can be useful ways to view the world. I think though it’s probably better to take the Japanese stance on the issue, just to be safe. But then again, you truly cannot predict the future, so knowing ‘she’ll be right’ is probably just as useful. Use with caution.

I think I have good control over my temper. Most of the time I am able to keep calm. The problem is when it’s just too much and I have no choice but to let it all out. I guess I have to be cognisant of this when it’s about to happen, and to take a step back and think about my options. It’s much better to break these things softly, if possible. It’s definitely not a good idea to keep it in.

Make the time to talk to the person in person, and explain yourself. Meeting people face-to-face is much better than the modern equivalent of an email or message. Time away from people can lead you to doubt their importance, but it’s always there. Meeting them reminds you of this importance, but if you have something you need to say, let the person know this in advance of your meeting.

This comes back to meditation practice. Meditation is all about acceptance. Thoughts come into your mind. You become aware of their existence, but then you just let them flow through. This is what it means to accept in my view. It can be the same with actions and people too. But having this buffer where you become aware of the thought before you react is very important. Without it your actions would mostly seem brash, and brash is best avoided.

Control your temper at all costs, but don’t bottle things up. Let them out slowly, and be mindful of those around you who may be affected. Take the time to discuss things wherever necessary.

Since the beginning of 2019, I have been blogging daily. I started thanks to advice from Seth Godin, who has blogged daily for around 20 years (if I understand correctly) and has more than 7000 blog posts. I have always been amazed at Seth’s ability not just to communicate ideas, but to come up with them. It is something that I wish to emulate, so I started this practice.

I have a good friend who is a keen believer of the daily habit. He sets aside time each day for exercise and some form of study, and having tried that for a month in the form of a blog I can see the attraction.

The blog is not about writing quality. The blog is about writing. It’s about putting in the effort everyday, or showing up as Seth so eloquently puts it. The blog is not about having your ideas shared. The blog is about sharing your ideas. Even if that means no-one reads them. It’s the sharing part that matters, or shipping as Seth puts it. Putting something out in the world, and saying ‘here, I made this’, yet another Seth quote.

From doing this blog, I feel I have already benefitted in a number of ways. For example, instead of having the ideas in my head and actually putting them out there, it gives me the chance to see them, which means I can revise them and make them sound more like the meaning I wish to portray. I feel this has already benefitted my communication skills. There were a few posts that I had been pondering about for a very long time, and this blogging helped make them more concise, and also easier to remember for the next time I wish to use them in conversation.

Doing this daily habit has also made me more cognisant of other people’s writing, I now analyse the words of others more than I did earlier, and I also record or take note of things I hear that pique my interest, as a sort of fodder for the next blog.

The blog has also inspired me to work on other similar projects. These blog posts are designed to be short and sharp (well, this one may be an exception), but it has inspired me to work on other long-form writing.

So, who knows where this will take me? So far it has been great, and I wish to continue. Look forward to more.

Tim.

In Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art he quotes the principle of priority that states:

A) You must know the difference between what’s urgent and what’s important, and:

B) You must do what’s important first.

This is a principle I try to follow. Not only does it help remind you of your mission, it reminds you that it should always remain your highest priority.

I often get bogged down doing things that come up, and sometimes they take over the time I should be dedicating to what I really want to do.

I have a simple rule though; if I don’t have enough time to swim at least twice a week, it means I am too busy.

This gives me a good indicator of whether I am prioritising what is important to me. It’s important for me to swim because it helps me relieve stress, and also keeps me fit and healthy (at least I think so), but it also means that I’m not putting other things in front of my top priorities. I still wish I could do a better job at that though.

In the sport of waterpolo, and I assume handball and a few other sports, a left-hander is worth more than a right-hander. Ambidextrous people are worth more than both combined, but the reason a left-hander is worth more is because the angle from which they shoot makes it much easier to score from the right side of the field.

Since right-handers are much more common, if you are left-handed you can still be in the starting-seven if your skills lack less than some right-handers. For a well-balanced team, you would want at least two left-handers, preferably more, because of the evident advantage they provide.

The advantages that are evident are quickly exploited, such as tall basketball players, or long-legged runners, but what about in less visible areas? I’ve heard that the perfect person to disrupt the tourism industry is someone who is an outsider, young, and crazy, all traits of a minority, yet often we simply search for job-seekers with the ability to simply fit in.

The different perspectives that outsiders give can often be used to our advantage. We should be seeking to create people with a different point of view, which we can do by putting them through life-changing experiences and having them interact with outsiders as much as possible.

Yesterday I was recording a radio show, Kiwi Radio with Yuka Kato, and Yuka told me this great analogy: There are four things that have a knack of rearing their ugly heads exactly when you forget about them: Earthquakes, fires, thunder and lightning, and the fourth one is my favourite: old men.

Earthquakes and fires are obvious contenders. We have to be prepared for any eventuality that risks our lives, and these two play a particularly big role in all aspects of life when they happen. It’s enough to take you back down to earth (pun intended).

Thunder and Lightning is a frequent occurrence here in Shonai, mostly in the winter. The region sees more lightning than other parts of Japan, apparently. As such, we are quite well-prepared with lightning rods all around the place.

But the best one of the four by far is the old men part. Those who have spent time in Japan would know that it’s the world’s biggest retirement community, which has good aspects and bad aspects. The good aspects are that it’s pretty safe out there, and people are generally quite courteous to one another.

One bad aspect is that the older generation, and especially in a patriarchal society as Japan the old men, control everything. This makes it harder for minorities; women, non-Japanese, the disabled, LGBTQ etc. to act with freedom in society.

For me though, on the contrary I use this to my advantage because I know whatever I do it won’t be mainstream, and it probably won’t be in conjunction with the beliefs of these older dudes, so I just do whatever I feel like. I try to make myself a model for other people who feel marginalised by society, and let them know, who cares, do what you feel like!

The problem is, a lot of people are afraid of stepping outside the mainstream. They think that it might mean they will be cut out of society, out of a job, or any prospect of a job. Well, I think they have been educated to belief that because the status-quo is great for these old men at the top (obedient workers who bend over backwards for the company? What more could they ask for?).

So, I’m trying to become a model of an unconventional way to become ‘successful’ (whatever that means, but I would say it means being true to yourself in the modern society). This means I have to take more risk than the average person, and I feel I have to be on my toes a bit more too. But that suits me just fine. If this means I can inspire just one person to think a little differently, to act true to themselves, then I believe it is successful.

I believe that the world needs more risk-takers, especially in Japan!

So, I’m actually purposely trying to forget the old men! But I still have to remember to keep them in my sights, because they’re not going to let me forget them 🙂

Here in Shonai, people often stick to one lane when they drive, knowing that up ahead the lanes merge. This is fine, except sometimes they do it a bit too early and you get one very long line of cars in a two-lane street.

Now, this is ok for me, because I just go in the other lane and it’s an easy overtake if you can time the lights. But the problem is when you are travelling the other direction, and you have to wait for this line to pass before you can make a turn.

Being considerate of your own lane is a good thing. But don’t get too caught up in maintaining order in the lane. There are other lanes to consider.

You may have heard of the All Blacks, New Zealand’s national rugby team. Even if you haven’t, you’ve probably heard of something called sport. Well, the New Zealand All Blacks have the highest win percentage for any professional team in sport. 77%. That means they win more than three out of every four games. It also means other teams are focused on beating them.

All Black coach Steve Hansen said it well. There’s no point focusing on beating the All Blacks. Not because he’s proud of his team and he thinks it’s useless to even try, no way. It’s because once you do, you have to focus on beating the other teams too, and then maintaining that win percentage.

Other teams often focus on beating the All Blacks. What happens then is that they put out their best performance against the All Blacks, so the All Blacks are constantly facing the strongest version of these other professional teams. This only puts fuel on the fire and makes the All Blacks stronger. Smart teams, though, like Ireland, have done the right thing and focused on their own game.

There’s really no point in comparing yourself to others. Especially with SNS where people only put their best foot forward, or when we see a ‘successful’ person, we haven’t seen all the times they’ve failed or struggled. Best to just put your head down and focus on the task at hand. Make sure you’re not doing it to impress anyone else though.