No matter who you are, no matter what you do, no matter where you go, there will always be someone who is offended by your presence. Most often it's simple ignorance or petty jealousy, but someone is always going to dislike something about you. The worst is when it's someone whom you trust or has …

Simple Ignorance, Petty Jealousy Read More »

Nike is right. Just do it. Today there were two times when I fought the resistance and won. It may not seem like much, but 'carpe diem', I count it as a victory. First, I was in a meeting with Sakata City delegates including the mayor. At one point I was asked to describe my …

Beating the resistance: Don’t even think about it, just do it Read More »

In Japan, or at least where I live, I was surprised by the number of solely-run small businesses in the area. Well, that's not exactly surprising judging by the track records of Japanese companies (so-called 'Black Companies run rampant here), but what was surprising was that basically all of these places have one day off …

Culture getting in the way of progress Read More »

Is always the toughest. When I swim 800m, the point where I most often feel like giving in is about the 600m mark. 3/4 in, you know it'd be such a waste to stop then. But then I know I can rely on adrenaline to get me over. The same thing happened with my MA, …

The last 200m Read More »

If it's true that when you go against the grain, when you do the opposite of what everyone says you should do, that you have to take responsibility when things go wrong, the opposite should also hold true. When you do exactly what everyone else does, when you simply follow orders, this doesn't mean you …

Going against the grain and following orders Read More »

Confrontation looked down on? Check. Large-scale acquiescence? Check. Japan's culture makes it easy for control freaks to take control. I feel that part of Japanese culture is knowing when not to take advantage of other people, a bit of self-constraint. But sometimes, for some people, that's just not possible. Giving them free-reign to do so …

Control Freaks Read More »

'For me money is important, yet I didn't want to spend my life working for it. That is why I didn't want a job.' -Robert Kiyosaki, Cashflow Quadrant Exactly how I feel, but not what I'm doing. I'm waiting for more stability I guess. I wonder if that's necessary though? Does part of you not …

Breaking free Read More »