Tokyo Photo Walk 2
This time we go for walkies around the Musashikoyama area which is home to the longest indoor shopping mall in Japan.
But we are not going to walk around the mall today and instead go catch some of the cool breeze on this warm evening. While we take the walk, I thought we'd chat about life stuff.
I ended my salary man days when I left Microsoft and ever since then I've lost track of all the public holidays. As also I work most Saturdays/Sundays, I don't distinguish between Weekends and Weekdays. Its a public holiday today and I didn't even know about it ^^;
So I mentioned before that one should try to seek something that they enjoy doing and make it into a living.
I also mentioned that I'm having loads of fun making a living out of what I enjoy and know best. I've also managed to make my hobby part of my work too where my clients are in the figure/anime industry.
But having loads of fun doesn't mean that its never going to be tough.
While we do have loads of clients, being in startup mode with Hector, my wife, me and a team of developers overseas means that we put in long hours.
As we are building our products from scratch, we face many technical challenges. We have pressure from clients who want their products yesterday and have to even turn down potential clients due to lack of resources. The list of obstacles/challenges continues.
But I can tell you from experience that hard work certainly pays off.
I recall the time when I was still at university - used to work most nights at a Japanese restaurant after class. Sometimes we would finish at midnight.
My wife used to ride her bike while I held onto the back wearing those roller blades - was about a 20 min ride home. I could not ride a bike back then.
My wife used to ride her bike while I held onto the back wearing those roller blades - was about a 20 min ride home. I could not ride a bike back then.
After reaching home it was time for a shower and then time for Kanji and Hangul homework and prepare for the next day of classes.
The hard work paid off, I graduated with first class honors and made enough money to afford trips to Japan which were important for absorbing the culture and learning the language.
Without my language skills I probably would not have got into Japan Airlines with my crummy PC configuration skills alone. Without Japan Airlines I would not have got the job at Nature which got me to Japan. Wihtout Nature I would not have made it to Amazon etc etc.
If you feel that your schooling/work is tough but at the same time hate what you are studying or hate your current job then I advise to take time out to rethink your life plan as soon as you can. Life is too short to spend your life doing something that hurts you physically and mentally and its definitely too short to spend it doing something you dislike.
On the other hand, if you are going through tough times while doing something that you are passionate about and beleive in, then the rest just naturally follows and good things will happen to you. It sounds odd but I guess its the way the universe was put together.
Now for a message to those who are having a bumpy ride while doing something that they enjoy in life.
Obstacles will appear and "shit will hit the fan" but you should never get down or depressed about these events and instead look at them in a different way.
When shit hits the fan for me, I see it as a great opportunity to improve things - no matter how serious or somber the problem.
Can you imagine life if it was all plain sailing?
Can you imagine life if it was all plain sailing?
Seeing obstacles as a gift will help you stay focused on your goals and destinations. Think to yourself "Am I going to give up my dreams and get all depressed just because of this obstacle?"
Learn how to automatically answer "no" and immediately proceed to solving the problem.
Learn how to automatically answer "no" and immediately proceed to solving the problem.
Being depressed is by nature negative energy and does not solve anything - it will only bring you down more.
So I'm nearing the end of this post and just want to summarize what we talked about.
Life is short. No matter how young you think you are, you will be 6 foot under ground before you know it.
Also, never be under the assumption that you will live until you are old n gray. Unless you are best buddies with god, you do not have any guarantees that you wont die tomorrow. Dying is a reality whether its from old age or from natural disasters or from some crazy guy running around Akihabara stabbing people at random.
I'm under no illusion that I'm going to live until old age which is why I always live as if it was my last day. That does not mean I ignore the responsibilities I have though ^^
Make a point of exploring what you want to do with the rest of your life.
You may not find the answer straight away, but as long as you continue to search, the answer will come to you.
You may not find the answer straight away, but as long as you continue to search, the answer will come to you.
And where do you start to look? Easy one - you know what you like and are passionate about - start there.
Explore communities where there is information or people who enjoy the same interests that you have. Dont wait for things to happen - make them happen.
Obstacles are gifts and we should be thankful each time that fate deals one to us - obstacles enable us to improve the way we are, improve our processes and improve our lives. We also feel good about dealing with obstacles too.
Never give up. We give up due to obstacles. Even worse, we give up due to unseen obstacles that we beleive to be there - otherwise known as "fear."
"I have no hope of living and working in Japan because of blah."
Figure out ways of overcoming that "blah" (obstacle) instead of letting it stop you.
Figure out ways of overcoming that "blah" (obstacle) instead of letting it stop you.
If you have something you are passionate about, work out how to overcome any obstacles and remain focused - good things will happen through your efforts. Its the way the universe was built.
On the other hand if you are a "I want to learn Japanese but I don't have time" then maybe you are not passionate enough about learning Japanese (for example) because if you were passionate then you would simply make the time.
Look at what you feel is important to you in life and prioritize - make the time to do the stuff thats important before its too late.
Would like to hear about whether you have given up on something due to an obstacle. Hopefully we can talk about it to help each other out.