Daily Yamabushi

And your best attitude

When I was in undergrad I studied Mandarin. I took it quite seriously simply because it was a lot of fun, but also because I was studying Japanese at the same time and it was interesting to learn the kanji in both languages (I’m not sure I’d recommend this path). Well, we had a prize giving for the best students, but there was one student in my class who was Chinese-Indonesian (I remember him because he only had one name!). Dude was the kindest guy around, but his native level Chinese meant that he was guaranteed the Chinese class prize. True to form, he got it, even though our teacher said she wished I got it instead.

I think back to this time a lot more than I should. I felt really miffed by it at the time, even though the prize really doesn’t mean much at all. It makes sense why he got it. The prize wasn’t for the person who tried the most, it was for the person of the greatest ability.

This attitude has well and truly served me well, especially when it comes to learning Japanese. Don’t worry about comparisons with others. They don’t serve anyone. Worry about putting your best foot, and your best attitude, forward. Those are the things that serve you.

Lofty goals

Lofty goals create ambition. Ambition creates destiny. But lofty goals too far ahead create confusion and place your ambition in the wrong place. Place your ambition in the step in front of you. Make your lofty goals immediate goals. Make your lofty goals milestones on the way to doing what you always do. Do that by making immediate goals.

To learn the self

The purpose of studying Buddhism is not to study Buddhism, but to study ourselves. – Shunryu Suzuki

If not for the sake of it, the purpose of doing anything is to study the self. Do we have what it takes? Can we take on a challenge wholeheartedly? Even if it’s not a challenge, can we do a good job? How can we make ourselves grow?

If you ever needed a reason to do anything, make it this.

The response is always the same

Some things we know in advance are going to be big. Some things we either have a feeling about, or we just know they are coming. We can prepare all we like for how we’ll feel in the situation, but we won’t know until the situation actually happens how we actually feel. That doesn’t really matter though as the response is always the same. You know you’re going to have to Uketamo that, right?

Meditate

Meditate. That’s how you feel time pass. Why would you want to do feel time pass? Time passing is reality. In Zen, there is a belief that here, now, self, are the only three things that exist. The only things that exist are reality. By meditating, you get all three in one, and are reminded of what’s important, and what you should prioritise: Here, now, self.

Well before you think

Elections aren’t decided on the night. Winners aren’t decided at the game. The results are the result of actions taken much earlier than that. It’s why Seth Godin says Kickstarter is a misnomer. It’s not the first step, nor is it the start. It’s the result of a hell of a lot of hard work that started well before the campaign did.

The right step, the wrong step, you have no way of knowing whether it’s right or not until the decision is made, the election is over, or the game is done. By then, worrying about it is too late. Before then though, worrying about it is the right thing to do.

Which is it?

It’s always a possibility, unless it’s a certainty.

Which does it need to be? Which will you make it?

You also know the drill isn’t always the drill

If the drill’s the drill, great! You know what to expect. If it isn’t, great! You don’t know what to expect!

What other reason do you need?

If something feels right, if it feels like it ought to be done by you, then do it. If it sounds like fun, if it sounds like your cup of tea, then do it. Do it for the love of it. What other reason do you need?

That’s why you do it

Fear can be a great reason not to do something. At the same time it can be all the reason to do it. Fear means there’s something at stake. It means you could be wrong. It means it’s a risk. It also means you may well be onto something. The only way to know for sure is to do it.

Through meditation

Meditating gives you practice in thought observation. How is this useful? It’s very useful. It can be the difference between acting rashly and acting calmly in the same situation. We all have times when that will come in handy, I know I do. That’s why the results of mediation are cumulative. That’s why they don’t usually come straight away. But they most certainly do come. As with everything, you just have to give it time. And all you have to do is practice observing your thoughts.

Sputtering Into Action

Sputter enough you make a start. If the car keeps moving along, and it can start rolling forward off its own power, you’re in the clear. Until then though, you’ll be sputtering. Is that where you want to be? Is it worth making more of an effort to get into action? Are you ok with it sputtering? Or should you put on the breaks and call it quits? I’d say at least give it a decent chance to get on a roll, see how you like it, and go from there.

Repeat the Question

For the most part at least, people who speak slower sound smarter. It’s like you get smart credits for taking the time to think through your words.

One technique I’ve noticed of the best interviewers (Tim Ferriss is great at this) is that they ask the question in the middle of a short preamble. That short time between the question and the end of the preamble gives the interviewee extra time to think through their answer. This shows the interviewers respect to the person being interviewed, and also gives us better answers, which is what we want after all.

Well, you can increase the quality of your answers too during any kind of interview, job or otherwise, by simply repeating the question.

We can still keep the conversation going, but with these techniques we can also give each other breathing space, which in theory should lead to better answers too.

Get it so it works. Then adjust accordingly.

Set up a process, however bad. Your first port of call is simply whether it works or not. Even if it splutters and breaks, as long as the process works, all that’s left is to fine tune it again and again. Before long, the wheels will be running smoothly, and you’re well on your way to glory.

The hardest part is getting it started. Everything else from there is mere adjustment.

Fix the process, fix the results

It’s the process you should worry about. Not the results. The results are merely a symptom of the process. If the results aren’t what you want, you are just too early in the process. Fix the process, fix the results.

Don’t forget to appreciate

Bad things don’t happen in a vacuum. At times it does indeed feel like they feed off each other too. But there is good to be taken from every moment. There is good even in the worst of circumstances. If the situation doesn’t change, your attitude will. There’s always something to look forward to, and there’s always something to be thankful for. We just have to remember to take the time to appreciate.

Understanding which makes all the difference

Is it the product, or final result of the process? Or is it a byproduct? Something that comes of the process that isn’t the final result?

If you focus on process enough, everything is just a byproduct. There is no end, and there is no end to the byproducts either. The product, on the other hand, the final result, is what happens at the end of the process.

Which can you get more out of, producing a byproduct, or a product? Which can more reliably be made? Which are you focusing on?

Your creativity is at stake

‘You’re Making it Hard For Yourself’ was basically my dad’s catchphrase, but as I watch other people I can’t help but feel it. Even worse, I find myself saying this about myself more often than I’d like to admit.

When it comes to the creative, do all that you can to get it out. Take it to its barest form if necessary. Short is fine. Short is good actually. It’s better than not done. If it were to be easier, how would it be done? Ask yourself that and see if you can’t change things up. How do other people do it differently? Is there something to be learned from there? And the age-old question: are you making it hard for yourself? Your creativity is at stake. Don’t.

Depends how you see it

One time I was playing airsoft and my gun kept curving the bullet to the right. It was a faulty gun, but you can get used to it by aiming slightly to the left, which was effective enough, but where this gun really excelled was when someone was cowering behind something. Turn the gun on its side, and the curve would go up and then eventually down. You can’t do that with a normal airsoft gun.

What at first glance feels like a fault, can actually be turned to your advantage, with a little creativity.

Wrong Answer.

Who do you most want to please? Who are you trying to make proud?

The answer is you. The answer is always you.

Do it for other people, of course, but make sure you’re looking after number one.

We only care if you do. We only care if you’ve made yourself proud. Go and do that, then get back to us.

No contest

Sit in meditation and time feels like it lasts an eternity. Sit and watch tv for the same amount of time, and time goes by in a flash.

Which is more real? Which is more beneficial? Which are you going to prioritize?

Take your time

Does it have to be done fast? Do you need to rush it? Can doing it slower show you yet another side of why you should do it at all? If it’s something worth doing, it’s something worth savouring. Try it. You might find you like it.

Mindset is not set

Your mindset doesn’t have to be set. You don’t have to do something just because you think you have to, and likewise things don’t have to happen a certain way because you think they do. Mindset isn’t something that’s set in stone. It’s malleable. All you need is the belief that it can be changed, and it can be changed.

Out there

What are you doing here? All the fun is out there. No point sticking around. Get out there, get it done, and have some fun while you do.

I’ll be me.

If a job needs to be done that you can’t do all by yourself, you train someone. Thing is though, you shouldn’t expect them to do it exactly the way you do it, nor should you want them to either. If something’s worth being done, it’s worth being done right, and that means with full enrolment. If things can’t be done the way you want them done, even a little bit, it creates friction that is hard to get rid of. Best to develop your own style while allowing others to too. This way they don’t get stuck in your shadow, and if they outdo you by doing it their way, well, that’s a good thing.

I’ll be me. I need you to be you.

Do it once, do it right.

If it needs to be done, it needs to be done right. That’s why slowly grinding away at it works wonders. No need to rush. No need to run someone else’s race. Focus on the step ahead, and that’s it. Slowly grind away at it, and you’ll find yourself at the finish line better positioned than anyone else.

Literally

Take a walk. Literally. It’ll do you a world of good. We humans are built to walk. We are built to run. It’s one theory as to why we outlasted the Neanderthals. We’re built to move. We’re built to be mobile. And that means we’ve been conditioned to think while moving. So take a walk. It’ll do you a world of good.

Let your subconscious take charge

Your subconscious can come through with great breakthroughs if you treat it right. Doing new or different things, or sometimes doing nothing, helps keep your subconscious working in the background.

Fresh eyes can give you perspective you never knew you had. Just don’t rely on it entirely. Make getting fresh eyes a priority, but just make staying within the time limit a greater one.

Find one

If something is inherently boring but you have to go through it, find a way to make it interesting. Count how many times something interesting happens. See if you can break the record. Think of ways to break the monotony, and get through with it.

Understand it. Then act.

The storm is coming. Let it. But when it does, get a taste of it before you decide your reaction. Is it better to fight it head on? Can you take it? Or is it better to join in the flow itself, and use its energy for yourself.

Stop before the storm. Understand it. Then act.