Daily Yamabushi

If not, why not?

Do you have something you could see yourself doing for the rest of your life?

What about what you’re doing right now?

Do the answers align?

If they don’t align, is it worth changing? Or finding a way so they do?

Do that.

Sure, you need vocabulary to practice the language. But you also need language practice to practice the vocabulary. It’s the application of that knowledge that really counts. That’s the best way to find gaps in your knowledge. That’s the best way to feed your curiosity. That’s the best way to learn vocabulary.

Through application. What’s the application? Do that.

And that’s why it’s so perfect

Perfection doesn’t exist, but that’s what makes it so perfect. We know perfection doesn’t exist. How many times have we tried to make the perfect thing. How many times have we tried to claim something as perfect, only to know it falls short.

Too many.

Give up on perfection. Perfection is not perfect.

Still aim for it though. Still try to get the best out of what you have with what you’ve got.

Perfection doesn’t exist. But it’s all we’ve got. And that’s why it’s so perfect.

And we have no way of knowing

For all we know, they could well be right. There’s no way of knowing for certain. Well, besides that final step, I guess, but then we won’t have anything to do with that knowledge.

In the meantime, just keep doing what you’re doing, but make an effort to enjoy it. Make an effort to discover as much as you can. And how do you do that? By doing things. If a chance arises, if an idea arises and you have to make the chance arise, do it. Make an effort to enjoy it, make an effort to be in the moment, and let the moment carry you. For all we know, they could well be right, but they could well be wrong too, it makes no difference for us in the now.

How to get things done

Decision made. Action done. In the same breath.

That’s it.

Leave an impression

For a job interview just ask this. Ideally we wouldn’t need job interviews. Ideally you would have already impressed enough that you’ve been given the job. What do you need to do to reach that level?

Impress me. Leave an impression.

Not accepting

If it makes you feel better, if it helps you get through it, by all means, cry. You do it in the understanding that it is a temporary fix, a temporary bump on your way to acceptance. And if that makes the acceptance easier, so be it.

For the most part

For some jobs, the aim is to be unnecessary. Can the person survive with you out of the equation? If you do that, it’s job well done, and it’s something to be proud of.

Sure, you may still want to feel necessary, and you most certainly are in some aspects, but for the most part, being unnecessary is enough.

Better the danger you know

When you’re running on the road, it helps to run on the opposite side, the side facing the traffic. By doing so, you can see what the oncoming traffic is doing, and, in theory, you should never get hit from behind.

If you have to go against the grain, do what you can to know what you’re up against. Better the danger you know, than the danger you don’t.

Some fixes are simpler than they seem

My suitcase was forever refusing to close. I had to wait a few times before the latch caught on properly, and I got a tight close. I always thought it was a faulty suitcase or something. Once it even split open mid flight, if I didn’t have a band around it, I would have been had. I used to get really angry about it basically every time I used the suitcase. When you’re about to go to the airport, this is the last thing you want.

Turns out I should have just taken a closer look. The problem was a few loose screws on the hook attachment.

That’s it. That’s all it was.

I was making a big deal over a few loose screws, and felt like an idiot when I found out. A twisted knife later, and we’re good to go. Here’s hoping to stress-free travel.

And so must your role

What you’re doing is just like playing a song. If you stuff up, do you stop the song partway through? Or do you continue and play the rest of the song?

The song must go on. And when it does, your role is very simple.

Inspired by this.

Make it a fixture

Once things are set in stone, they’re set in stone. That may be a scary thing to come to terms with, we like to have control over things and that means we like flexibility too. But setting things in stone also give them permanence. There’s nothing more to come after, which means you don’t have to worry about it again either.

And in reality, things are never really permanent, are they. It’s just perceived permanence. But that’s enough

Because what’s the alternative?

There are a lot of things you should pride yourself on. Actually, the majority of things you do should fit into that category. Pride shows you are putting your whole self into it, your whole heart. Pride shows that you care.

Priding yourself doesn’t mean you have to be proud. But it does mean you have to give it your best.

Because what’s the alternative?

Be kind

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, that we exist is nothing short of a miracle. If any one of our ancestors didn’t exist, neither would we. That means if even one of our ancestors didn’t take the time and effort to look after their own children, likewise we wouldn’t exist.

Be kind. The world’s too rough a place not to want to help each other.

When you need to

The best way to go the other direction in a car is to spin it around, not stop and slowly turn the thing around. Momentum, even going the wrong way, can be used to great effect. Use it if you need to.

If you don’t do it now, you never will

It’s cliche. I know. But it’s so true. All of these plans but no plans to do them, that’s no good. If something should be a priority, make it so. There’s no other way around it. It’s now, or never. It’s now, or not at all. How do you feel about a world where this idea doesn’t exist? Or a world where you don’t even try to make it a reality?

Now or never.

Isn’t for leaders

When we’re young, we’re taught to draw between the lines. When we can do that, we’re taught to draw the lines. But in order to create something new, in order to lead, we need to forget the lines even exist in the first place.

Drawing between the lines is for toddlers. It’s not for leaders.

Something to hold on to

It’s good that if you even have a reference point. Something to be thankful to have your mind on.

If you don’t have a reference point, I wouldn’t worry. It just means you never knew any better, or anything else for that matter.

Where you should be looking

The fool sees the mountain, and looks toward the summit.

The wise one sees the mountain, and looks towards the step in front of them.

Start small. But start. Don’t get overwhelmed by the challenge. Find the next smallest thing that can be done, and do it.

The summit is always going to be there. The next step may not be so obvious, but it is always easier to find when you look right in front of you.

Let it flow

Let it flow. When there’s a dam, look for a way past, or bust your way through. And if that doesn’t work, so be it. It doesn’t work. There’s bound to be a levy somewhere that lets the water through.

What’s the alternative?

Sometimes you have such misfortune all you can do is laugh at the absurdity of it all. You question why these things had to happen at all, and why they had to happen to you of all people.

That’s just the way it is. Sure, there could be an alternative reality where these misfortunes don’t exist. But is that your reality?

Think long and hard enough and the answer is the same. It is what it is. No need to get worked up about what could have been. Just focus on your current reality. After all, what’s the alternative?

Practice humility and gratitude

Making the most of a bad situation is a good thing, but so is making the most of a good situation. When we have it good it is very easy to become complacent. It’s also very easy to think ‘this won’t last forever’. That’s why putting your focus on enjoying the current moment is so important, whether that moment is ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

We have so much to be thankful for. That we exist is a miracle. That I can write this on a supercomputer that fits in my hand and then send it all over the world.

That’s insane.

Sure, things might not be ideal. And they may not be what we pictured at all. But they are what they are, and we have to remember to be grateful that they are in the first place. That’s called making the most of a good situation.

Then change it if you have to

Force the idea out. Change it once it’s out. The opposite will never work. Just get it out.

If you’re going to be ready, get ready

If you’re going to be ready, you might as well get as ready as possible. Just like plasters in a first aid kit. Having plasters in your first aid kit is a good thing, they definitely come in handy. But to really make them handy, take them out of the box too.

You know you have to find a way to do that

The things that inspire us, nag at us until we get them done.

You have a thought that nags at you. It’s a thought that, even after a whole lot of time, you can’t get out of your mind. Even if you don’t know exactly how to get this thought into action, you have to find a way. It could be through other people, and if the thought is that strong, well, you will have to go through other people. That’s the only way to let your inspiration take flight. Don’t let it nag at you. Let it inspire you.

Exponentially if you do it right

Even tiny actions, repeated enough, can have huge repercussions. All you need is a tiny amount of energy and a regular interval in which to complete it, then before you know it, you’ve built something extraordinary from something that’s not. And all you have to do is keep it up.

What is the purpose for all the toil and trouble?

What is the desired result of all the toil and bother? Is the current route going to get you there? If not, when are you going to change tack? What is the end game? If the end game is the current path, then yes by all means stay on it. If not, well, what are you going to do about it?

And what to do

Once yamabushi training ends, the real training begins: real life. So when something huge happens in your life, you’re facing the real real training. Fortunately, you have your time on the mountains to look back to. There is a space in the mountains that, if you focus your mind on for even a mere millisecond, you can be taken back to. A place where no one can reach you. Your own nirvana deep in the recesses of the mind-mountain.

When the real real training begins, that’s exactly where you go. Stay there for as long as you feel necessary, then step back into the real training.

What Else But

A function of:

Passion.

Pride.

Compassion.

Grit.

Persistence.

Love.

Better Style or Style Intact?

The copy editor goes through with a red pen to cut out any redundancies and help define your style. The translation checker goes through with a red pen to replace any inconsistencies leaving your style intact.

Two very similar jobs, two completely different mindsets.

The appropriate mindset depends on the circumstances. Either way, both in your arsenal is a great place to be. Choose what works for you.