Posts Tagged ‘Hobbies and fun’

While waiting to get a massage yesterday at Guppi no Shitasu (a great shiatsu place here in Miyakojima), I was scanning through the various books in office book shelf. There were quite a few that interested me, but one caught my attention above all the others. A book titled やりたい事をやれ, It basically translates into “Do The Things You Want To Do”. I only read through the table of contents, but the point of the book was clear. Do the things you really want to do and you won’t have any regrets.

Like a lot of books, I wish I could have read this one much earlier in my life. It is so easy to get wrapped up in what we are expected to do that we forget what we really want to do. Life is short and precious. If you doubt this, ask anyone who is getting into there 40s or 50s or above. My grandfather used to tell me that his face changed so quick he didn’t recognize himself in the mirror any longer. The point being that we need to live in the moment and enjoy life as much as possible.

There is no formula or perfect road to life. I used to constantly worry about making mistakes, but one wrong turn doesn’t mean you can’t end up on the original path you had intended. In fact, sometimes the short detours will actually move you ahead further than would have gotten by staying on the normal path.

I rarely worry about the mistakes I have made. Some of them have actually turned out to be really great experiences. However, I do think from time to time about the things I didn’t do or the chances I didn’t take. Like the old saying goes, I don’t regret the mistakes I made, but only the things I didn’t do. So what dreams aren’t you following in your life?

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have quit my job in Tokyo and will be moving to the tropical island of Miyakojima. At this point we have gotten rid of most of our stuff (the rest will be taken tomorrow) and will be boarding our plane in a few days. As the date is getting closer, I starting to focus on all the things I will be able to do in this new life and environment that I haven’t been able to do working here in Tokyo. Below is a list of 10 things I am looking forward to be focusing on.

1. Spend more time with my spouse- With both of us working full time jobs both with long commutes, we haven’t had the chance to spend a lot of time together for the last year. I am looking forward to spending more time together.

2. Catching/finding my own food- Since we will now be living by the ocean, I plan to support a part of our life by catching and finding our own food. Not only will this be a fun activity, it can also reduce our food bills. There is also a great satisfaction to catching or growing your own food that just doesn’t come with buying it.

3. Study more- Particularly language. One of the reasons I chose to stay in Japan was to keep improving my Japanese skills. As we would like to visit Central and South America, I also plan to start studying Spanish. I also plan to study internet marketing. Something I have been studying lately and really enjoy.

4. Exercise- Since I quit my job in August I have been doing a pretty good job in this area. However, I have been slightly limited by places to exercise. In Miyakojima, I would like to increase not only the types of exercise I am doing, but also the amount I am exercising. Miyakojima is one of the locations where they hold the Ironman Triathlon, but I don’t plan to go that far. I will probably focus on martial arts and have actually been considering trying parkour.

5. Scuba diving, Snorkeling, and Swimming- I absolutely love the water and water sports (along with driving and food) have been some of the things I miss the most here in Tokyo. Miyakojima has amazing beaches and great diving. Now The one draw back is diving in Miyakojima is quite expensive so, I need need to figure out a way to do it cheaper.

6. Volunteering- I don’t know exactly what will be available, but I would like to help do something with either the schools or with the ocean. How cool would it be to help as a volunteer diver.

7. Building my own business- I am still working on the exact business plan, but now that I am over the fear of actually starting it I am looking forward to seeing what I can do. The more efficient I got at work, the more I realized how much time I was being wasted. Now I have the chance to try out my own practices and theories.

8. Meeting new people- People in Tokyo can be somewhat cold. Friends are great friends, but if someone doesn’t know you they don’t want to be bothered by you. Miyakojima is much more laid back and the people are much more friendly. I will have the chance to meet people with very different backgrounds.

9. Drive- It seems weird to miss something that I sometimes hated when driving in the states, but driving gives a sense of freedom and can be a fun activity. We won’t need to do much driving on the island, but the occasional drive around the island or to the beach will be great.

10. Enjoying life one day at a time- During my busy week schedule here in Tokyo, I was always waiting for my next day off. The weeks and Months seemed to just fly buy and I felt as though I was a spectator. I am going to try my best to live each day the way I want and to it’s fullest. After realizing how quickly they can go by, I really want to treasure each one.

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