Posts Tagged ‘Inspirational’

I figured this title is appropriate since I am sitting in the waiting room of a hospital.

This last April I turned 30 years old, and as I am getting older I am noticing that I tend to get irritated quicker and complain more than I used to. It seems to happen to most people as they get older. My grandfather was definitely a complainer in his older age. However, it’s not really a road I want to follow.

Most of my complaining tends to come from people’s lack of respect and manners. Especially when I am in the car. I don’t get upset at the actual action, as I do with the disbelief that the person doesn’t pay enough attention to not do it in the first place.  As my grandfather said, “things just aren’t like they used to be”. I feel the same way, and yet there is no going back. We can only move forward.

The problem is that complaining doesn’t change anything. In many cases people may not even no they are doing something that causes others trouble. But what do you do about it? This is still something that I haven’t figured out. However, if you decide to confront someone about it, then you should always do it politely and with the assumption that they didn’t know they were causing you grief. If you go in hot headed, then it probably won’t go well. I have also found it is better to say something immediately rather than let it go on (in cases that involve neighbors, housing, etc), as it will only get worse later.

My current way of thinking is that there seem to be two decent possibilities. One, ignore it and go with the “in the end it doesn’t really matter” feeling. The second, and more difficult, is to try and make changes. But changing others is more difficult than changing yourself, especially on a large scale.

What do you think? Do you have rages in your car, or have rude neighbors who won’t quit their dogs? How do you handle it?

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?