Start and keep running

The first blog of the year

From now on, I (Ono) will be joining on an irregular basis.

I hope you enjoy these snapshots of the four characters' different daily lives.

It's been a while, so where should I start?

Today I would like to write about the habits I have been improving since around October last year.

Famous quotes and advice from great people and ancestors about habits are almost always found in self-help books, and a quick search on the internet will reveal a huge number of them.

In other words, this shows how important it is.

"Men are made by habits. Good results come from habits, not from fleeting actions."

Aristotle (Ancient Greek philosopher)

When your mind changes, your actions change.
Changing your behavior changes your habits.
When your habits change, your personality changes.
If your personality changes, your destiny will change.

William James (psychologist)

Have you ever seen such a quote?

Personally, I am relatively good at starting something new and making it a habit.

Thinking about how to incorporate it into everyday life is something of a hobby for me.

On the other hand, I have a bad habit of neglecting lower priority habits when I get busy.

The importance of simply continuing to pursue the subject of your interest without looking away, and devoting yourself to one thing with all your heart, is probably one of the aesthetics that many people aspire to.

However, the older you get, the more likely you are to become overwhelmed with work and daily life and give up on continuing.

They feel a sense of guilt that shouldn't be there, the psychological hurdle of starting becomes high, and they pretend not to see or hear and bury their feelings.

I'm sure you've had one or two experiences like that.

When I'm feeling down or sad, there are many songs that give me affirmation and encouragement, and one of them is the song "Old Rookie" by Takehara Pistol, the lyrics of which always inspire me.

"You can stop as many times as you want and start running again as many times as you want

What you need is not to keep running, but to start and keep running.”

Yes, even if you stop doing something, you can just start again.

The overwhelming sense of positivity contained in the words "start and keep going" makes my fingers bounce lightly as I type on the keyboard to write my blog.

My current habits include daily meditation, training at the gym which I resumed after the COVID-19 pandemic, walking 10,000,000 steps a day (reading while walking), yoga and stretching, and intestinal health which I have been continuing for a long time (looking at it this way, it seems to be mainly about the body and mind).

On the other hand, I have had to re-evaluate my daily drinking habit, which has continued for a really long time (this is a big deal in many ways, I could write a blog about it alone), and my habit of spending all my time staring at my smartphone.

If everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, then how they use it is a habit and can be said to represent their life.

When I think about my respected teacher, I wonder if I am getting closer to that level.

When ideals coincide with reality, it brings the greatest happiness to everyone.

It may seem obvious, but most people are troubled by the gap between their ideals and reality.

That is why, in order to get closer to your ideal, you need to review your daily habits and imprint your ideal onto your unconscious and subconscious mind over and over again.

I want to live happily, asking myself questions each day (my hobbies) so that I can get a little closer to my ideal.

Looking at the global situation, 2025 is likely to be a year of change in many ways.

If that's the case, I want to immerse myself in both my work and my daily life to the fullest.

The first exhibition of the new year will begin on January 25th.

This will be the first exhibition at Utsushiki, but it is the beloved "Hakujitsu Exhibition," which has been a great help to me both professionally and privately.

There are so many things I want to write about "Hakujitsu," but for now I'm currently creating an e-mail newsletter, so please wait for it to arrive soon.

Well, I wish you the most lovely and happy days.