It has come to my attention that I live an interesting life. I think everyone is interesting in their own way, at least if they are willing to seek their own passions and grow. I believe we are all gold mines!
But that being said, without tooting my own horn, I guess you could call me an active gold mine. I dig. I can’t really claim that the gold or gems I discover will be in high demand, although they are rare, but I make sure that I am constantly digging.
I think that sometimes I come across as arrogant to certain people, depending on how invested they are in a typical lifestyle. If they are working a 9-5 and hoping to quit one day or have a deep respect for people who are on their own path they probably won’t feel this way but if they think that “work is supposed to be hard” and that having kids is the most important thing for everyone regardless of what they say they want, well, those people will think I’m a silly overgrown child who refuses to grow up.
Luckily I’m in Japan, so rather than confronting me and telling me how much they disapprove of me, they ignore me and so they are effectively filtered out of my life. That is why I like living in a non-confrontational society. It’s much easier to filter.
I am not arrogant though. I really don’t think I’m the shit, but I know I’ve done the work to understand who I am, what I am good at, what I want, and what I’m capable of, the good and the bad. I know the best and worst versions of myself.
Apparently that gives me a kind of confidence that can be easily mistaken for arrogance, even though I still have slight social anxiety and it shows sometimes.
Thanks to the beautiful filter that is a non-confrontational society, as long as I am aware of social cues, the majority of my social interactions are positive and they only keep getting better.
I find that as I commit more to the lifestyle I’ve chosen (a self employed artist and teacher with a fluid, excitement-based approach to how I contribute to the world), I gain respect in places where I wasn’t expecting to gain it.
The economy isn’t treating everyone kindly these days and many people who are risk averse are starting to wonder if they’d made the right choices. Perhaps their lack of experience in taking major risks has also left them more vulnerable to taking the wrong risks.
They may see me and think I made the right risks because even though I am below the average income in Tokyo, at least I have passion for life and for many many things in it.
I’m not sharing this to say “look at me and how I am kicking ass”. I’m sharing it to say “believe in yourself a bit more”. If you are here, you are probably already someone who is thinking a bit differently about things than the mainstream consensus and you’ve probably had experiences where you felt judged for that.
Maybe your reaction was to withdraw, or to hide certain parts of yourself or maybe your reaction was to decide that most of the world will never understand and to talk about red pills and blue pills or look for answers in conspiracy theories or philosophy. Perhaps you’ve felt shitty about the state of the world.
Don’t.
You are the change, and you don’t need to start a revolution to be the change. Trends change based on the current. Your very presence in this world and the energy you put into the things you love and being the person you want to be create a current. That current can impact the flow of everyone around you.
You may not notice it at first but if you keep at it for 5 or 10 or 20 years, you’ll realize you are living a very different and more desired life than the one you would have been if you continued living against your morals.
It doesn’t require perfection either. You can compromise in certain aspects until you are ready. As long as there’s a drive to keep becoming more of the person you want to be and don’t give up on the bigger vision you have for your life.
You don’t even have to reach your goals for it to matter. Getting halfway there is already a win.
Maybe I’ll never be rich, but if I can live my current lifestyle with less stress and instability, it’s already worth all my efforts. It’s worth facing my fears and pushing through unpleasant moments.
Don’t be afraid. You got this.
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Check out my music!!! I have a new “Sun Shone Blue” on all major platforms!
Spotify
Apple
https://music.apple.com/jp/album/sun-shone-blue-ep/1789865129?l=en-US
YouTube
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kjfdNXu5nWlbMyzEboSxdYF0vzr1WrtV4&si=DUedf43uST3D2npW
Also on Amazon, Wangyi, QQ, Tidal etc.
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That's a cute knit hat. Did your girlfriend knit it for you?
I only have the impression that you are sincere with yourself😀
I had worked as a corporate employee for over a decade and was afraid to stray from that path. I remember the stress of being a company employee was quite great, but the security of being protected by the company was quite great. Like me, I think many people don't know what they really want to do.
thank you and thank you!
This topic came up because I had dinner with some friends who seem a bit intimidated by my lifestyle but who I’ve known for a long time and have a good relationship. I realized they have a lot of respect for me despite the fact that there is a huge culture gap, and I compared that with some of the more negative experiences I’ve had when I was trying to live in two different worlds and always hiding one side of myself. At that time I think it definitely came across more as arrogant and maybe that was because I was angry about hiding so much.
I don’t judge anyone for not knowing what they want to do. Now I think it’s my responsibility to help open a path for people since I already know what I want. Although it is easy to feel that the mainstream mentality is fighting against me sometimes. That’s why I decided I need to stop letting fear influence how I live. That is the theme for 2025!
This is a healing process for everyone I think.
I hope we can talk more about this!!
Perhaps the reason why many people with mainstream mindsets seem to be against your way of life is partly because they are envious of you. That’s how I feel.
When I was younger and working long hours as a company employee, I used to say that I was "worried about the future" of freelancers, YouTubers, or those with multiple jobs who chose unconventional career paths. But deep down, I was actually envious of them😅