Times of trouble, times of struggle, times of peace.
This post's title is not trying to portray an apparently random set of quality attributed to the events that happen in our daily life. Quite the opposite, actually. Trouble, struggle and peace. These would-be categories to sum it all up are no more than the way this random dude chose to see his personal life.
I do separate trouble times and struggle times, which sometimes just feel like bundling together under yet another category: "desejo", which is the pt-br word for desire or wish.
And that's the way it goes: you get into trouble, struggle with it for a while and when it's over, peace. Repeat. And that's the way life goes. I should make a video about this.
I'm talking about expansion here, but expanding possibilities of life. I'm really getting into some friction with some aspects of the Japanese society. Personally, I am a man who enjoys hearing direct criticism.
Now, mind you, it is not easy to actually criticize someone.
This is the Internet, and there are more than a couple of stupid people surfing around putting out their BS opinions. I don't feel negatively affected by this, and neither should you. As a matter of fact, this freedom is the one thing I appreciate the most on the Internet. Freedom to produce great content, and freedom to just throw lame opinions around.
Youtube is filled with the so-called trolls, that thrive on button-pushing and drama. That is no criticism. With that out of the way...
True criticism is not telling somebody what to do, as most people might think. Creativity is a strange beast, you see? It requires a lot of courage to ignore the directions other people would have you follow. And, once again, let them do what they want and follow those directions. "I have something else in my mind" is the mindset I usually have when working in something creative.
And you get in trouble.
Ignoring people's opinions is not polite, and it's not very social. You'll get in trouble. Accept that, because it's been like that forever and it's not changing anytime soon. Ya know what? I'd love to live in a society that values the work an individual can do when not trying to getting external validation, so count on me to work towards that. Still, I'm not gonna sit around and wait for those glory days.
Struggle.
Working through it. Dealing with the bad days, weeks or even years. Holding your ground. Compromising without giving up leverage. I personally find it very easy to get caught up on what tactics or strategies to use in this particular stage. And this is such a huge distraction from what really matters. What matters is what is happening when you're not looking. Not outside appearances, not the results and not even the compliments. Struggling is the stage in which you're pushing your own inner boundaries/mind barriers/self-imposed restraints/limiting beliefs. And it hurts like hell, trust me.
This is the stage I'm going through right now: struggle. Repeatedly pushing myself beyond my comfort zone.
So I'm not getting what I want right away. But I'm positive I will, and this guarantees I'm not gonna stop trying. I'm not gonna go back to my old habits. I'm not gonna willingly retreat.
So I guess this is one of the reasons I appreciate so much being in Japan and being part of an "international community". These are people who trampled through the culture shock in one way or another. The difference between people who chose to live a "comfortable life" and my friends is tangible.
Mind you, I hold no grudge - or any bad feelings, for that matter - against people who simply chose to stick to their known territory. I understand that what I do is not for everyone. That's why I value people who can relate to my struggling and to the rewards that come from it.
Peace.
Calling it a reward is quite weird, because there's a lot of work that goes along with it. Sure, this is a peaceful time, but there's always so much new ground to be assimilated! Exploring a new country, making new friends out of the natives, enjoying the new scenery. Allowing yourself to slip into a mode where life and time flow by smoothly.
Done.
And suddenly you find yourself wishing you were actually doing something else. You want more. Time to go around again.
I do separate trouble times and struggle times, which sometimes just feel like bundling together under yet another category: "desejo", which is the pt-br word for desire or wish.
And that's the way it goes: you get into trouble, struggle with it for a while and when it's over, peace. Repeat. And that's the way life goes. I should make a video about this.
I'm talking about expansion here, but expanding possibilities of life. I'm really getting into some friction with some aspects of the Japanese society. Personally, I am a man who enjoys hearing direct criticism.
Now, mind you, it is not easy to actually criticize someone.
This is the Internet, and there are more than a couple of stupid people surfing around putting out their BS opinions. I don't feel negatively affected by this, and neither should you. As a matter of fact, this freedom is the one thing I appreciate the most on the Internet. Freedom to produce great content, and freedom to just throw lame opinions around.
Youtube is filled with the so-called trolls, that thrive on button-pushing and drama. That is no criticism. With that out of the way...
True criticism is not telling somebody what to do, as most people might think. Creativity is a strange beast, you see? It requires a lot of courage to ignore the directions other people would have you follow. And, once again, let them do what they want and follow those directions. "I have something else in my mind" is the mindset I usually have when working in something creative.
And you get in trouble.
Ignoring people's opinions is not polite, and it's not very social. You'll get in trouble. Accept that, because it's been like that forever and it's not changing anytime soon. Ya know what? I'd love to live in a society that values the work an individual can do when not trying to getting external validation, so count on me to work towards that. Still, I'm not gonna sit around and wait for those glory days.
Struggle.
Working through it. Dealing with the bad days, weeks or even years. Holding your ground. Compromising without giving up leverage. I personally find it very easy to get caught up on what tactics or strategies to use in this particular stage. And this is such a huge distraction from what really matters. What matters is what is happening when you're not looking. Not outside appearances, not the results and not even the compliments. Struggling is the stage in which you're pushing your own inner boundaries/mind barriers/self-imposed restraints/limiting beliefs. And it hurts like hell, trust me.
This is the stage I'm going through right now: struggle. Repeatedly pushing myself beyond my comfort zone.
So I'm not getting what I want right away. But I'm positive I will, and this guarantees I'm not gonna stop trying. I'm not gonna go back to my old habits. I'm not gonna willingly retreat.
So I guess this is one of the reasons I appreciate so much being in Japan and being part of an "international community". These are people who trampled through the culture shock in one way or another. The difference between people who chose to live a "comfortable life" and my friends is tangible.
Mind you, I hold no grudge - or any bad feelings, for that matter - against people who simply chose to stick to their known territory. I understand that what I do is not for everyone. That's why I value people who can relate to my struggling and to the rewards that come from it.
Peace.
Calling it a reward is quite weird, because there's a lot of work that goes along with it. Sure, this is a peaceful time, but there's always so much new ground to be assimilated! Exploring a new country, making new friends out of the natives, enjoying the new scenery. Allowing yourself to slip into a mode where life and time flow by smoothly.
Done.
And suddenly you find yourself wishing you were actually doing something else. You want more. Time to go around again.
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