Stimulation is Important!

I'm Yugo, an elementary school teacher and father of two.

There is something I've been into lately. It is...

Doing things differently than usual!

The other day, there was a trial session at the sports gym where my children go for swimming lessons. It was an offer saying, 'We are opening for free exclusively to those whose children are members. Why not come and visit?'

To the sports gym trial session

I usually do muscle training, but basically it's at my home gym or a park. (If you see a middle-aged man doing intense muscle training using the jungle gym, swings, or high horizontal bars at a park, it might be me...) So, I usually train alone. Since this was a great opportunity, I decided to go and try it out.

Once I entered the gym, my target was the free weight corner with bench presses, squats, and dumbbells. Since it was my first time at this gym, I felt nervous for the first time in a while. I casually headed to the bench press corner. Since I usually only use dumbbells at home, I tested how much I could do and found I could handle up to about 90kg with some ease! I thought about going up to 100kg, but I gave up because it would be dangerous if I collapsed while alone...

As I calmed down a bit and looked around, serious bodybuilders were doing serious training. While I was glancing at them and using equipment I don't usually get to use, a serious bodybuilder started walking toward me... Just as I was thinking, 'Oh...', he gave me a refreshing smile and said, 'Is this your first time here? You should try doing it like this!'

I was very nervous before entering the gym, but I was incredibly stimulated by realizing my own growth, having new encounters and getting advice, and seeing serious bodybuilders right in front of me!

Try changing your walking or running route!

I recommend this. When you go for a walk or a run, you usually start from home, right? That limits the range you can go to a certain extent. That's fun in its own way, but I dare to change it up.

Park your car in a nearby parking lot and change your starting point. That way, the course naturally changes. Even in a nearby parking lot, there are various new discoveries! I didn't know there was a shop like this here! I didn't know the neighborhood was like this! There's a lovely park here, so I'll bring my kids to play!

Even for the same one-hour walk or run, just changing the route gives you a jolt of stimulation.

Charge into a shop you were curious about but never entered!

I happened to be eating dinner alone... In times like these, it's easy to end up at 'the usual place.' So, I dare to challenge myself to an unexplored shop!

When I ate there, I honestly thought, 'The usual place was better...', but it was interesting to be able to confirm that!

When you receive new stimulation, it's fun because it feels like you've met a new version of yourself or a new world!

As we get older, it's easy to feel that jumping into an unknown world is a hassle. That's exactly why I dare to do things I don't usually do. Because there are all sorts of worlds waiting beyond that!

Why don't you all make it a hobby to dare to do things you don't usually do?