The things that are truly fun are a bit of a hassle

Good evening, everyone.
It's me.

I've realized something recently,
that there are things I think are truly fun,
but I find myself thinking, 'Oh, I'm actually not doing them that much.'

Speaking of things I find truly fun,

• Playing the guitar
  → Not just practicing phrases, but playing along with songs or recording my own playing to study it.

• A little bit of exercise
  → Walking briskly for about an hour.

• Going to a sauna
  → Trying out places I've never been to. I choose the next facility to visit with the intention of reviewing it based on cost-performance and the environment.

…things like that, I suppose.

They are surprisingly diverse, aren't they? (laughs)

If there's one thing they have in common,
it's that they are 'surprisingly a hassle' (laughs).

I think the common thread is that it takes a bit of effort just to get started.

For example, with the guitar, there are steps like taking it off the stand, plugging in the cable, turning on the amp, and tuning it...
If I imagine doing all that before I start... it's a no-go (laughs).

However, once I get past that, I end up doing it for at least an hour.

Walking also requires motivation just to start, and for the first 30 minutes or so, I think, 'This is a hassle, I want to quit' (laughs),
but once I get past that, the act of walking itself starts to feel fun.

As for saunas, if you're a regular, you know exactly how tough that first set can be (laughs).

I do enjoy these things lightly sometimes, but
when I think, 'I want to keep this in my heart' or 'I want to gain something from this,' it requires preparation and the right condition, so I suspect I'm not actually doing them as thoroughly as I could.

I just realized this while writing (laughs), but the 'truly fun things' I seek in these activities

• have a sense of immersion

• have something to build upon

• will remain in my heart even years later

I think these are the common points.

For example, I've been playing guitar for about 20 years now.
I reached the level where I thought, 'It would be amazing to be able to play this well' a long time ago (laughs),
but I'm still only about 1/10,000th of the way to the level that my current self thinks, 'It would be amazing to be able to play this well.'
…I guess I have no choice but to keep at it.

Also, I've visited about 50 sauna facilities.
I think I could almost be a bit of a sommelier for them, couldn't I? (laughs)

For all of these, I think 'this is a bit of a hassle' when I start, but
once I start doing them, I can focus. And that's fun.
Isn't that what 'truly fun things' are?

(I'm not trying to make an enemy of them, but)
things that have absolutely no barrier to enjoying them—like social media, short videos, or alcohol—
are certainly easy to enjoy, but you don't really find yourself saying, 'This short video is something I'll cherish for a lifetime...', do you? (laughs)

…So lately, when I think, 'I don't want to waste this day off,'
I intentionally choose to do things that I find 'a bit of a hassle'.

The trick is that if you think about things like 'a sense of accomplishment' or 'runner's high,' the hurdle seems high (laughs),
so I guess it's more like thinking there's a hint hidden within the 'hassle'.

Ah, writing this note was the same way (laughs).
Until I started writing, I thought, 'This is such a hassle...'

But once I started writing, I've been at it for about an hour now (laughs),
and it's not bad at all, as I expected.