Top 5 Most Liked Articles of the First Half of 2026: "Revisiting Work Ethics," "Happiness Habits," "Being Obsessed with Yourself," "Don't Try Hard When You're Enjoying It," and "Learning from Eikichi Yazawa"

2026 is passing by quickly, and we have already passed the halfway point.
Starting this month (July), summer vacation begins, and for some, it might mean more time to relax. I also transferred to a new workplace in April, but I have finally gotten used to it, and I have established a pace and rhythm for my work. I feel more at ease mentally as well.

Now that I have some peace of mind, I would like to look back at the first half of 2026.
I have compiled and introduced the articles that received the most likes on this NOTE between January and June 2026. Please join me if you'd like.

1. Revisiting Work Ethics: If "bottom-tier jobs" didn't exist, society would collapse.

A significant amount of time has passed since people started saying that with the development of AI, "jobs will be taken away" and "future jobs will change." Each time, predictions were made about "jobs that will disappear" and "jobs that will be newly created," but the progress of AI has led to unexpected developments, making the future even more uncertain and creating anxiety.
It was during such a time that I heard about "blue-collar billionaires," which led me to write this article.
I was reminded of the obvious fact that just because AI is developing, it doesn't mean AI can do everything.
A reversal is occurring where specialized manual labor and skilled trades are actually becoming more valuable and precious precisely because they require expert craftsmanship or specialized skills needed on-site.
I wrote this article with the hope that we should not forget to respect those who work directly with people or perform life-or-death jobs.

2. Various habits that have improved my life and made it easier to feel happy

Having lived for decades myself, I have experienced various things, from the negative to the positive. I have also experienced my own version of "rock bottom."
I have always wanted to live a happier and better life. I have even imitated the methods and habits of people called "successful."
There were some that didn't suit me or were too difficult, ending in less than a month, and there were others that, even if I continued them, I realized didn't lead to "my own happiness."
That is why this article summarizes the content that I have been testing and going through trial and error with for a long time, and which still remains as something that allows me to feel happiness today.This is an article that summarizes the content that I have been testing and going through trial and error with for a long time, and which still remains as something that allows me to feel happiness today.

3. Being obsessed with yourself: Living in the "here and now" improves your life

Negative emotions are born from regret and guilt felt by dwelling on the past, or anxiety and worry felt by imagining the future. And at those times, I am not "here and now." My consciousness has flown to the "past or future."
Therefore, conversely, to avoid being trapped by such negative emotions, it is important to bring your consciousness to the "here and now." The shortcut to this is to be obsessed with or immersed in something. Even weeding or cleaning, if done with obsession, will focus your consciousness on the "here and now" and keep negative feelings at bay.

And,to be obsessed, it is not just about manual work or taking action; especially as a way to "be obsessed with yourself (myself)," dialogue with yourself is also necessary. I wrote an article about its importance.

4. When I am enjoying my work, I don't think about "trying hard"

I wrote an article about what I realized by looking back at myself.
Simply put, when I am "trying hard" or "straining to try hard," I am often forcing myself or doing things that are contrary to my true feelings, so "enjoyment" is hard to come by.
Conversely, even for work that I initially thought I didn't want to take on, if I find ways to enjoy it through my own ingenuity or start to like it, I have found that the feeling of "I must try hard!" disappears.
Also, there are things one is suited for and things one is not when it comes to "career advancement." I realized that I am not working for the sake of advancement, but that advancement is also just one "role," and I felt relieved. When I am enjoying the work in front of me, even the thought of whether I will advance or not disappears from my consciousness.
I wrote an article about such things.

5. If you think "life is a movie," you can get through it: The way of life of Eikichi Yazawa

Based on Eikichi Yazawa's real-life experiences (betrayal by close aides, carrying a debt of 3.5 billion yen), I wrote an article about how to overcome difficult events.
One of the methods isto view yourself objectively as the protagonist of a movie. No matter how difficult a life you have, if you can seriously "live out that role," you can stand on a new stage.
In movies, people who live peaceful lives where no problems occur are depicted as "passersby" (laughs). Ifyou encounter a difficult event, you are a chosen person! You are in the spotlight as the protagonist of a movie! ...If you accept it that way, your spirits will be lifted.
In fact, Eikichi Yazawa embodies this!


As a bonus, there is also a "Top 5 Most Liked Articles of 2025." I posted them between January and June, so they are within the period, but they were written in 2025.

These are the 5 (6) articles that received the most likes from January to June 2026.
Looking back at the whole thing again,

・Living while feeling the "here and now"
・Finding positive meaning by changing perspectives
・My time: Dialogue with myself, solidifying my own axis
・Finding my own unique happiness habits and things I can be obsessed with

I thought that these were the things that reached and resonated with the readers.

I hope to continue posting articles from July 2026 onwards (from now on) that can be of some help, or from which you can gain a new perspective.


Thank you for reading this far.
I hope there is a word or lesson that remains in your heart.