Cheerful Habits
This morning, I would like to introduce Yataro Matsuura's essay, "Cheerful Habits" 📖
Hey, excuse me, do you have a moment?
Something happened,
I'm thinking about this,
tapping a stranger on the shoulder to
have them listen to me is my daily life.
This book is a collection of my
"walking, seeing, and listening" moments.
I happened to come across this book the other day.
As soon as I started reading it, I thought, "I really love Yataro Matsuura's writing and way of thinking!" and I finished it in no time.
A charm you make for yourself
Among Matsuura's habits, what left the biggest impression on me was "a single note to protect yourself" 📝
He says he writes down things he wants to cherish and how he wants to be, keeping these realizations like a charm.
A single note to protect yourself
Growth is about increasing the precision of the ordinary,
and it is about new realizations and new challenges once the ordinary has been mastered.
For example, there are times in a year when you feel discouraged.
At such times, I open this charm.
Then, I notice something I wasn't doing, or find advice hidden within that solves the problem.
"I take the small wisdom I've realized up to that point, put it into a bulleted note, and present it to myself as I'm about to start something new. It's for the sake of improvement," says Matsuura.
It's like a "charm" that you make for yourself.
A note is a proposal for improvement, and it is a charm.
It will surely be a source of strength for you all.
That note will also become a map that guides you when you are lost.
A single note to protect yourself
So, while imitating the content of Matsuura's notes, I also tried making my own "single note to protect myself" 🌞
Go to bed early, wake up early, and watch the sunrise
Change "I'm sorry" to "Thank you"
Always smile, like a sunflower
Independence is "increasing the number of places you rely on"
Create your own good mood
Do not make decisions when you are feeling down
Cherish the things you love that you cannot put into words, and do not ignore your gut feelings
Do not rush, do not demand, do not get angry
Give first
I would like to give this as a gift to myself, as I try to take on new challenges while updating myself little by little 🍀
Mindset manners: "Thank you" and "A beginner's mind"
Finally, about the habits of thinking that Mr. Matsuura keeps in mind every day 💡
These two are introduced as manners of the heart.
Thank you
A beginner's mind
One of the habits I have when I get into bed at night is to put my hands together and express gratitude to everything I can think of—all things, people, and my family.
Even on a day when something unpleasant happened, or a day when I was in pain and shed tears, there is never a day when I don't say, 'Thank you, thank you always,' including everything.
Mr. Matsuura says, "The word 'thank you' represents the very manners of the heart."
That is why, when thinking about what is standard or basic for himself, the first thing that comes to mind is the word 'thank you'.
I, too, want to be a person who expresses gratitude by saying 'thank you' to everything involved in my day, no matter what kind of day it has been.
And, a 'beginner's mind' means being a beginner who is excited, thrilled, nervous, and earnest about everything.
'Because when you face things with a beginner's mind, everything becomes a learning experience,' says Mr. Matsuura.
I believe that standards and basics are a form of wisdom.
What exactly is wisdom?
I think wisdom is being ready to accept anything and always observe with an honest eye.
That is precisely why we encounter happiness, wonderful things, and amazing discoveries.
As you get older and gain more experience, you lose your "beginner's mind" unless you make a conscious effort to keep it.
That is why you have to create it for yourself.
I felt that a "beginner's mind" leads to unlearning, which in turn leads to growth.
The things you love don't actually change that much
Finally, here is a little extra.
About 10 years ago, when I was working in sales in Osaka.
I remember picking up an essay by Yataro Matsuura and thinking back then, too, "Ah, I really love this."
(I can't remember the title of the book, which is sad...!)
I think that the things I "love" probably don't change that easily.
When asked "What do you like about it?", I want to say, "I'm not sure. But I really love it."
I want to continue to cherish those things I love for no particular reason.
Both in writing and in people.
Thank you for reading until the end🍀