naoyoga Column Vol. 22 - Why not start what you wanted to do this year?
Good evening!! This is Naoko, the yoga person in Okinawa!
How was your week?
They say that as the years go by, days pass in an instant, and it really is true.
I finally turned 36 (thank you so much for all the birthday messages!), and it was a week where I realized that since the days pass by in a flash, I need to have a clearer image of the future ahead.
Well, in our daily lives, there are things we callmilestones, aren't there?
Birthdays, New Year's, the start of a new fiscal year...
And at these milestones, I think there tends to be more exciting energy, like making a fresh start or setting new goals.
I want you to look back a little: what were the goals or things you wanted to do that you envisioned at the beginning of 2023?
Whether you set clear goals,
or you're the type who doesn't set goals at all,
I think there was something inside you that you wanted to try.
I'm the type who sets goals every year (by the way, I decide on 10 every year).
1. Ride a plane every month!
(← I was so busy in Okinawa that I forgot I even set this goal. Lol. Unachieved!)
2. Invite my family to Okinawa!
(← Achieved!! They fully enjoyed their first time in Okinawa.)
3. Be able to hold my own lessons regularly!
(Achieved by meeting the wonderful place called Olibe and the couple who runs it!)
4. Start a certification course!
(Completely unachieved, lol.)
5. Use Instagram and the official LINE account to create a flow that makes it easy to book!
(This has been unachieved for 3 years now. Someone who is good with PCs, please help. Lol.)
(And to everyone who keeps supporting me despite this situation, thank you from the bottom of my heart.)
6. Definitely do one thing for my own learning every month!
(Achieved! I had more involvement with medical professionals this year!)
7. Move house! (Unachieved. Definitely next year!)
8. Get married! (Almost there, lol.)
9. Read one book a month (Unachieved. Why do I get sleepy after just two lines? Lol.)
10. Take one full day off every week! (I managed to do this in the second half! Thanks to that, I'm in good shape!)
That was the big reveal of my goals for this year, which probably nobody cares about. Lol.
And it's not that I want to brag about how much I achieved, but...
Isn't there something you thought you wanted to do but haven't done yet? Something you've been putting off?
I have a ton of those myself. Lol.
And when these come up, don't you think things like,
Ah, I'll think about it starting next week. Or, the year is almost over, so I'll do it from next year!
Don't you think that? You do, right? Huh? Please do. Lol.
Even in my own goals, for number 7, moving house, I've properly written 'next year' there too. Lol.
This is it, this is today's theme!! Lol.
This 'forget it, I'll think about it after next week!' or 'I'll start after next year!' thing.
You will absolutely never do these things.
Because, you see, the things you say you'll do next year or next week,
are probably not things you can do all of a sudden.
My moving house is the same; I can't just say 'Right! Let's move!' and do it immediately.
Things that require preparation and groundwork are the ones that get put off.
And another thing is
things without deadlines or things for yourself
These are also things that are easily put off.
So, what I wanted to convey today is,
for the things you're thinking of doing from next year, or doing next week when you have time,why don't you face them while it's still this year?That is what I mean.
Time is limited.
It is the one thing equally given to everyone.
When you finally decide to get moving, if it's already gone,
you'll end up thinking, 'Ah, why didn't I just do it back then?'
So, if there's something you've almost given up on this year,
or something you've thought about starting next year,
please, let's start it within this year!
My recommendation is:
1. Write down the things you left unfinished and your goals from the beginning of the year once more.
2. Write down why you couldn't do them and if you still want to do them now.
3. Work backward from the completed version of that.
4. Try doing the very first thing for that.
That's all.
Take just one hour, in a cafe or a space where you can concentrate, turn off your phone notifications,
and face it. ☺︎
With that, have a lovely, loving final week of November.