How I Found Salvation in an 'Agricultural and Pastoral' Way of Working After Struggling the Harder I Tried

Last night, I read the author's email newsletter.

Just reading the first three lines made my heart flutter.
It felt as if it were written about me.

I haven't achieved anything yet.
I can't keep up with social media posts, and I don't have a product that sells.

Even so, something inside me reacted sharply to these words.

What if I get sick? What if I stop working?
What would happen to my life?

The moment I thought about it, I became afraid.

I couldn't sleep and stared up at the ceiling.
It was a night where I realized, 'Things can't go on like this.'

[Part 1] The True Nature of a Way of Working That Becomes Zero the Moment You Stop

The author called our way of working a 'hunter-gatherer business.'

You solicit work, get the job, deliver it, and receive payment.
If you stop moving, your income stops too.

I had taken that for granted, but now that it was pointed out, it was certainly true.

When I read this, I couldn't help but laugh.
It hit the nail on the head.

Every day I told myself I had to work harder, but deep down, I was always anxious. However, I was too afraid to stop, so I couldn't.

The author used human history as an analogy.

In the past, people moved from place to place in search of food.
But as prey decreased and groups grew larger, they could no longer survive just by moving.

At that point, people chose to 'cultivate.'
They began to till the fields, raise livestock, and live in the same place.

I read that sentence over and over again.

Until now, I believed that 'if I move, I get results.'
But perhaps those were only 'short-term' results.

Stopping for a moment to look toward the direction of 'nurturing.'
That might be the way to live from now on.

The author also said this:

Sales emails, automated newsletters, and articles that continue to be read for a long time.
To the author, these are all 'alter egos' that work in his place.

Once you create them, they keep working for you even as time passes.
I don't have a single one of those yet.

While saying I wanted to 'work freely,' I realized I was actually working in a way that 'could never stop.'

True freedom is about making time your ally, isn't it?

The seeds I sowed yesterday will bear fruit little by little today and next week.
I felt like I finally understood that this is the 'farming and livestock' style of working.

I copied that sentence into my notebook.
I haven't accomplished anything yet, but I can see a little bit ahead.

There is one thing I must do starting today.
Create my own 'alter ego'.

Even just a single email is fine.
That will be my 'first seed'.

[Part 2] The mindset of 'nurturing' changes the future

On the night I finished reading the author's newsletter, I couldn't move for a while, with my notebook still open.

That was because the words 'create an alter ego' were echoing in my head over and over.

An existence that works even when I'm not moving.
Is something like that really possible?

I was a little anxious, but somewhere inside, I felt like I wanted to try it.

When I read that sentence, my heart suddenly felt lighter.
Even though it was talking about something difficult, the words were so vivid that I could almost see the scenery.

Till the field, water the crops, and wait for the harvest.
I felt like that was something I could do, too.

Until now, I believed that if I just worked hard enough, things would work out.
So, I worked recklessly every single day.

But the results just wouldn't come.
The more I did, the more anxious I became.

The author's words reached me gently in that state.

The moment I read that sentence, I felt like I was going to cry.

I hadn't been slacking off at all.
I had just been putting my effort in the wrong direction.

When I realized that, the tension in my shoulders finally melted away.

The author gave the example of a designer.

Gathering people through social media and advertisements, and automatically sending out a weekly newsletter.
Conveying value through that, and finally introducing a course.

The story was that just by doing that, you could create a system that generates a stable income of 300,000 yen per month. Moreover, it keeps working without having to do sales every day.

I felt like I had woken up, thinking, 'Is there really such a system?'

I stared at those words while clutching my smartphone.

Until now, I had been finishing my days with just the work of the day.
But the 'system' the author spoke of was a way to 'connect today's actions to tomorrow.'

Without thinking, I opened the notepad on my phone.

I wrote down, 'What could become my alter ego?'
The only thing that came to mind was a single email.

But if that email stays in someone's heart, that will surely be a small 'harvest' too. Thinking that gave me a little courage.

I still feel impatient.
However, I've come to think that I can look at things from a longer-term perspective now.

Even if the sprouts don't appear right away, the roots are growing properly.
Believing in that, I will quietly sow a small seed again today.

[Part 3] Beyond the 'Fear of Decrease,' There Was True Freedom

I had been thinking about it ever since I read the newsletter.

What if I built a system and sales dropped?
I was honestly afraid, feeling like everything I had worked for would go to waste.

Even though I understood it in my head, my heart was putting on the brakes.

Every time I remembered these words, the depths of my heart felt a little restless.

I had always been thinking only about not letting the numbers decrease.
Lower sales = lower value.

I had convinced myself of that somewhere along the way.

The moment I read that sentence, I held my breath and stared at the screen.

I had been thinking only about increasing money, and had never had the idea of 'increasing time'.

But I thought that might be what is truly important.

If I had time, I could think more.
I could create more carefully.
I could be kinder to people.

When I thought that, the tension in my shoulders eased just a little.

What I remembered was myself when I was impatient.
Facing the computer until late at night, doing nothing but sighing.

I look at other people's social media and feel down again.
I kept muttering to myself, 'Is it okay to stay like this?'

The author's words resonated quietly with me.

Take the income earned in the short term and put it into building a system.
I realized that is what true investment is.

If I turn my current efforts into a 'self-sustaining system,' the future will become easier.
The moment I thought that, my heart felt a little lighter.

I made a decision.

I decided to reduce the work I do every day just a little and use that time to build a system instead.

I was anxious at first, but once I started, I gradually felt more at ease.

When I have time to think without rushing, new ideas strangely come to mind.
There was a landscape I couldn't see when I was only chasing sales and efficiency.

Freedom was quieter than I had imagined.

It is neither flashy nor fast.
It is something that moves slowly, at one's own pace.

I am finally starting to grasp that feeling.

I wrote in my notebook again today.

'Don't rush. It's okay if things decrease. If time increases, that's enough.'

That is my little motto for now.

[Part 4] It wasn't a 'trigger' that changed my life, but a 'system'

Until yesterday, I thought, 'I can change if I just have a trigger.'
Like someone's words, or a moment that felt like destiny.

But, reading the newsletter made me realize something.
It isn't feelings that change your life, butsystemsthat do.

When I saw that sentence, I felt a quiet sense of conviction.

I was always waiting for motivation to strike.
But motivation is like a wave; even when you think it has arrived, it disappears in an instant.
That is why relying on your mood will never lead to consistency.

I realized that what matters is creatinga system that allows you to move even when you don't feel like itthat matters.

Suddenly, I remembered thestory about a marriage proposalthat the author wrote about.

A place with a night view, a bouquet of flowers, a chapel.
That beautiful moment wasn't a coincidence; it was all prepared in advance.
The timing of the limousine, the number of flowers—everything must have been decided one by one.

Looking back, I couldn't help but smile a little.
I thought, 'Maybe life is the same way.'

I had always thought, 'Someday, a chance will come.'
But that day never came.

Now I understand.
Opportunities are not things you 'wait' for, but things you 'create'.

Starting yesterday, I began a small experiment.

I open my notebook in the morning and write just one line about yesterday's thoughts and what I need to do today.
It's such a small thing, but strangely, it clears my mind.

Even without motivation, my hands keep moving.
I felt a little happy about that sensation.

I realized, 'Ah, this is the power of a system.'

I haven't achieved anything yet.
But I no longer feel impatient.

Instead of 'trying hard,' I focus on 'getting things in order.'
Ever since I changed to that way of thinking, my heart has felt lighter.

If there is anyone out there right now struggling because they can't seem to move forward,
you don't have to force yourself to run.

First, try creating a small 'flow' for yourself.

Write one line. Take one step. Think for just one minute.
That becomes your 'system'.

I will open my notebook again tomorrow.
So that I can think, 'I was able to go with the flow properly today, too.'

Thank you very much
for reading until the end.

As a way to take a new step forward,
why not write your thoughts on this note?

Which passage stayed with you,
what realizations did you have,
please, let me hear your voice.

At the very end, I will leave you with three questions.
I hope they prove useful to you.

Three Questions

[Question 1]

For you right now, what kind of time is 'time to water the plants'?

Even amidst your busyness, try to recall those moments when you can return, even just a little, to the 'self that nurtures'.

[Question 2]

If you were to change from a 'hunting-style way of working' to a 'nurturing-style way of working,' what is one step you would start today?

It can be small, so please name one action that makes your heart feel a little lighter.

[Question 3]

What kind of 'roots' do you want to cultivate so that you can truly tell yourself, 'There is no need to rush'?

Try to put into words just one thing that will lead to peace of mind in the future.

Please think for yourself and try to produce an output.

.