[#Self-Introduction] The concept of 'life defense' that is more important than investing, which I want to share as a former police officer

In fact, many of them are people who work normally and live ordinary lives.

As a former police officer.

And now, working in the field of estate cleanup and special cleaning, I have seen that reality many times.

You feel vaguely anxious about the future.
But you don't know what to organize or how to do it.

I think there are quite a lot of people like this.

But in reality, you work every day and live a normal life. That is precisely why you keep thinking, 'I'm still okay.'

However, what I feel from seeing things in the field is that people whose lives fall apart don't just break down suddenly one day.

Small instances of procrastination and minor disarray pile up, and by the time you notice, you are in a state where it is difficult to recover on your own.

There are really many cases like that.

At first, it's really small things.

You become afraid to look at your account balance and stop opening your bankbook.

Even when payment notices arrive, you leave them at the edge of your desk, thinking, 'I'll look at them later.'

You want to tidy up your room, but you don't have the energy, and things start piling up on the floor. You are tired, but you don't know how to rest, and you stop wanting to think about anything.

But as those small instances of neglect pile up, your money, life, and judgment begin to collapse in a chain reaction.

And by the time you notice, you end up in a state where you don't know where to start to rebuild.

I have seen such cases many times in the field as well.

But conversely, if you can start organizing your life at an early stage, your life will change significantly.

Understand your income and expenses. Review your fixed costs. Get your life a little more organized.

Even just doing that changes anxiety from something 'vaguely scary' into a 'manageable challenge'.

It is better to organize before things fall apart than to try to rebuild after they have collapsed.

I believe that just having this perspective can significantly change your sense of security for the future.

Commonalities in life collapse that I witnessed as a former police officer

During my time as a police officer, I experienced a wide range of duties, including community safety, detention management, and criminal investigation.
What left a particularly strong impression on me was my work at a police box (koban) in the community safety division.

The police box is a place where not only incidents and accidents, but also the reality of lives falling apart—such as life consultations, domestic troubles, neighborhood disputes, and financial problems—gather.

Currently, I am involved in work related to organizing the belongings of the deceased, disposing of unwanted items, and specialized cleaning.

It is not rare for me to enter scenes of solitary deaths, rooms where the living environment has become severely disordered, or situations that families can no longer handle on their own.

I am not just looking at the state of the room.

There, I see the 'traces of a life' that the person has accumulated, such as financial hardship, isolation, procrastination in decision-making, and the collapse of household finances.

And what many of them have in common is the feeling of 'if only it had been organized at an earlier stage'.

Life does not collapse all at once.

At first, it is really something small.

Such small disturbances and procrastinations pile up, and you gradually lose your margin for error.

And when you notice it, you are in a state where it is difficult to recover on your own.

I have seen that reality many times, both during my time as a police officer and in my current work.

That is precisely why I am posting on this note with the theme of 'getting organized before life hits a dead end'.

I would like to share the knowledge and judgment criteria for that, based on the primary information I have seen in the field.

What ruins a life is not a major failure, but small things left unattended.

What becomes apparent in the field is that money, life, and judgment do not deteriorate separately, but rather collapse in a chain reaction.

When you lose emotional leeway, your judgment becomes sloppy.

As a result, the mindset of "I just need to get through this for now" increases, and you end up making choices only to cope with immediate anxiety.

If that state continues, your daily rhythm will also gradually become disrupted.

You lose the energy to tidy up your room, your interactions with people decrease, and you become even less able to organize your situation.

I do not think of this as laziness or a lack of willpower.
Rather, I feel it is a state where "the very power to face things has been eroded."

And the less leeway people have, the less they consult others.

This is because talking to others forces you to face reality.

However, the more you bottle things up alone, the more biased your judgment becomes, and you become even more unable to act.

As this vicious cycle continues, the situation gradually becomes more serious.

That is why I believe what is important is not trying to manage after things have collapsed, but making small adjustments at the stage before they do.

Notice problems while they are small, keep reality visible, and make corrections little by little.

I feel that this accumulation is what leads to protecting one's life.

The concept of "Life Defense" that should be prioritized over investing

What I want to consistently convey in this note is the concept of "Life Defense."

Life defense is not just about saving money or simply increasing your wealth.

For example,

I believe that having such a 'foundation that is hard to collapse' is what life defense is all about.

To achieve this, it is important to have several months' worth of living expenses, ensure fixed costs do not become too heavy, and keep track of your monthly income and expenditures.

It may not be flashy, but those who are truly resilient possess this kind of foundation.

On social media, there is a lot of information being shared about offensive strategies like investing and side hustles.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with that in itself.

However, I feel that if you prioritize only increasing your wealth while your life's foundation is unstable, you are more likely to make wrong decisions out of impatience.

Even in my actual experience, I have seen cases where people, driven by the impatience of 'I must increase my income' or 'I must recover my losses quickly,' made a series of unreasonable decisions and ended up in even more distress.

That is precisely why the most important thing is to protect yourself first.

Because you have that foundation, you will be able to make calm decisions about your next steps, such as investing or side hustles.

Protecting yourself is plain, and it does not show big results immediately.

But I believe that for long-term stability in life, this kind of foundation is more important than flashy techniques.

The first step to organizing your life is 'looking at reality'

The first step I think is important is 'making your current situation visible.'

How much is your monthly income? What are you spending your money on?

Starting by getting a rough grasp of your own life is the starting point.

What I feel on the front lines is that the people who are falling apart are the ones who have 'lost sight of their current situation.'

Even if it starts with small things, as long as you keep ignoring them, the problems will gradually grow larger.

That is precisely why I believe that small improvements are enough to start with.

You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to change your life all at once.
Starting with just one thing is fine.

Even with such small actions, there is meaning in creating a state where you are 'trying to organize your life.'

Organizing does not mean becoming perfect. It does not mean changing your life in one go.

Household finances, your room, daily habits, and your mental state are all connected.

That is why, as you start to organize things one by one, a little bit of breathing room will return to your judgment and your life.

In this note, I will share realistic ways to organize your life that you can continue without strain, from the perspective of 'Life Defense.'

I felt many times, 'If only I could have organized things sooner'

The reason I am sharing this is very simple.

Up until now, both as a police officer and at the scenes of estate cleanup and special cleaning, I have seen the 'reality after things fall apart' many times.

Every time I enter a scene, what I feel is, 'If only they could have organized things at an earlier stage.'

If only they could have consulted someone at a truly small stage.
If only they could have noticed the disorder in their lives.
If only they could have reviewed their financial situation.

I have seen many scenes where I thought exactly that.

After your life has fallen apart significantly, the burden of rebuilding it also becomes heavier.

Once things fall apart, you end up in a state where you don't know where to start to get things back on track.

That is precisely why I want to share not 'what to do after things collapse,' but 'how to organize things before they do.'

I want to reach those in their late 20s to early 30s who are feeling anxious about the future while somehow managing to get through each day.

Those are the very people who tend to endure things until they reach their breaking point.

In this note, I will be posting about 'the foundation for making your life less prone to collapse,' covering topics such as life defense, household budget management, reviewing fixed costs, things to consider before investing, and money matters around buying a home or raising children.

Rather than changing your life in a big way, first create a state where it is less likely to collapse.

I want to share the knowledge and judgment criteria for that based on the primary information I have seen on the front lines.

Not leaving things 'unseen' is the first step to life defense

If you read this note and feel even a little bit of a connection, please start by visualizing your current state.

Your savings balance, fixed costs, monthly expenses, and things you have been putting off. You don't have to organize everything perfectly.

You don't have to try to change everything perfectly all at once.

I believe that just looking at 'what state you are in right now' is enough to start with.

Starting with small things like that is perfectly fine.

The important thing is not to try to rebuild your life all at once, but 'not to leave things unseen.'

You don't have to force yourself to rush. Even by organizing things in small ways, your life will change little by little.

And before you blame yourself, I believe it is important to know the 'order of organizing.'

It is much easier to organize your life before it collapses than to rebuild it after it has fallen apart.

I would be happy if this note could be the first step toward that.

This note is also recommended!