Eleven months ago I began a journey of practicing mindfulness every day and we've reached day 353. Yesterday, I talked about empathizing with others. Today is a new day.
In practicing mindfulness, I've thought a lot about what I need to work on and how I can make my life better. I thought about my health, my attitude, and my general lifestyle and realized that I wasn't treating myself as well as I should be. This translated into a lack of self-confidence that I let prevent me from living up to my full potential. It was like having a garden and not tending to it properly. I had neglected my garden and my flowers had wilted. Looking back I've made a lot of progress. You don't notice how bad things are until you start to make positive changes and see it from the outside. I wasn't driven, I wasn't disciplined, I let my mood affect me easily, and I felt like I had no control over my life.
Moving to Japan was a major step in clearing my head and setting things right. In being forced to adapt to a new environment I was also forced to think about what I needed to do in order to bring order to all of the chaos. Beyond thinking about finances and basic needs to sustain my lifestyle, I also thought about myself. I realized that I needed to get my shit together if I wanted to make my new life work and not go back into the same cycles as before. I wanted to be a better man.
In the two years I've lived here I've made small (but HUGE) changes that have completely changed my life. In working to keep myself in check, I'm more confident in my ability to teach, which the students absolutely pick up on. That sense of confidence transfers to the students' ability to be confident in themselves. In changing myself for the better I can create a more positive influence on others. Improving yourself ends up improving others as well. This is what Michael Jackson was trying to say. The world is a reflection of ourselves, so if we want to change the world, we first have to take a good look at ourselves.
Peace
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret MeadWhen I think about creating change, I think about Michael Jackson's song, "Man in the Mirror". This song talks about how the world can be a dark place and that if we want to change it we first have to change ourselves. It's about taking personal responsibility and doing what we can to make a lasting impact. It's one of my favorite songs and helped to inspire me to work on myself so that I can help do my part in giving back to the world.
In practicing mindfulness, I've thought a lot about what I need to work on and how I can make my life better. I thought about my health, my attitude, and my general lifestyle and realized that I wasn't treating myself as well as I should be. This translated into a lack of self-confidence that I let prevent me from living up to my full potential. It was like having a garden and not tending to it properly. I had neglected my garden and my flowers had wilted. Looking back I've made a lot of progress. You don't notice how bad things are until you start to make positive changes and see it from the outside. I wasn't driven, I wasn't disciplined, I let my mood affect me easily, and I felt like I had no control over my life.
Moving to Japan was a major step in clearing my head and setting things right. In being forced to adapt to a new environment I was also forced to think about what I needed to do in order to bring order to all of the chaos. Beyond thinking about finances and basic needs to sustain my lifestyle, I also thought about myself. I realized that I needed to get my shit together if I wanted to make my new life work and not go back into the same cycles as before. I wanted to be a better man.
In the two years I've lived here I've made small (but HUGE) changes that have completely changed my life. In working to keep myself in check, I'm more confident in my ability to teach, which the students absolutely pick up on. That sense of confidence transfers to the students' ability to be confident in themselves. In changing myself for the better I can create a more positive influence on others. Improving yourself ends up improving others as well. This is what Michael Jackson was trying to say. The world is a reflection of ourselves, so if we want to change the world, we first have to take a good look at ourselves.
Be the change you want to see.
Peace
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| If you want the world to change, you have to change with it. |
What change do you want to see? Leave a comment below!
ReplyDeleteHave a great day~