「one year older and 4 lessons i've learnt.」

lesson 1 "norms of society have not always the right answer for you" - I’ve learnt that our society is ruled by unspoken norms. Mostly norms are about how you "should" live your life. And so, I’ve learnt the great value of making active lifestyle choices. I want to live a life most true to myself. No ones else are living your life but you. Not your friends, not your partner, not your parents, not your siblings - but you. If you want it, who cares if it's against the norm or not.

I ask myself:

• Do I really want to do this, or is this something other people except from me? (examples: getting a certain degree or a certain career, having children, etc)

• Do I really make an active choice now, or is this just something I do because everyone else are doing it? (examples: owning a house, getting married, etc)

• Are these really my opinions, or are they someone else's? (examples: opinions passed down from a caregiver, teacher, family members, etc)

lesson 2 "imperfection and growth is necessary" - I’ve learnt to value things that are imperfect and also that growth is essential. I’ve never seen myself as a perfectionist, but I know how perfectionism can make one give up things in life because of ones high standards ("it doesn't matter, i just don't have the talent") or because of the fear of making a fool of oneself ("people will think i'm stupid"). So what if people think you're stupid? Most of the time - no one will care. If I was a perfectionist I wouldn’t have dared to make music and started to produce on my own - because, to be honest, my production quality wasn’t that great in the beginning (i had lousy equipment and i had started to make music seriously). I still keep those videos up to remind me of my growth. I will always make room for improvements and I think one has to drop that self-judgement as a newbie, otherwise you can’t be great. be happy that you're a beginner and be proud that you dared to start. the master was once a beginner.

lesson 3 "less is more and time is precious" - I figured out that there is so much joy in having less and reducing the non-essential things in life. Why make it more complicated? Reducing freed up so much time and energy for me. Actually, I think having the time is a big part of being happy. To be able to decide about your own time and making room for things that’s the most essential in your life. To be able to have a hot beverage and slow down.

lesson 4 "embracing change and being thankful" - My last lesson I’ve learnt is that some things changes and some things don’t. I’ve learnt to let go because I know change it’s inevitable. I’ve learnt to embrace the new with open arms. I’ve felt gratitude for all that remains. I’ve learnt that pain will eventually pass and I’ve learnt that the present is the best place to be.

so these 4 lessons are thing's i've learnt in the past 10 years. being one year older makes me reflect on life. i'm humble and thankful! :)

Audiobooks' superpower

Recently, I’ve picked up a lot of audiobooks and I’ve been listening to them in my free time. It’s the best feeling when I have a book that I love and can’t stop listening to. You’ve ever had that feeling of not wanting to stop because it’s so interesting to read? I get so many new insights on topics. At the same time, I get to challenge myself to look at new perspectives and be prepared to change my thoughts. Other times, I am more sure than ever on my values and beliefs because of science studies. I feel like I grow a lot because of audiobooks! I really love to learn new things!

It’s important for me to set aside time to reflect on things. I always do this at the end of the year or when I’m on vacation in summer. I reflect on my days and what I want to do more of and what I want to do less of. I sometimes write a weekly schedule and try to follow it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it don’t work. I experiment, move around activities in the week, I try again. I listen to my body and mind. Do I feel relaxed? Does my body like it? Most importantly - Am I having fun? If I’m constantly stressed and feel tired and grumpy, then what’s the point?

It’s so easy to just go along with activities and not take the time to evaluate them. Right now, for example, I really think about all the good benefits of spending less time on social media and more time outside. To summarize it all, in order to do more high value activities, I need to spend less time on low value activities.

Will tell more about the high and low value activities some other time! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)

what i learned at a japanese spa

the importance of creating time and space to relax your mind.

this is is something to truly prioritize in an everyday life that is filled with activities, errands and different types of goals. to just lie down on your back and close your eyes have done wonders for my mind and health. when i visited a japanese spa, i got to learn a valuable lesson. the lesson that I haven’t taken that much time to stay relaxed.

when i slowly walked in the japanese garden i practiced the art of being in the moment and i sat on a sun heated wooden deck in the warm sunlight and i just closed my eyes and listened to the nature around me. the birds chirping, the gentle breeze in the tree crowns, the water pouring down the rocks. i was somehow at the center of my universe.

i remembered thinking it was too long time ago i was this calm. when i left the spa, i promised myself to implement this calming practice when I returned to the hectic city life. I felt that i just needed this, that my mind needed this to function better.

these days, i try to meditate everyday but there are of course days i miss this habit, but that’s okay because i don’t strive for perfection. when i’m not meditating i try to stretch, drink tea and water, take a nap, take a short paus and just breathe in and out. even if it’s short moments, i just keep reminding myself to relax and many moments grow to something greater.

i can see many great effects of doing this. sometimes, when my mind is calm i can see more clearly when it comes to situations or people. sometimes, ideas appear when i’m more relaxed and i feel a lot more open to trying new things. i come up with more ideas these days, something i didn’t get that much earlier. it just pops up in my head.

how about you? what makes you calm? what do you like to do when you feel like you need a break? when was the last time you sat down and relaxed?

take care and stay calm

⊂(･ω･*⊂)