DAILY LIFE

No, I Didn’t Train With Monks

Solitude seems like a complex subject.

On one hand, some people recommend avoiding it like the plague, saying that it causes anxiety, depression, and a boring life. There is much truth behind that too, because it’s hard to imagine having a meaningful life without being connected with other humans. There is little meaning in a life spent alone.

On the other hand, solitude is said to be an incredible tool for real leadership and peace of mind. Many famous leaders have stated the importance of solitude, that, without it, humans are unable to think for themselves. Again, there is much truth behind such a statement. …

DAILY LIFE

It’s Not Actually That Weird…

Success in any walk of life is dependent on a number of interdependent factors. One of the most important, but often overlooked factors, is that of environment.

Successful people have a tendency to place themselves in environments that are conductive to their success.

Film makers go to LA, stock brokers to New York, and writers to the woods.

But I’m writing this to tell you that for successful writing, you don’t actually need to isolate yourself in the woods.

As a writer, it’s less about what physical environment you place yourself in, and more about the mental environment, and there are a number of ways to shift your mental environment without wilderness isolation. …

DAILY LIFE

On Overcoming My Worst Fear

My worst fear has always been emptiness. Well, not emptiness, but rather the lack of purpose in my life.

A meaningless life.

Vain action.

Fake relationships.

Too much time and nothing to do with it.

I’ve been searching for a meaningful, fulfilling life, and have been dreading the possibility that if I make a mistake along the way, screw up, then there goes my satisfaction and happiness in life.

Marrying the wrong person

Being in an unfulfilling career

Living selfishly

Those are certain mistakes to avoid, but I feel like I have been “playing to not lose”. I feel like I’ve been trying to avoid mistakes at the cost of living courageously, all because I am afraid of the possibility of an empty existence. …

DAILY LIFE

Why am I Anxious?

I hate feeling anxious.

The subtle and hard-to-identify feelings of stress, helplessness, and self-doubt. It makes breathing hard, and comes at times when I would least expect it.

For the past year, I have been thinking about where it comes from, what it is, and how to lift myself above it. Instead of running from it, I have started to listen to it.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far.

It Happens Because of Comparisons

Recently, I have started to understand that I feel anxious when I compare myself with others.

I consistently feel anxious after interacting in some way with someone or something that makes me feel like I am missing something. When I see how great someone’s life is, how successful they have become, it makes me feel like a failure in comparison. …

And I’m Proud of it

You don’t have to look far to find articles on the internet that shame Millennials for the way they live their lives.

Entitled, vegans, achievement-driven, resistant to authority, environmentally sensitive, tech-savvy nerds.

Millennials are punching-bags for prior generations. The sheer number of articles on the internet that put Millennials down for their workplace characteristics and lifestyle choices is outrageous.

It would seem that the wisest and most community driven generation to come, is also the most attacked and criticized. Recently however, I came across an article that introduced a whole new area with which to judge the inadequacy of Millennials.

It introduced the fact that Millennials are having way less sex than prior generations. …

For athletes, rest and recovery are very different things — a distinction that can help you avoid burnout in your own life

It’s been a long day. Billy just got home from a hectic day at work, and the first thing he wants to do is flop down on the couch, turn on some mindless sitcom on Netflix, and stare straight ahead without moving for a few hours.

There’s nothing wrong with that. Rest is important, and plenty of people relax by watching TV, taking a nap, or playing video games. But those choices are a temporary reprieve. While they may be enjoyable, they don’t contribute to effective recovery.

I was a competitive long-distance runner for 15 years, and if there is one lesson I learned, it’s that there is a huge difference between rest and recovery. The average weekly training load for any competitive collegiate distance runner is around 60 to 70 miles, and it can get exhausting. But ask any runner how they recover, and their answer may surprise you: “I recover by going for an early morning run.” …

STORIES FROM ABROAD

I’ve Become Comfortable With Not Knowing

Every once in a while I find myself struggling to leave home for a trip. I have plenty of time, a car, and spotify premium, but for some reason, I am always daunted by the simple step of leaving home.

I’m a foreigner living in Japan, and pretty much everything here is new and exciting. I’m also a photographer/videographer, so I can find engagement in just about everything around me anyways. And yet, regardless of how many times I’ve done it, leaving home for a trip is always a scary endeavor.

For the first couple months, I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I thought it was from culture shock, disinterest, or trying to save money, but after a year of living here, I’ve started to understand why. …

STORIES FROM ABROAD

“The Soul of Japan”

A couple months ago, I took the opportunity to drive down to Wakayama Prefecture in Japan. It’s not a particularly well known prefecture, so all of the Japanese citizens that I discussed my trip with were surprised that I was driving all the way down there instead of going to more popular tourist destinations like Kyoto or Tokyo. After making the trip, I can confidently say that Wakayama is my favorite prefecture in Japan.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Wakayama is the soul of Japan, that’s even it’s prefectural motto, and for good reason.

As a child, I remember fantasizing about ancient Japan. I’d look at ancient Japanese landscape art, listen to stories of samurai/monks, and scroll through pictures of magical temples on Google. However, when I came to live in Japan a year ago, I was gradually disappointed when faced with the reality of Japan’s modernity. …