Beau's Blog

Lately, I’ve been working on being more aware and intentional. To this end, when I experience joy, I strive to truly appreciate it. To do so, I write about it… at least when I remember to do so. Here are some of the things I’ve written down.

1. Not Setting An Alarm In the Morning

For me, waking up naturally without an alarm is an indication of high quality of life. Given my current unusual work schedule, I am lucky enough to often enjoy this luxury. Of course I recognize that even with an ideal life, there will be times when an alarm makes sense or even is an indication of a joyful experience. Uh, yes please to waking up super early for the occasional exciting adventure!

Side note: when I do need an alarm, I find that using my watch’s vibration alarm is a gentle and unobtrusive way to get the job done.

2. Journaling In The Morning Sunlight

I can’t help but feel joy when I make time to pause, sit in the beautiful morning sunshine and think about what I’m grateful for. Feeling the sun’s brilliant light and comforting warmth while intentionally moving slowly through life is wonderful.

3. Moments When I Recognize Japanese Progress

This year, I have not been intentional or disciplined about studying Japanese. Living in Japan, there is natural exposure and immersion and I am happy to say I know more than at the beginning of the year. In the last week, I learned how to say “every month”. A week ago, I guessed it might be まいがつ (maigatsu) but now I know it’s まいつき (maitsuki). This single piece of information does not effectively change my experience in Japan or relationship with Japanese but each proof point like this is a single step on a journey of a thousand miles.

4. Japanese People Jaywalking (safely)

Japan is well known for its rule following culture. There are a lot of pros with this. For instance, I can’t think of a country with less litter. However, I believe this rule following is sometimes taken too far. Generally, I am in support of safe jaywalking. If a pedestrian wants to cross a street and it is safe, go for it! Therefore, especially for a people that is strongly societally pressured to follow the rules, I gain joy from seeing people stick it to the man.

5. Following Someone On The Same Page Through A Busy Train Station

Millions of people use Tokyo’s train/subway system every day. This means that the most trafficked stations get very crowded. In these situations, it can get quite stressful, especially when it is an unfamiliar area. I’ve found it reassuring, amusing and joyful when I find someone who is moving in the same direction at a similar pace and I’m able to follow them.

6. Correctly Guessing Who Will Leave The Train

In the Tokyo train system, there are seats, and once those fill up, people stand. Often when I get on a train car, I wish to sit but cannot as all the seats are filled. In these cases, I get to decide where to stand. If I am getting off the train soon, I will stand close to the door and not worry about sitting. However, if not, I will stand in the aisle near those who are sitting. Ideally, shortly after I start standing someplace, a nearby sitter will depart the train and I will get to take their seat. This is joy.

7. Runner’s High

Experiencing joy during and after runs is not a new experience for me. That said, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I continue to love this feeling and appreciate running.

8. Struggling Well

When I pause and appreciate a good struggle in my life, I feel joy. This could be hours of focus to write a blog post or overcoming natural instinct to plunge into a cold shower or finally having that tough conversation with a loved one. Thank you Ray Dalio, who introduced this idea to me when I read his book Principles.

9. When I Play My Own Game

When I think about my maturity, the idea of living a life true to myself is huge. One turning point in my life was deciding which college to go to. I look back on teenage Beau and am proud of him for picking the college that was right for him, not what college rankings or parents or anyone else said. More recently, decisions such as starting this blog, what types of content to write about on this blog, coming to Japan, doing long hard trail runs and how I have gone about investing in my career are all examples of how I have done my best to be true to me. When I pause and reflect on these decisions, there is joy.

10. Sweat Smile Emoji

Sometimes the little things make a difference. I feel amusement and joy each time I see the sweat smile emoji. It’s useful in a variety of situations, whether it was a close call or feeling physically exhausted but good or when things are awkward. I don’t fully understand why I like it so much but that is okay. It brings me joy.