Since moving into my current home,
when I'm knitting by the window in the gentle sunlight,
and I happen to look out at the greenery,
I often think,
"Ah, how happy I am."
About ten years ago,
when I was busy working as a system engineer,
I had my first experience struggling with human relationships.
Before that, I had no interest in self-help books or seminars,
and thought they were suspicious.
But one night, when I was feeling weak,
I listened to the radio, and some words that resonated deeply with me caught my ear.
That led me to read a book by the guest on that radio show,
and from there, I started reading various business and self-help books, and attending seminars.
I even paid 100,000 yen out of my own pocket for some seminars,
and one of them was a course called Business NLP.
To put it simply,
it's about understanding the other person's psychological state
during negotiations (whether with a client in sales, a boss, or a subordinate – in any situation)
and reaching a mutually desired goal.
Something like that. A win-win situation.
I sometimes felt that it was a bit unfair and cunning,
as if I was manipulating the other person.
But I set aside such skepticism and decided to just
try it out obediently. (← This is important.)
In that course,
there was an exercise to vividly imagine a goal
and aim for self-actualization (or, as they say in such cases, a successful version of oneself).
You had to imagine with all your five senses:
what scenery you would see,
what sounds and voices you would hear,
the feeling of excitement in your body,
and so on, very concretely.
And once you experienced the feeling of it actually coming true,
your brain would make it a reality.
That was the kind of exercise it was.
At that time, I didn't particularly desire
to be successful,
to gain honor,
to become rich (maybe a little bit),
or to become someone specific.
However, in that exercise, imagining a
model image like the one above
was easy.
But
I can't lie,
and since I had paid for it,
I tried my best to envision my own desired goal.
And then,
it was clearly
"Working three days a week, doing things I love (omitted) on other days, and bringing in warm laundry."
Since my exercise partner was a woman of the same age,
she understood completely,
and I remember the exercise working very well.
In the afternoon, as the sun slowly set,
I would leisurely drink my favorite milk tea,
read a book,
and bring in warm laundry that smelled of sunshine.
At that moment, the feel of the towel,
the scent of my favorite tea leaves, the feel of my beloved mug,
the bounce of the cushion I was sitting on,
the color and texture of the book's cover—everything was imagined so concretely.
Not waking up grudgingly to an alarm clock,
but waking up excited, wondering what to do today—
such a daily life.
But also, having a fulfilling job, connected to society,
and growing as a person.
And then, six months later,
just as I had imagined,
I was able to bring in warm laundry
and work three days a week.
Now that I think about it, it doesn't seem like
such a big deal,
but at that time, I was working while raising children,
continually taking the last train home every day and working on weekends.
I was juggling multiple projects,
and I thought if I, as a leader, quit,
things would fall apart.
So, every day, I would bring in cold laundry,
and the idea of quitting full-time work
was unimaginable.
But I did it.
It happened relatively quickly.
So, maybe I should have thought of a bigger dream
or ideal?
I wonder.
No, no, if such a thing
came true, it would actually be troublesome.
I'd be busy and tired.
Today, as I was bringing in warm laundry,
I suddenly remembered, and that image
is still coming true.
Bringing in warm laundry at just the right time,
working three days a week in systems-related work at a hospital,
and other times dyeing yarn,
knitting,
drinking tea,
reading books,
and occasionally traveling.
At the time, I attended that seminar hoping to use it for work,
but now I realize that vividly envisioning my ideal life
and imprinting it on my brain
was not a mistake!
And, with such things,
I am sufficiently happy,
and realizing that
is even more important, I think.
What does your ideal life look like,
what are those moments when you feel happy?
Today, I just remembered this
and felt like writing, so
I wrote something unrelated to the shop.
Have a wonderful weekend!