When I think of my why statement in life, I think of my purpose and pursuit of purpose in this crazy thing we call life. The idea that I finally landed on is that my purpose and meaning in life are to find purpose and meaning in life through adventure, exploration, and discovery of myself and the world, and to share it with others, to inspire and encourage them to set sail on their epic adventure of discovery. Already my motto, or mantra, or the rules that I have claimed are as follows: one, dreams worth having are dreams worth having, and two, life is about having a story and finding a way of telling it, three, the most tremendous faith you can have is in yourself and your doings, five, art is the blueprint to turning dreams into reality, six, you can't lose sight of your dreams, passion, and most defiantly yourself. Seventh, everything works out in the way they are supposed to, when you put good out in the universe, good comes back to you, eight, you can't hold onto ideas hopes and dreams so tightly that you miss the magic that happens and unfolds before you hoping for events and life to unfold in a particular mannor, nine, you have to be open and flexible, willing and open to change and adapt to flow with the current rather than fight it, and ten, live, see, and experience life as if it's happening for the first time for the first time. As a Bonus, eleven, paint the world with vibrant and surreal colors that leave you and everyone around you awe-inspired and awe-stuck.
Sharing in the journey and its magic inspires others to set out on their adventure and find the magic in life that you do. Too often, we get stuck in a rut and bogged down by the weight of reality, which I call the misery beat scene. We become conditioned to the fact that we face so much that we pull away from life and others, isolating ourselves and closing ourselves off from the outer world, ultimately missing out on the sunrises and the infinite seas of possibility. I have suffered from this notion, most notably when I first visited Japan. I had a mental breakdown, even before I got off the plane; I didn't want to be there, I wanted to go home. My trip started in Japan with a migraine and landing in the middle of an epic storm, neither helped me with my first impression. I was so distraught that I rebooked my ticket the next morning, but still had to wait several days before getting to leave. What changed was that once I got out and started to adventure and explore the city, my attitude changed, and instead of wanting to go, I wanted more than anything to stay.
Once I finally got my footing, this first encounter would lead me to return every year, constantly pushing the boundaries of what is and isn't possible.
While away in Japan, I began to find that I could be part of something at any given time; all I needed to do was step out the front door. Whether the main character in my own story and adventure, or an extra or a background character in someone else's, Japan was the art of always being somewhere. With 41 million people, there was always someone to meet and become acquainted with. I have met people and made friends, and I intend to reunite with them once I get back there, making new friends and experiencing new and amazing events and happenings. I remember my first time in Kyoto, when I met a wonderful person with whom I had the fortune to spend the day. And the fourth time, I went and met a fantastic woman from Austria, with whom I had the pleasure of going out with, getting to know, and becoming acquainted. Someone who has inspired me to go to Austria to see if the cosmic universe can conspire to push out paths together for another fantastic experience.
When I see how things work out in Japan and how I can experience and enjoy life abroad, I seek to find that magic here in my hometown, but I often fall short. There aren't many events or things to do to meet people. The economy plays a significant role in that, and there aren't many venues outside of drinking and coffee to meet up and hang out for any real social events. To further compound the problem, everyone seems to be in this rut or has other pressing obligations. Everyone works incredibly hard at jobs in the secondary market. Secondary serves the first market. For these people to enjoy their services can be too expensive, as their disposable income leaves them in a socio-economically impoverished world where their vice becomes their only outlet, their only escape in life. A drug to numb the harsh side effects of reality. Obligations come in the form of family, kids, and loved ones. I know this reality all too well, as I often get off work, hit the gym, and get home, only to cook and prepare for the day ahead of me. I can't imagine taking care of kids or other pressing obligations. There was a time when I went to school and held down two jobs to get ahead.
I made a post outlining the importance of living your life to its fullest. The post goes like this.
I know someone who traveled the world extensively, seeing and experiencing extraordinary events, happenings, and sights. With a little effort, they could have done even more and pushed the boundaries of their adventure, but ultimately, they never made it to where they truly wanted to be, to explore, see, and know the things in their hearts and minds. Now that I live the life they wanted to, they attempt to live vicariously through me to know and experience what they hope to know and see for their self-fulfilling reasons. On the other hand, I have very different reasons for going and experiencing the culture and world that I know of, but don't know anything about. With everything uncertain always and the potential for missing out on an adventure, I was inspired to book my greatest year since 2018 and 2019, when my life truly and fully began.
On September 2nd, I will return to Japan for the fifth time. For this trip, I will stay in five cities and explore seven. I am excited that Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka made the list again. In addition, I added Fukuoka and Nagoya as a chain of cápsula hotels that interest me, and a specific izakaya inspired me to visit these two wonderful cities. If I had any romantic idea of booking a fabulous hotel in one of the cities, that idea is now gone as I have booked my second-largest trip.
On November 25th, I will depart for Munich, beginning my trip to Germany and Austria. I have a lot going into this trip. Not only will I be visiting some incredible cities, but I will also be going when each city has Christmas markets. On top of that, there are some incredible historical places I want to visit, witness, and be a part of. I will also be attending the Krampus parade. Something that I am thrilled about attending: then there is the real reason why I will be going. After meeting up with incredible young women in Kyoto and spending the evening bar hopping and clubbing, she asked if I would come and see her. Not only did I oblige her to probably think I was full of shallow promises, considering that I missed 2024.
Considering everything going on, I knew that seeing her in 2024 for Christmas would be amazing, but it would have been a long shot; she was still traveling, and I would have been scrambling to make the trip happen. Much like the trip to Japan and Kyoto, I have no doubts about meeting up with my friends who have lost touch with them. Like the time before the universe and good karma conspired to make for better times than I could ever have hoped. One of life's fundamental laws is that you can not hold onto an idea so tightly that you miss out on the magic of happening or prevent it from unfolding.
Now with everything in place, purpose and meaning, along with two trips, I plan my next move on the chess board of life—the overall goal, and the most optimistic plans ever. The goal is to get out of debt, but a new truck, and develop the next phase of living and building my dream home. My tastes in my collections, interests, and hobbies have changed over time. I remember the meme stating, "As you age, you either develop a passion for WWII or smoked meats. Now, I have developed an obsession with Japanese models, their Photo books, and a taste for reality.
As for my opportunity for monetary and economic reform, I question that idea and concept as I prepare for the next bigchapter in my life. I would be wrong to say that I bought and believed the answer was correct before me. My mind goes back to ideas of the Titanic and how it was thought to be unsinkable, but four days into its adventure, it went underwater, and its story became legend. For me, this is about getting ahead and moving on wisely. Take and develop as much as I can before it's too late. If anything, nowhere else would allow me to pull off such a back-to-back adventure.
May 11th officially kicks off the beginning of the most amazing chapter of my life. I am excited to meet every challenge and take any and all opportunities with excitement and happiness. Each moment builds me into the person I want to be and become.