Lost in the Skyy: Closing Out 2013: Retrospective & December Recap

Enjoying a fine day in Nagano, December 2013

The year 2013 has come and gone very quickly. Looking back, I would say it was a successful year. When writing this I was thinking about what I achieved last year and what to aim for next year. As a result, this post is one of the more reflective I've written and won't appeal to everyone. Invariably, it may sound a bit self-serving.

One of the most obvious successes for me was that I began writing this blog and stuck with it. For too long, I was apathetic about making a journal like this. But I recognized that I was loosing touch with family and friends back home. I also recognized that I was missing an opportunity to self-reflect on my life here and record my experiences in a way that I could appreciate later in my life. Well, finally in the spring of 2013, I pushed myself to get serious about keeping a blog and I’ve been able to average a little over three solid updates per month since I started. I still have to work much harder at keeping in touch with family and friends, but at least anyone interested has an easy way to see what’s going on in my life. And at the same time, I’ve found a way to look back on my own life.

Successes in 2013

In 2013, I vowed to get out and do more, see more, and experience more. I made up my mind that I was going to stop making excuses for avoiding certain aspirations of mine. Here are some of the notable successes I achieved in 2013:

Despite living in Japan and having a desire to travel to more countries, I hadn’t found the confidence to really do so. But that changed when I made a trip to South Korea, Taiwan, and The Philippines. It was fantastic and now I can’t wait for my next trip.
I was also eager to see more of the region where I’m currently living, but previously felt like it was too difficult to do without a car. But I said to hell with that and decided I would just use my bicycle instead of relying on others. Subsequently, I took bicycle trips in Aomori Prefecture to the far northwest, northeast, and southeast corners. And now I plan to do more in the new year.
I had wanted to climb Mount Fuji for a long time, but never took the initiative to do so. In the summer, I made it happen and enjoyed a hard-earned view of the sunrise from the top of one of the world’s most famous mountains.
When I heard about a wild, crazy, colorful samba festival in Tokyo, I made a trip out to see it—expensive for a weekend trip but totally worth it.
I made a real effort to get back into a consistent weight training routine. As a result, I increased my strength and achieved personal bests in such lifts as bench press, squat, and deadlift.
I finally took the initiative to take the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficient Test). I won’t know the results until February but regardless of the outcome, it’s was a good step in breaking away from the language-learning plateau that I’ve been stuck on.
For many years, I wanted to get serious about photography, but I never felt like I could justify spending the money on it. Finally in 2013, I made the leap and invested in much better photography equipment than I ever had before. Although it’s not the best gear, it has enabled me to progress my photography skills in ways which simply weren’t possible previously.

Looking Forward in 2014

I may have accomplished some good things last year, but I know that I still have a lot to learn and much to improve upon. I already have a list of new places I want to go and things I want to try. But I'm not going to get into those specifics here. Rather, as corny as it sounds, I also want to seek progress in strengthening my mind, body, and spirit. Tony Robbins, well-known life coach and motivational speaker, always talks about raising your standards, seeking progress, and focusing on your rituals to reach your goals... all as keys to finding true happiness. One of my favorite things Robbins said is, “it’s not what we get that makes us happy, it’s who we become and what we’re able to give.” That's a pretty good motto if you ask me.

Last year, I began making an effort to avoid negativity in my life. I want to continue making progress towards this ideal in which I can wake up every day with a positive outlook and spread optimism to others around me. I hope to spend less time getting distracting by things of little value, and instead use that time to read, learn, and strengthen my mind. One of the real habits I wish to develop this year is opening a real book instead of Facebook when I feel bored. In 2014, I want to step up my physical fitness goals as well. It's not just about lifting weights, but I need to focus on eating healthier again. And athough my current standards of exercise are decent, I think there's definitely room for improvement there too.

Lastly, I think it's time that I start thinking more seriously about my next step in life. Where do I go from here? What's my next passion in life and how can I prepare myself to reach it? There's a pretty famous lecture by Alan Watts in which he poses the simple question, "What would you like to do if money were no object?" He goes on to say that whatever you truly want to do in life (without regard to money), is exactly what you should do because otherwise you're just wasting your life doing something you don't like doing. Life may not be so simple, but it's good advice nonetheless and something for me to think about moving forward.

Happy New Year, 2014!

Recap - Final Weeks of 2013

In the final weeks of December, the weather grew cold and snowy. Schools finished up the term with closing ceremonies and work parties. I enjoyed Christmas parties with friends. And I left Aomori for a compact but fun, little vacation within Japan. I'll figured I'd let the pictures do the talking here.