Experiences – Life – Inspiration 🇨🇭🇯🇵

2023 was the year of change for me.

The biggest and foremost changes for me last year were, of course, emigrating from the Netherlands and immigrating to Japan.

Also, learning Japanese on a regular basis started last year.

Then there was driving a car in Japan, a skill now acquired and paying off in many ways, like driving to different hiking destinations and exploring other beautiful travel destinations.

Having completed the home renovations last year, I found myself tending to the expansive garden surrounding our newly refurbished home. This led me to discover a newfound passion for Japanese gardening, a delightful coincidence.

Overall, I successfully navigated and adapted to the changes of the past year. I am genuinely grateful for the fruitful outcomes that accompanied these transformative experiences.

However, what lies ahead for this year?

Most of my time I am spending time in our garden right now, preparing the soil for sowing the seeds I have bought. It will be interesting to see the growth of our homegrown herbs and vegetables. This spring will be quite literally about growth.

Naturally, prioritizing the enhancement of my Japanese language skills is at the forefront, and I am confident that consistent daily practice will lead to noticeable improvement.

Financially, my goal is to add another 2 to my 4 incomes. So growth in assets will be my focus this year. I am not sure whether it will be more paper assets, real estate, or a business. That will really depend on the opportunities I can create or seize.

Spiritually and physically, my goals involve maintaining my daily yoga practices and meditation routines. These have benefited me for several years now, and I intend to do my daily sadhana for the rest of my life. Yoga isn’t so much about spiritual growth or physical benefits. These are just consequences of me doing yoga. More importantly, yoga brought balance and clarity to my life. Because of it, I am able to do what I do effortlessly and balanced.

A nice side effect of me taking care of our garden is that my physical condition has considerably improved. The pandemic years and the year after have weakened my body. I got sick many times, which was a sign for me that my health had degraded. But me working in the garden now has proven to be good for my limbs, muscles, and health in general. My strength has clearly increased ever since I started working in the garden last year. Therefore, I will certainly keep up the physical garden work this year.

Significantly, the weekly hiking trails have played a crucial role in improving my physical condition. Setting a goal of completing 52 hikes in 2024 is a priority.

I am a big believer in doing things that work. And if something works well or brings many benefits, then I should simply do more of it. In a balanced way only, however. Because overdoing things has never brought me any joy or major improvements.

My wife and I have discussed our goals for 2024 while we were at Fuji Speedway Hotel.

We both are invested in personal growth individually but also as a couple.

Her goals being different than mine, we regularly discuss them together and align them with our personal goals.

It’s as important as breathing air to us.

We both appreciate what we have while also actively pursuing our dreams and turning them into reality.

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