My Core Values – Week 2 #SYL12
For week 2 of Simplify your Life I was given these questions to ponder and was asked to come up with my FIVE core values
- What do you like to do? – The things you find yourself immersed in fully and happily.
- Who and what inspires you? – Go deeper and think about why.
- What speaks to you when you think about those things and people?
- What do you feel strongly about in life?
- What things would you defend fully in an argument with other people?
- When you close your eyes and visualise the person you want to be (free from anyone else’s influence) what stands out to you?
- How does that “future you” act?
- What do they believe in?
- What are you dead set against in life?
I started writing out the answers to these questions but about midway through the first answer the value words just started popping up in my head. I tried to keep writing about specific events and specific people in my life in order to answer the questions but these words just kept blocking my thinking ability! I realized then that these values are so much a part of me that really, in a sense, they didn’t have anything to do with what I was typing about. The values were already so inherit in my actions that talking about each life event felt sort of pointless. After all, I don’t really think about my values on a day to day basis. That would be sort of like thinking about every step you take while you’re walking. You just sort of do it. So to be honest I didn’t answer all the questions on paper, or in my head, rather the values just sort of popped up almost automatically.
Then SYL asked us to: 1. Narrow the value words down to 10-15 that represent you and your vision. 2. Review and reflect on this list until you can narrow it down to 5 words and/or phrases for greater clarity.
This really wasn’t hard. I automatically thought of fifteen words and narrowing them down to five wasn’t hard either as they all sort of fit into a category.
Here were the fifteen:
- Patience
- Hope
- Contentment
- Growth
- Adventure
- Love
- Kindness
- Enthusiasm
- Excitement
- Trust
- Happiness
- Comfort
- Respect
- Discovery
- Passion
- Trust (Patience, Hope)
- Passion (Excitement, Adventure)
- Respect (Kindness, Love)
- Discovery (Open-minded, Growth)
- Contentment (Comfort, Happiness)
The SYL asked us to: 3. To rank these values in order of importance to you look at the top 5 and ask yourself if you had to pick only one of these values to focus on and hold true which would it be? Write that down as #1. Look at the remaining 4 values and ask the question again with your answer becoming #2. Carry on until all five values have been prioritized. This is the simplest way to get yourself to weigh up the words to rank them.
Ranking them was the hard part. However, this is what I came up with:
- Trust
- Passion
- Discovery
- Respect
- Contentment
Trust – I chose trust because I think that my everyday actions are based on the fact that I think something good is going to come from them. I have to trust that the decisions I make today will materialize into what I hope for tomorrow. I have patience because I have confidence in my trust. I trust that the people around me, whom I love and want to be loved by, will believe in my actions as much as I do.
Discovery – Life, to me, is like water. It needs to keep moving otherwise it becomes stale. Not only for adventure purposes either. I want to keep learning about the world around me, about the people around me, and most of all, myself. I want to grow, I want to learn and I want to discover. Encountering things I don’t understand or accept and learning to recognize them, whether I deem them good or bad, is how I grow and discover more about myself.
Respect – This was the hardest category to chose the one word that would encompass my core value. However, the more I thought about respect, kindness and love, the more my value started leaning toward respect. There is a part of me that wishes I could have chosen love. But you see I wouldn’t say I’m one of those people that says, “My family and friends are my life.” In fact, due to my above values, I could say I’m often selfish. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family and my friends however my quest for a passionate life occasionally hurts those around me. I understand this but unfortunately, I can’t stop this. I love my loved ones and I try to be kind to anyone I meet but most importantly, I have to respect what others think or do. If I do something that hurts my friend, even if I believe I had to do it, I need to also respect the fact that they are hurt. I have to respect someone if they do something that hurts me especially if they feel as though that is what they had to do. I want to give respect and receive respect. I suppose that’s all I can expect from or with others and I can hope that love with come along with it.
Contentment - My core values lead to a life of searching. Always looking for something. I’m sure some psychologist would say I’m searching for something that I’ll never find or running away from something else but I don’t feel that way. I love the movement of life. I don’t continue my journey because I’m not content. I love where I am, what I do, who I’m with and I look forward to what is coming. Sure each bend in the road isn’t wine and roses but that’s what makes moving (not literally, although I’ve done it often!) so much fun. I’m content on my path and I find comfort in each little rest stop. If the quest for discovery no longer provided comfort or contentment, that is when I will stop.
Remembering 2011 with Gratitude – Week 1SYL12
I’m not going to pretend that I am getting into blogging or anything. I’ve started and stopped enough times to know that blogging really isn’t my thing. But I am still an avid reader of blogs (although not a regular commenter, sorry) and while reading a favorite blog of mine, Cherry Blossom Adventures I learned of the 52 weeks to simplify your life challenge (which Laura learned of from another blogger who learned about it from another blogger, etc). Anyway, I learned about it and that’s all that matters.
I liked the title of this challenge because recently I’m trying to simplify my life so that I can be able to do all the things I want to do while still being busy at work and while still needing my rest. It doesn’t help that I get distracted easily but good things (talking with friends, good movies/tv shows, etc) and bad things (being lazy, watching bad tv, internet surfing for WAY too long). And anyone that knows me well knows that despite not having that much stuff (relatively speaking) I always feel like I have too much. Basically I don’t like stuff but I’m still human so I still accumulate it… But I like simplicity.
So I’ll do this challenge and see where it goes.
Week 1: Remembering 2011 with Gratitude
Love. Last year started off relatively normal but on March 11th it turned anything but normal. I live in Japan and on March 11th there was an earthquake of immense magnitude. It was huge and scary and considering what happened to thousands of people in Northern Japan I was thankful to be safe and still have my home, food and really anything else I needed. But it was not only that. From that moment on, I felt the love of family and friends that will probably never allow me to feel alone. Thank you all!
Money. Another thing I am thankful for in 2011 was the ability to manage my money. Not only was I able to pay off some debts and save for the future, I was able to manage my money so that I would be able to spend it wisely, you know on the stuff that really matters. This allowed me to buy a new computer, a new road bike, a trip with my mother, and budget money for a number of things so that I can live the life that I like to live (without having to buy it with credit cards!). For example, I’ve never been a huge clothes shopper but last year I decided I would put a bit more effort into it as I realized I didn’t really like how I felt in a lot of my clothes. Due to my money management, I am able to responsibly build a wardrobe that I am comfortable and happy in. And it doesn’t end with just clothes. It makes me so happy (I really should have been an accountant….).
Relationship-wise. I wouldn’t say anything huge stands out with my boyfriend last year. In fact, I was hoping that a number of things would have materialized in 2011 that didn’t (no, I am not talking about marriage 
) but despite that I was really happy with him. He has flaws and so do I (I forgot his birthday last year….) and yet we still work so well together. So I am grateful for him.
Family. I live in Japan and my whole family lives in America so to say we live far away from each other is an understatement (have you ever lived 15 hours ahead of someone?). However, last year we started a weekly skype chat which I really am thankful for. I love living in Japan but I think that it causes a ripple in your relationships. Unfortunately and unjustly, it takes effort from both sides to remain in contact, let alone close. So I appreciate that my family and occasionally my friends will put in the effort to keep in touch.
Work. This year I put a lot of effort into my work and felt so proud of myself. I still think I have a long way to go to become the teacher I would like to become but I am proud of the work I did last year. Another event – for lack of a better word – at my work in the fall gave me even more confidence in my ability to be a good teacher. I saw many of my students grow last year due to my efforts so I look forward to perfecting my work more and more and seeing my students grow subsequently.
Those are the main things.
2011 wasn’t a bad year for me but I’m looking forward to 2012 being even better!
Wordless Wednesdays
Most (actually all) of my wordless wednesdays have been my vegetables. But it’s hard not to be proud of something so colorful and delicious. The other day I enjoyed my first tomato with a bit of our homegrown basil. Then we made plum jam and it was (and still is) so delicious! I love this new hobby of mine.
Things I Love Thursdays
- My new baby eggplant and all my little tomatoes (30 of them!)
- skritter.com!
- Organization in my room although more often than I’d like it’s not present
- Looking at apartments (it may be a far off thought but it’s exciting none the less!)
- My new subscription to the elementary school student newspaper (yes, that’s my reading level!)
- kuvo.org – so I can listen to great jazz, catch up in the news, and hear about my hometown all at the same time! Love it!
- Tomorrow is Friday (should this just remain on my list?)
Wordless Wednesdays
My very first baby eggplant!
Some days… Tuesdays
Another week, another Tuesday. Link up if you want!
Some days I’m too tired to study but most days I wish I could study all day.
Some days I don’t record my budget but most days I look forward to see how my finances are going.
Some days I don’t log-in to facebook… okay, that’s a lie. Everyday I do! 
Some days I don’t feel like cooking but most days I make both my dinner and the next day’s bento.
Some days I make new recipes (which I love doing) but most days I stick to my regulars.
Some days I feel like a good teacher but most days I feel like I could be better.
Some days I freak out about the future but most days I feel fine about it.
Some days I wake up early and have plenty of time to relax before living the house, unfortunately most days I am rushing out of the house with no time to spare.
Some days I wish I would have become an accountant but most days I enjoy being a preschool teacher.
Here’s to Wednesday!
I linked up with Cherry Blossom Adventures.
Some days… Tuesdays
Another week, another Tuesday. Link up if you want!
Some days I look forward to work but most days I don’t want to go at all.
Some days I hate being at work but most days it’s not so bad once I get there.
Some days I’m perfectly content with my life where it is right this very moment but most days I want to change something.
Some days I want to be more girly but most days I want to play soccer and get sweaty!
Some days I feel very productive and get all the things on my list (and more!) done but most days I procrastinate them to another day or to eternity.
Some days I don’t have much of an appetite but most days I could eat more.
Some days I worry about earthquakes in Japan but most days I think about how much I enjoy my life here.
Some days I remember my dad vividly but most days he feels like a mirage.
Some days I plan really good things for my preschool children to do but most days I go to sleep unprepared.
Some days 24 hours is just too much but most days I long for just a little bit more time.
Some days I feel my age but most days I feel younger.
Some days I wish for more free time to be more crafty and creative but most days I spend my free time studying or just relaxing.
Some days I want more stuff but most days I want less stuff.
Here’s to Wednesday!
I linked up with Cherry Blossom Adventures.
Things I Love Thursdays
- gardening – plants and growing my own veggies make me happy. Even if I’m not the most skilled or patient at it.
- putting my all into work (making a curriculum)- despite being a bit tired it feels good to really work towards something.
- budgeting
- recently feeling a bit more grown up.
- a recent study boom
- drinking lots of water and feeling good (now just need to get rid of the wiggly-wobbly parts!)
- my boyfriend (he’s a good one.)
- sunny but still relatively cool days
- cherries received from a student
- seeing pieces of my study show up in real life situations.
Wordless Wednesday
Say That Again!
Guest House Message Board
In a previous post I spoke about why I live and continue to stay in a guest house. Living so far away from family, friends and familiar things, it has definitely become my home away from home. So for this post, I think I`ll continue on with that lovey-dovey sort of feeling and tell you another benefit of living in a guest house.
When I first moved to Tokyo I lived in another Oak House. Smaller, older and a lot closer to my work! But despite the building having a bit more character than my current location, the people lacked the flair I was looking for in my roommates. They were all nice enough but tended to arrive home and go straight to their rooms (perhaps due to all rooms having their own televisions…). Nonetheless, other than the pay check I was to receive, I came to Japan for one main reason and that was to study Japanese! So roommates that didn`t exactly like communication were a problem. That is when I moved to Nishi-Tokyo and boy, is it different! It`s like night and day! Here, there are a lot younger people and most people are interested in meeting the people they are living with. Everyone seems to enjoy whooping it up in the lounge. It`s nice.
