2026!

I can’t believe I made it past 40 times round the Sun on this ball of dirt. I’m not usually one to wax philosophical in a public space, but I’m old, and I figure it’s alright for me to be doing this now.

This year is all about adjusting to the changes in my life over the last 2 years. This marks my (going into) 2nd year of being “retired” but in reality, I’d say it’s more like a “doing a lighter workload”. And boy it wasn’t a matter of becoming a man of leisure, instead I decided to buy a cafe on my birthday last year🤣

At the end of last year I bought an apartment, my own little slice of paradise in a great spot in Sydney about 15 minutes from the CBD. I’ve been very fortunate to be able to do so, but it’s a big adjustment from my previous living conditions (I’d always lived in free-standing houses usually of 3 or more bedrooms).

It’s forced me over the recent holiday period to look at all the things I own, and how to cut down on excess – something I think I generally suffer from especially the last few years (I have so much computer related crap in my possession). And really, I suppose it’s inspired this post for me to rant about how I’m going to start the year and approach life, etc. Looking back in the post history on this blog, I don’t really recall writing about things like this so much, but I suppose this is a bit more of a personal project now. So, time to ramble on!

Like every trend chasing “New Year, New Me” kind of person in Western Culture, I looked at what I thought would be a “foreign yet cool” concept as a starting point, and of course, looked to Japan. A bit awkward considering I’m an Australian-born Chinese person, but hey! Sort of in the right region!

• Ikigai – I think this means to find meaning and purpose in life on a day-to-day basis
• Kaizen – I think this means to constantly improve, as long as it’s a step forward, it’s improvement
• Wabisabi – Finding beauty and perfection in the imperfections, impermanence and incompletion

I like the muddled sort of “constant improvement” and reiterative process of development these Japanese Philosophies talk about. And I think in a lot of Asian culture, the grind culture is definitely something they’ve mastered over the years. Maybe it’s appealing deep into that heritage inside me 🤣

Not to be outdone though, the Swedish themselves also have a philosophy called Lagom – a term that actually hits with a bit of PTSD from an old development project for me (it was named Lagom). Lagom means “Just the right amount, not too much, not too little. Just right.” and is the idea of perfect moderation and balance in execution.

I think, this year I’m beginning my 40s with a step towards making my life more like a chill game. More Stardew Valley, and Animal Crossing; and less the Sims without a ladder, or Elden Ring 😱

It’s more about making sure each day I’m a little bit better than before. But also accepting that not all days will be like that, and some days there will be steps backwards, or time needed for recovery. And even in those challenges and setbacks, there’s beauty and joy to be found.

Happy New Year 🙂