Overcoming

Continuing on from before…

At the end of 2025 I wrote about conjuring a new existence. A new “me.” It wasn’t something just to post about. I’ve been relentlessly thinking about this since before posting and even until now. 2026 just feels different. There are things I want to do and parts of my personality that I’d love to change. In order to do this I need to not justify who I am, but come to terms with and forgive myself for the way I’ve been until now.

I’m sure there are people who consider certain parts of themselves as being a negative trait or even those who reject parts of themselves. However, that’s just not the way to see things. In 2026 I’ve decided that I will stop telling myself things and start doing them. For starters, I’ve been telling myself that I want to start a Youtube channel about mindset here in Japan. Most Japanese citizens tend to be very traditional. If they don’t like their job, they tend to think that it is a job and they cannot escape from it. They don’t think to just change it and find a new place to work. Then there are those who live their lives in hopes of high praise from others in society and their stress comes from whether they “look” skinny enough or pretty enough to even just walk around and enjoy themselves. So my goal in this Youtube channel would be to have conversations with people who are either successful or have at least graduated from this kind of mindset and could possibly help others with this problem.

I’ve been contemplating this for years, never having the confidence or determination to follow through. I’ve never even believed in myself enough to just create the initial, empty channel. As part of overcoming myself and progressing into who I want to be I decided to use 2026 as a timely excuse to finally shut myself up and just do it.

“You can have your identity or you can have progress, but you can’t have both.” – Vusi Thembekwayo

I completely resonate with it because I know for a fact that the limitations I’ve had until now and the inability to do certain things have been because I’ve literally told myself a various amount of reasons. I’ve said that I’m just not a certain way. I’m too camera shy to start Youtube. I’m too idea-less to create and sell my own service. I’m too shy in general to speak on stage. But the stuff I build as an engineer at work IS being created by me (and my teammates) and it IS selling. I AM shy, but I spoke on stage at an event at Google a few years ago. And yet I stuck to my own identity and I didn’t continue. I know that I can be more. I know that you can be more.

We can always be more than we are. Just imagine the person you want to be. What are their daily routines? What do they do that you wish you were like? When you’ve got that image, you can just mimic it and become it – even starting right now. The only thing we have holding us back is ourselves and our own fear even when we know it’s irrational. Your excuses are valid. Mine are valid. But STAYING in this position is a choice. Overcoming it is a responsibility.