Whenever you get tired of trying.
The question I get asked most often is: ''Kago, how do you keep finding things to write about?''
It's pretty simple - I suffer from romanticising nostalgia. I crystallise the spaces in my memories with different sounds and colours that bring so many things back to life, and it's the chief reason behind my struggle with carrying on after disaster.
It drew me into a space of comfort, which actually isn't necessarily bad - it just isn't progressive and if there's one thing we ought to strive for, it's progression.
I don't know, I can't really create a vision for what's happening going forward without looking back and within. That's what I do when we all go home, I introspect. I take a look into the ''why'' that kept me going whenever I got tired of trying. Like, assessing my priorities at one stage and how I would ideally approach a situation after the fact... way after the fact.
The centrepiece of my introspection has to be music - it opens gaps in the mental barriers I've fortified throughout time that give me moments to take a quick gander into what's really going on.
I have more music than I have friends, I have more music than I'm ever going to listen to, I have more music than emotions I can recognise because it all gives a voice to something within that's still too young to speak.
The last few months have been for, again, turning a look into myself - I pray, attend therapy, stay close to people wiser than me, and diversifying my vocabulary so I can write something to inspire someone, somewhere, somehow.
Emotional hygiene is a science, and it's much harder to execute than the minimalist quotes on Instagram make it seem. I'll be the first to admit that it isn't a skill that came to me naturally - had to work surely and intentionally at it. I mean, it's essentially maintaining a presence of mind within oneself.
I remember passing by something that said ''be yourself, everyone else is taken'' - literally, the most challenging call-to-action that I, personally, have ever seen. Imagine being someone that you rarely take the time to learn and spend time with.
There was a time where I'd sooner reach out and talk to someone else before I exert a fraction of the same effort for myself. Communication is important, but we don't do much of it with ourselves.
Or we're learning to practice more and more of it.
I think every hurdle every single human has, is, and ever will face can be overcome with a modicum of honest communication - certainly would've spared me a moment or two of unnecessary heartache.
A friend of mine left an effectually profound statement with me, from what her partner told her - ''we're fighting because we're trying to stay together''.
It took a while for the gears to turn, but I finally got it; two people with one mission in mind, which is to stay together - unifying the thinking that they ought to be on the same side. A fight is just two people trying to get each other on their side, so the fight ends and things can go back to normal.
I've been in fights, and I've had discussions - there's definitely a difference. One leads to a winner, and the other leads to a reason.
Reason is something we all search for because it makes sense - the ''why'' behind something is the ''make or break'' of everything we believe.
Maybe the reason isn't good enough - I can, certainly, relate to that. Maybe the reason isn't palatable - I can, certainly relate to that. Maybe the reason isn't even clear in the first place...
Trust, I'm no thought leader but I'm not uninformed either.
Here's my takeaway from the last few months, though, the ''why'' will keep you coming back to what's important. It'll help weather the storms that come to deviate you from the path.
There's always a reason to believe in something, or someone.
There's always a reason to abandon something, or someone.
Whenever you get tired of trying to do whatever or be whatever, focus on what's important to you, and why is it important to you.
Thank you for staying long enough for me to thank you.
Keep cool,
- Your Friendly Neighbourhood Kenji
It's pretty simple - I suffer from romanticising nostalgia. I crystallise the spaces in my memories with different sounds and colours that bring so many things back to life, and it's the chief reason behind my struggle with carrying on after disaster.
It drew me into a space of comfort, which actually isn't necessarily bad - it just isn't progressive and if there's one thing we ought to strive for, it's progression.
I don't know, I can't really create a vision for what's happening going forward without looking back and within. That's what I do when we all go home, I introspect. I take a look into the ''why'' that kept me going whenever I got tired of trying. Like, assessing my priorities at one stage and how I would ideally approach a situation after the fact... way after the fact.
The centrepiece of my introspection has to be music - it opens gaps in the mental barriers I've fortified throughout time that give me moments to take a quick gander into what's really going on.
I have more music than I have friends, I have more music than I'm ever going to listen to, I have more music than emotions I can recognise because it all gives a voice to something within that's still too young to speak.
The last few months have been for, again, turning a look into myself - I pray, attend therapy, stay close to people wiser than me, and diversifying my vocabulary so I can write something to inspire someone, somewhere, somehow.
Emotional hygiene is a science, and it's much harder to execute than the minimalist quotes on Instagram make it seem. I'll be the first to admit that it isn't a skill that came to me naturally - had to work surely and intentionally at it. I mean, it's essentially maintaining a presence of mind within oneself.
I remember passing by something that said ''be yourself, everyone else is taken'' - literally, the most challenging call-to-action that I, personally, have ever seen. Imagine being someone that you rarely take the time to learn and spend time with.
There was a time where I'd sooner reach out and talk to someone else before I exert a fraction of the same effort for myself. Communication is important, but we don't do much of it with ourselves.
Or we're learning to practice more and more of it.
I think every hurdle every single human has, is, and ever will face can be overcome with a modicum of honest communication - certainly would've spared me a moment or two of unnecessary heartache.
A friend of mine left an effectually profound statement with me, from what her partner told her - ''we're fighting because we're trying to stay together''.
It took a while for the gears to turn, but I finally got it; two people with one mission in mind, which is to stay together - unifying the thinking that they ought to be on the same side. A fight is just two people trying to get each other on their side, so the fight ends and things can go back to normal.
I've been in fights, and I've had discussions - there's definitely a difference. One leads to a winner, and the other leads to a reason.
Reason is something we all search for because it makes sense - the ''why'' behind something is the ''make or break'' of everything we believe.
Maybe the reason isn't good enough - I can, certainly, relate to that. Maybe the reason isn't palatable - I can, certainly relate to that. Maybe the reason isn't even clear in the first place...
Trust, I'm no thought leader but I'm not uninformed either.
Here's my takeaway from the last few months, though, the ''why'' will keep you coming back to what's important. It'll help weather the storms that come to deviate you from the path.
There's always a reason to believe in something, or someone.
There's always a reason to abandon something, or someone.
Whenever you get tired of trying to do whatever or be whatever, focus on what's important to you, and why is it important to you.
Thank you for staying long enough for me to thank you.
Keep cool,
- Your Friendly Neighbourhood Kenji
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