Minimalism - Online Income - ESL - Japan
I’ve been watching a lot of Andrew Kirby recently. This kid is less than half my age, but has twice the wisdom! Recently, he talked about how you can look at your past behavior to plan a strategy for the future, and included a quote about a boat needing to know which port it’s heading to, or it’ll get lost. I’m in my late-forties, which seems like a good time […]
This week, I’ve been fighting the urge to upgrade my phone, which I’ve been using for the last five years, and it’s made me think about some of the other technological marvels that I own, some of which I have upgraded. My car: the Suzuki Wagon R I’ve had my Suzuki Wagon R for about 10 years. Before that, I had another Suzuki Wagon R, both of them bought used, […]
It’s been 8 years since my last video on the Long Countdown YouTube channel, and I’m sorely tempted to post something new. Living where I do, in central Japan, I’m well positioned to make my own lifestyle/travel/adventure videos, and I’m not that far off the magic 1,000 subscriber mark. That said, if I did return to YouTube, I’d have to set some ground rules: Be authentic Just be me. That […]
In my last blog post I talked about how lazy I’ve become since I stopped trying to impress people. But no matter how I spin it, sitting around watching YouTube is no way to live life. Ironically, it’s people on YouTube that inspire me the most. I’ve become fascinated by adventurous and brave young women building a tiny house in the mountains, living in a Prius or traveling the world […]
I’ve noticed a change in myself, something that’s clearly apparent as type this from my bed on a Friday afternoon: I’m lazy. I’m lazy, I’m lazy, I’m lazy. There. I said it. I do occasionally drag myself out of bed for a little bit of exercise, and it was just yesterday that I had a revelation while doing just that: I no longer seek the approval of anyone. That’s it. […]
Since we’re halfway through 2022, it’s time for a blog update, don’t you think? Building my Eiken Empire It doesn’t really excite me much, but there’s a strong demand for Eiken (English test) material in Japan, so I’ve continued to add to the worksheets on my school’s website, and recently made more interview practice videos for YouTube. In my last post, I told you that I had reached 400 subscribers. […]
Let’s start with the negative so we can finish with the good stuff. Teaching on the side I gave up teaching on DMM Eikaiwa. It was okay, but when so many people around me told me I could do better, I began to resent working for such a low wage. I decided to try Cafetalk, where I could set my own rates and… hardly any students have booked my classes. […]
I long believed that happiness was a long term goal, something to strive for, something you achieve after studying hard, landing a good job, starting a family and settling down in your own home. The American Dream, if you will. But that’s all nonsense! What it really boils down to is brain chemistry. There are a bunch of neurotransmitters in the brain that trigger feelings of happiness, such as serotonin, […]