Have you thought about life this way?

I read a lovely article a few weeks back titled: 11 Beautiful Japanese Words That Don't Exist In English by Marie Sugio. I was drawn to the article as I'm fascinated by languages and partially because I had lived in Japan. I find that I keep coming back to the article as it offers some perspectives that are helpful to living a happier, more from the heart life. There are 3 concepts that I would like to share that perhaps may resonate with you as well. #1 and #3 are two of the eleven words that we don't have in English. #2 is just a fun term that we need to be reminded of.

1. Kintsukuroi 金継ぎ/金繕い

When we break something - we may try to glue it together if we feel it has value - or we dispose of it. When we ourselves are broken, we often wonder if we will ever heal. We know that if we work at it, we will be put back together, but we'll never be the same as we were before we were broken or cracked. I love this idea of how our cracks have the potential to display our beauty. Sometimes, when we're so broken, we believe that no one (including ourselves) will ever be able to love us or see our beauty, our inner Light. Now, imagine how beautiful we can be if we heal those cracks and holes using the magnificent golden light of Love. Yes, we can even be more beautiful for having been broken.  

2. Kotsu kotsu こつこつ

Kotsu kotsu is an onomatopoeia (a word that imitates the sound you hear, like sizzle or splash). It basically means step by step. In today's culture, we want everything NOW. We have very little patience for our desired outcomes. Can we plant a watermelon seed and expect a watermelon to instantly appear? No, we must have patience. We must water and care for the plant as it grows. Taking things step by step allows us to be more in the present moment. If we are diligent with our steps, we have a greater likelihood of arriving at our destination - our desired goal. Some things in life need to be taken kotsu kotsu.

3. Shoganai しょうがない

Shoganai can be translated to: it can't be helped, basically meaning that if it's something out of your control, then it's best to accept it and move on. It's very easy to get stuck in past situations that were out of your control. Some situations may feel damn near impossible to move on from. If you can accept that it's time to move on and not dwell in the past, then you find ways that help you move on and you do so kotsu kotsu.

The article also shares some words describing Nature that are pretty fabulous. Click here to read the article. As you contemplate your New Year's resolutions and goals - remember that your cracks have the potential for beauty, that sometimes you have to just accept what's out of your control and move on, and that often, we just need to take things step by step.

Love, エイドリアン