Finding Small Moments For You

Where are the small slots of time in your day you don’t even realise exist?

We often feel like there’s not enough time for what we want to do.

After work, commuting, chores, family or pet responsibilities, and personal hygiene swallow up most of our day, what’s left?

Maybe you manage to work out a few times a week, but that’s a stretch, and everything else sucks up time.

Lately, I’ve been carving out time for small habits.

On my commute, I squeeze in extra writing by typing on my phone while I walk to the train and during the ride. It’s slower, harder—but that extra word count adds up.

At work, I use breaks for five minutes of Japanese vocab practice or engaging on my author socials. A few comments while walking to fill my water bottle. A quick round of Anki vocab reviews.

On the way home, I study, listen to podcasts, or read.

In the evening, I journal and stretch with my 2YO. He scribbles while I write. He attempts stretches while I stretch. It’s fun, and I get to do it too!

These are all tiny moments—5 to 15 minutes here and there. Sometimes less. But over time, they build up.

Progress feels slow. But then I look back—when I finish an online course, a book, or when I hit the 75% mark in my WIP and get to that grisly moment all-hell-breaks-loose and I just want to keep writing. When I don't want my commute to end and start working yet because I'm in the flow.

So where are those small moments in your day? How can you make them easier to use?

Maybe you work from home and could sneak in workouts between tasks—Pomodoro timer, a few sets of weights in the break. By the end of the day, you’ve done a full workout.

My husband keeps a book in the kitchen. While waiting for the kettle to boil or food to heat, he reads a few paragraphs.

Little by little, these moments add up.

And often, the time we think we don’t have is hiding in plain sight.

So, where are those moments for you? And how do you want to enjoy them?

I'd love to see a world where we all get to do little snippets of things that bring us joy and remind us life isn’t just one endless cycle of work and responsibilities.

#LifeLessons #SmallHabits

Values for life: lessons from the dōjō

Partner-san has been reading a book about values for life, and we had a discussion about those we feel we adopt in our life and which would be good rules to live by. And, because the world works in funny ways, this was also something we looked at not long afterwards at work at Ocean Reeve Publishing, and the values we have in the company.

For me, my values for life come from martial arts and bushido: the dōjō kun.

This is how I link martial arts and bushido values to everyday life and writing.

My home club is the best. Not only did I learn strong values for life, but I made family for life, too.

Oh, memories. <3

Values for life in martial arts and bushido: dōjō kun

When I was a child, I started training in karate: an Okinawan style called Goju Ryu, one of the older styles of karate, and one that goes back through inspiring masters for a long time. I loved hearing these stories as I grew up, and hearing how the stories connected to a little girl in a small village in England was even cooler. If anyone reading this has trained in any kind of martial arts, especially the pacifist, defence styles, you'll know they're big on values for life, and each dōjō will have their own dōjō kun (rules to live by, both inside the dojo and out).

In talking to partner-san and the team at ORP about values for life, I realised I still live by those from my dōjō and carry them around with me. They're the words I think of to settle myself for meditation or focus, much like before and after training, and ones I remind myself of when life gets tough.

You might find it odd that I'm talking about these on a writing/author blog, but I believe our values strongly shape who we are, and we carry them with us daily. Our values for life dictate everything we do, and I will elaborate on this later in this post, after telling you which are my rules to live by.

Our dōjō kun

• Character

• Sincerity

• Effort

• Etiquette

• Self-control

This dōjō kun is actually popular in many styles of karate, but not primarily from Goju Ryu, I recently learned. However, the beauty of it is that it is simple and easy to remember, perfect for if you train children and want to give them good values for life. I actually used it in my classroom when I was a teacher for a short time, and it worked well with the kids.

It's perfect for linking to all areas of life: work, family, training, health ...

Teruo Chinen's dōjō kun

I read here that for Okinawan Goju Ryu (the style I trained in), the dōjō kun featured on the walls of Teruo Chinen's dojo (a key figure in our style and a name I remember well) was actually translated into English as:

• Hitotsu: Be humble and polite.

• Hitotsu: Train considering your physical strength

• Hitotsu: Practice earnestly with creativity.

• Hitotsu: Be calm and swift.

• Hitotsu: Take care of your health.

• Hitotsu: Live a plain life.

• Hitotsu: Do not be too proud or modest.

• Hitotsu: Continue your training with patience.

As you can see, these rules for life are much more varied and thorough, and I like how deep they get but are also very pure. 'Life a plain life': not falling for extravagance. 'Train considering your physical strength': I know how easy it is to try to compete with others and go beyond what your body allows. Take it steady and at your own pace. This counts for all things in life, and not just training in a martial art or sport. Trust your body.

Since reading these were the values for life for our parent dōjōs, I've been reflecting on them more, but they're a bit longer to remember, and the short one we used in our dōjō is still better for daily reminders.

Bushido dōjō kun

Then, the dōjō kun for bushido, the way of the warrior. Basically samurai etiquette and the moral code for everything they live by.

• Loyalty is the essential duty of the soldier.

• Courage is essential since the trait of the fighting man is his spirit to win.

• Valour is a trait to be admired and encouraged in the modern warrior.

• Faithfulness in keeping one's word.

• Simplicity is a samurai virtue.

Again, simple, focused on being true to yourself, simple, honest, modest, loyal, with good effort. Can you see a pattern?

Find your values for life, for both inside the dōjō and out.

Linking martial arts and bushido values to daily life

This is where I finally pause being a martial arts nerd and switch to word nerd and show you how this links to life and writing.

The main concept of the dōjō kun was that it was to be used both inside the dōjō and outside. We were taught as children, and then throughout my life as I grew up, that these rules to live by didn't stay in the dōjō when I walked out of the door. They came with me wherever I went, and I had to live by them all the time to live an honourable life.

That lesson stayed with me.

One of the key lessons in martial arts and the bushido lifestyle is that it's not just for while you're training. It's a lifestyle, not an action or a hobby. It's all the time. The samurai were to be loyal and simple and live with valour always, much like the Arthurian knights, and martial artists are to be modest and live with etiquette and effort always.

How it links to writing and life

Writing a book is a marathon. It takes a lot of effort. You have to have the self-control and discipline to keep going, even when it's tough, every day. Is you have strong values for life, it will help you when it comes to writing a book.

Keeping a writing habit is the key part of being an author. Many people suffer writer's block, but that comes from lack of routine. Creativity is a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. Same for writing. With strong rules for life and values, you can give yourself the boost you need.

As for life, having strong values will give you the tools you need to navigate a good life and achieve what you want to. They'll help you engage well with others, have the strength to make good decisions, and the foundation to trust yourself in the choices you make. With good rules to live by, you'll know you always give it your all and live an honourable, sincere life.

• Character: to have good character means you choose to do what is morally right, always, and have admirable traits such as honesty, courage, and take responsibility for your actions and life.

• Sincerity: be honest and truthful always, in speech, decisions, actions. To others and to yourself.

• Effort: put effort and hard work into all you do, and you'll know you always did your best.

• Etiquette: live with good manners, be polite, and act well according to the social norms of the place you are living.

• Self-control: act with discipline, and regulate your thoughts, behaviours, actions based on temptations and impulse. Learn what is appropriate and when.

Final thoughts

I miss my dōjō family. I trained with them twice a week for years, and many of them watched me grow from the age of ten until I left for Japan and Australia when I was twenty-four. That's a long time, and certainly enough time to impact how you live. So, the lessons from the dōjō and those I met there will guide me in all my life.

Values for life? Absolutely.

What are your values for life, and where did you learn them?

#lifevalues #valuesforlife #dojolessons #martialarts #rulestoliveby #lifelessons

Embrace being an amateur and share your work

I recently read Austin Kleon's book called Share your Work. It was really inspiring for me, and eye-opening in the way I get very nervous showing people my work, especially when it's not perfect. For that reason, I often hide much of what I do and then never have anything to share with you all! I'm learning to get over my complex of having to be perfect, and Austin Kleon's book gave me that boost. So, today I'm sharing the lesson I learned with you in his book: embrace being an amateur and share your work.

These pics are from my Instagram, which you can check out here.

You can buy a copy of Share Your Work here if it catches your eye! I'd 100% recommend it for inspiration in sharing work.

The key idea of how to embrace being an amateur and share your work

What does it mean to embrace being an amateur and share your work? Well, often people feel they have to be good at something straight away. We get nervous about the beginner stage, and feel like we can't be 'new' at something. In fact, Austin says that this amateur stage is one of the best places to be, as you get away with exploration and having fun and just learning new things. If you're an expert, you have no place to hide and more criticism. As an amateur, the world of learning and mistakes is open to you, and no one really cares.

As such, the time of an amateur is the perfect time to play around and share your work. Share the new processes you're learning, your explorations, have a bit of fun, and bring people along for the ride. People will come along for the journey and see how you're growing, and you'll develop a great network of people who also support you and love what you're interested in too.

How I've been embracing this idea

It's going to be hard for a while to get used to this new idea and breaking free from perfectionism. However, it's the perfect time to start: now.

Stage one of me using this is with my book writing. Actually, scratch that, with any writing in general, as since I read that book, I've been doing it with these blog posts. I used to spend ages worrying about what to write, planning it, drafting it, reviewing it ... now I just write it and let it happen. It's more me now, I feel, so I'm enjoying it more. I'm sharing my work, letting go of the need to be perfect, and I'm doing that also in my blogs while I share it.

Additionally, for ages, I've wanted to get back into drawing. But, again, I always worried when something went wrong or worried about showing people in case it wasn't good. How much angst is it to live like that?! No more, no way. So, I've been enjoying getting back into drawing (with pencil or biro on paper) and I've even embraced being an amateur by learning something new that I've wanted to do for ages but always worried about: digital art.

So, from here on, I'm going to show you my journey of teaching myself how to draw digitally and getting better at drawing in general and exploring the world of art again. I've really missed it. See how being overly critical of myself has held me back?

It's time to change that. So, with my writing, drawing, digital art ... anything I do from here on, I'm going to embrace being an amateur and share my work, and I'd love for you to come on the journey with me. Let's get rid of the mindset that we have to be great all the time at what we do. It can't be healthy.

And to start it off, here's the first digital art I'd like to share with you on this journey to share my work and growth.

Image 1: Pantherlily

(My Learning digital art #1—Pantherlily from Fairy Tail is here to start the journey of sharing digital art learning)

Pantherlily is one of my favourite manga/anime characters ever. He's a magical panther warrior who turned chibi (small) when he was sucked into a different world with less magic. He's still really cool and strong though, and his favourite thing is kiwis.

Sorry, Lily, I forgot your tail :O

I used my Pantherlily plush (yes, I'm an absolute otaku and have anime merch for my favs) as the reference for this piece.

I learned a lot in drawing this by watching YouTube videos on a few techniques I wanted to learn:

• Sketching and then using a new layer to make one single, sure outline. I'm a feathery drawer by nature, and my dad often tries to tell me to just to one single line ... but, Daaaaad ...

• How to fill in areas of colour by referencing the outline layer and dragging and dropping the colour into that space.

• How to make my lines smooth rather than uneven (look at the outline of the kiwis vs the outlines of Pantherlily. See how it's much smoother? Progress even in one drawing!)

Next drawing, I want to learn/develop:

• Smooth lines for the whole image outline now I know how to do it.

• How to use layer masks to assist with colour shading so I can add 3D vibes, not just block colours.

• How to reduce the pixelated feel on lines by choosing the correct canvas size.

Onwards and upwards, and I'm excited to be doing this and sharing it with you.

Will you embrace being an amateur and share your work?

I hope this helps you give yourself a chance to embrace being an amateur and share your work. Is there something you want to try or pick back up again that you were being too harsh on yourself with that you really want to give a go again?

Try it, and share your journey. I'm sure you'll be warmed with the encouragement you're given. I think, more than anything, people like seeing the growth journey of others, especially as it seems more relatable than seeing someone be instantly great at something. It brings back the enjoyment of a hobby or skill and brings a more positive mindset to it.

And, if you want to buy Austin Kleon's book and learn more about embracing being an amateur and sharing your work, I 100% recommend it. It's a small but beautiful book with lots of little pieces of growth advice. You can get it on Amazon here: Austin Kleon: Share Your Work.

What do you think of this concept?

Will you embrace being an amateur and share your work?

#ShareYourWork #BookRecommendation #LifeLessons #DigitalArt #FanArt