How Do You Usually Spend Your Weekend?

I believe that the happiest and most productive life is based on habits.  That is, we should take a close look at what we do everyday. These are habits. We can then decide which actions are useful, as opposed to those which are a waste of time, gradually changing things for the better.

For me, I have three important habits. The first is to study everyday because I am what is known as a ‘life-long learner.’ That is, I believe we should constantly strive to learn new things and acquire new skills, even if our body feels older and stiffer everyday. In point of fact, if one’s body is feeling older and stiffer everyday then some habits need to be changed because this is not at all necessary! This brings me to my second habit.

I think the most important thing we can do everyday is exercise our body.  One of the most famous books ever written is called ‘The Seven Habits of Successful People,’ by Steven Covey. (I believe it may be one of the best selling books of all time.) At any rate, I would like to urge all of you to read it if you have not already done so. (It is available in Japanese) One of the habits Covey talks about is called ‘sharpen the saw.’ What he means by this is that we should keep our tools in good repair so that they last a long time. So often we leave gardening or woodworking tools out to rust, don’t we? In the same way, our body is a tool that can be kept in tip-top condition as though it were a saw or lawn-mower! As you know, my choice of exercise is yoga. Right now, I am doing the ‘Yoga with Adriene’ 30 day challenge. If you have time, why don’t you give it a whirl?  The results are tangible and very surprising!

I have one other habit I really focus on at the weekend. This also comes from Covey who stated ‘Love is not a noun, it is a verb!’ Don’t you think this is a wonderful way of thinking? What it means is that if we look for small actions we can do everyday that help and nurture our partner or our children then that all adds up to ‘love.’ Just talking about love and trying to feel it is a waste of time!  So, I constantly look for things that will make my wife’s life easier or make her feel a small glow of happiness.

So, there you have it. On my weekends I focus on these habits, wherever they take me. They are small things, but they add up to a happy existence!