How I learned you can always start over.

The worst thing that could happen to you can really be the best thing that has ever happened to you.

For me it was failing my tourism business during the pandemic, and I had to start over.

I lost my money, my girlfriend. Even lost faith.

Japan was the last to open its ports from the pandemic so when Southeast Asia started to open its ports, I closed my business, and went on a food trip around Southeast Asia.

It was like going through a dark tunnel

My trip around Southeast Asia was interesting, but to be honest I wasn't able to enjoy myself to the fullest.

I had to cut my expenses, so I stayed in basic Airbnb accomodation, went for street food, walked and read books a lot.

It's nice, to see different things to where I was born in Japan, or where I grew up in San Francisco, or where I worked in Singapore and some parts of Europe.

But at the back of my mind I knew I'm lost without much meaning in life.

The color I see is gray and dark at the time. But three years have passed and when I look back, it's a much brighter color. 

The way I see things seems to have changed.

Everyday I learn something

In Southeast Asia, everyday, I learned something. 

Either from books or just by walking and observing things and talking to locals.

In Thailand, the Vipassana Meditation at the time was only a good experience, but over the years have become a useful technique for me to solve problems I come across.

• The best thing I learned from meditation

In Vietnam, locals loved to socialize and learn from each other. Many loved to read, and I felt from them a strong drive to learn for a better life.

• The 5 things a Japanese loved and learned in Vietnam!

In Indonesia, people were really caring and shared a lot. It's difficult to be depressed when you're surrounded by good people.

• My 1 month with the happiest locals I met in Bali

In Malaysia, never had I felt any healthier. Malaysia was an ideal place to learn to build simple and good habits. 

• What I learned living in Malaysia

You can always start over

The worst thing was to fail in the business, but the best thing from the worst day of my life is that I learned that starting over is possible. And it's engaging as well.

I used to have this pressure that the things I do have to impress my peers. But now that I failed, I no longer feel that pressure. I was able to release something unnecessary.

It feels even silly that I felt that what I need to do always has to impress people. 

For me it was in business but whether it is work, relationships, health, what I learned is that life always has room to start over.

So if you're in a challenging situation, have faith. You just have to understand that it will take time, but you're just in a transition to a place where you'll look back that the worst day of your life was actually a good stage in your life in the long run.

So how did I start over? It was focusing on compounding good habits, and having a surplus of income at the end of the month. I make sure these two are met and the result is, I'm at the happiest stage of my life in three years.

• How one good habit led to more good habits

Thanks for reading:)

Thanks for reading the content👋

In the blog I will share things I learned especially about finance and life advice. 

Japanese are relatively good savers when it comes to money, and I've been realizing it comes from good habits and mindsets that anyone can learn.

So, over time I'd like to share what I learned, and hope to learn from you, too.

X:

Instagram：

【Ryu Aomi】

I'm rearranging my posts right now, and want to move my English ones to ryu-aomi.com. I will post Japanese only on this site and delete the English posts on ryu-aomi.net at the end of 2024.