Has spring come?

It snowed in Tokyo on the 9th and today it's 20C (68F)! The warm wind is still blowing hard since this morning and I wonder if it's "Haru-ichiban (first spring storm)" which is the annual opening act for spring... probably not though I wish it were.

In my country, school year and business year end in March and they begin in April. So it's the time people come and go. A month people feel sentimental and elation at the same time. Saying good-bye to people you've worked with is sad but welcoming new people is refreshing. Some of my colleagues start a new life. I wish them good luck, indeed!

While I was taking a bath last night, I suddenly realized that I had never worked in a division where I share my work with someone. I have only worked for 3 years as a full-timer at the beginning of my career but even that job, which is almost the same as what I do now at a publisher as one of my freelance work, was all taken care by me alone with a boss for convenience who knows little about what I really do. That, I guess, nurtured my ability to challenge and manage what I have not experienced because it was always "try and error" where I am the only one to be blamed when something fails. In my 20s, I wasn't really aware of that... guess I was lucky in that sense.

It may sound strange but I've always wondered why musicians don't get scared of playing the only instrument in a band where every instrument is heard and it totally stands out if you make a mistake. I thought I would never be brave enough to take that risk. But last night, I began to understand there's nothing to be scared of because everything there is purely fun. Even a little mistake is a part of it that can make you a better player. I just thought what musicians do and what I do were totally different but in this aspect of working for fun with love, it's the same!

Maybe people working only for money without love for what they do can hardly realize that but if you love what you do, it's pretty easy to agree with me here. I don't work long hours in my office now although I do at home when I have to meet the deadline. It's simply a matter of where I can fully activate my concentration and what I need to focus on. And the reason why? I love what I do!! I just can't live without it!!

I've seen some people get into a pitfall of hating what they do that they originally started from their love for that particular thing. They just start bitching about it and eventually looking for something else that attracts them. If you hate something, everything else looks better than that, right? That's another pitfall underneath the first one.

I've been fortunate not to get into any pitfall of such throughout my career so far. Of course, there were many ups and downs that simply discouraged me. I don't deny that. But when the ups come, the downs are fine spices to appreciate them more. And I want all the people who start a new life soon to know that. Life is not so bad after all! :)