So, I’m back on the job market (again). This will be the third time I have been looking for a new role since 2022, and as much as this has bruised my ego and made me think I’m the worst marketer on the planet, it seems to be quite common nowadays given the state of the economy (at least in North America). I can count at least 5 friends or more who have been laid off in the last few years, which is a wild thing to say, as I know most of us never would have thought such a thing would become so common nowadays. So how have I been handling it this time around?

I flew to Japan (also again).

Isa and I had gone to Japan for the first time back in October of 2024, and absolutely fell in love with the country. It’s hard to fully articulate if you haven’t gone yourself, but they are definitely in the future over there, and I don’t just mean technology-wise either, but in terms of how they live their lives and treat everybody else around them (both tourists and locals). Japan has some of the most kind and thoughtful people I have ever met, despite not sharing a common language. I’ve travelled around the world quite a bit at this point and have experienced some trouble navigating and being a part of other communities when you don’t speak their native tongue. In Japan, they will go out of their way to try and accommodate you, and a lot of people have a translation app ready to help. Overall, they just seem way more mindful and considerate with everything they do than what I see from an average person in North America. I could go on and on about all the amazing things that you’d experience in Japan, but this isn’t a post declaring my love for it; more so, I wanted to cover the thoughts and observations I had during my solo two weeks over there as I looked to ‘soft reset’ from the turbulent past few months I’ve experienced. Without getting into too many details, here’s a summary of everything that I have gone through, which led me to feeling anxious, burnt out, and craving an escape from life temporarily:

1. Working 60+ hours per week at a job that started at 5 am and was draining my mental health, especially as we worked overtime to close 2 acquisitions in a matter of a month
2. Evacuating our home for 2 days in January due to the LA Wildfires, risking losing our home and everything in it (one of the scariest things I’ve been through in my life)
3. My home office flooded my walls & flooring in February, and my HOA refused to pay despite being responsible for the damages. Plus, having 2 weeks of renovations/work being done beside me as I tried to work said job from the same office.
4. Being laid off from said job (and back on unemployment)

This, plus some baggage that has been carried over from previous years, finally drove me to a point a few weeks ago where I had enough and needed something different. I had been joking with Isa for weeks about going to Japan suddenly, but never would have thought that I’d find a last-minute flight deal (with points) that would send me to Japan only 72 hours after booking. I was a mixed bag of emotions for the entire weekend leading up to the whimsical trip; part of me was excited to get away, and the other part of me was riddled with anxiety due to the financial obligations of going on an international trip (while being unemployed and not making money), and also the lack of planning/itinerary which is something I usually do for every adventure abroad (I have Google Sheets for every single trip I’ve taken in the last 10 years that are split by the hour as an FYI). I was really stepping out of my comfort zone here… and I am very glad I did. Without further ado, here’s part one of some of the thoughts I had while over there that I hope can be helpful to anybody reading:

People Are Simple, Yet Happy

What I’ve noticed on both trips to Japan is that most people around you seem very happy with how simple their lives are. A lot of people in Japan find their craft and practice it every day, regardless of how much money it’ll make them or where it’ll lead them in the future. Rather, they focus on the present, and do the best of their ability on that day alone.

I personally could incorporate more of this type of thinking into my life, as I’ve gotten to a point where I have prioritized success and money over other things. Granted, money has unlocked a lifestyle that I enjoy and does bring me happiness, but it’s not everything, and too many times I have gotten myself into situations (like working at this Crypto company) that I am truly not happy with, but put up with for the sake of trying to drive my career forward and finding happiness in other areas. It’s kind of ridiculous to think that I am purposely making myself unhappy in such a large area of my life, just to try and obtain happiness in other areas. I need to do a better job at finding balance so that I don’t need to make such a large sacrifice in one part of my life just to fuel the other.

Do Things For Yourself, and Prioritize Your Happiness

Something I realized a few years ago is that none of us were born to work, and we should try to maximize life as best we can. The problem is, this isn’t always easy to translate into real-life action, as there are responsibilities (like bills, family, etc) that we also need to manage, which may go against pursuing whatever makes you happy. With that, I’m not going to tell you to jump to a new extreme of pursuing everything you want and ignoring everything else, but possibly try to carve out a little more time in your day-to-day for things that bring you joy. I’ve stated this in previous blogs, so if anything this is a reminder for myself too.

On top of doing what you enjoy, do it well. The Japanese put a ton of effort into their craft and really strive to get better each day. It’s an inspiring way to do things that makes me want to also continually get better rather than just half assing what I work on, because who wants a mediocre life? So don’t just do things you enjoy, but do them well.

Shibuya Crossing – Organized Chaos, Just Like Life

This is more of a metaphor, but I found myself in the middle of Shibuya Crossing multiple times during this last trip. Something that always amazes me about this crossing is the number of people squished within this 50×50 intersection (according to Google, there are upwards of 3000 people at any time). So what does that have to do with anything?

Well, life is chaotic, just like this crossing. Although I’d argue that it’s an example of organized chaos, meaning that it has the potential to become hectic and crazy, yet it doesn’t due to the order that’s maintained by the people in it. The same can be said about life. It’s pretty damn hectic and chaotic at times, but as long as you instill order and do your best to control what you can, there’s no reason that you can’t continue to move forward and get to where you need to be… just like Shibuya Crossing.

I have some more thoughts, but in the interest of time and avoidance of rambling, they will be saved for another blog.

Until then.