Our mindset determines the life we live. If we have a positive mindset, we can be happy a vast majority of the time. If we focus on the negativity, we can fall into the depths of anger and sadness. 😀
If you observe happy people, they light up everyone around them, and their positive energy pushes them through their challenges. In contrast, negative people are uncomfortable to be around and they fall seem to always fall apart with tantrums, anger, and/or sadness.
I can pull long hours working at my happy office, a coffee shop. Here, I’m working at Starbucks @starbucks @waikelestarbucks at Waikele Premium Outlets with my friends. I have my Apple @apple Macbook Pro, Samsung @samsungmobile Galaxy S7, and Bose @bose Quiet Comfort 25, my weapons to produce content and IP.
Do you have places to work that lift your spirit where you can maximize your productivity?
My anxiety level is up today so seeing this post by @riskhappy is motivating me to snap out of my terrible feeling. I’m going to focus and work on what I can control. First, my appointments and work I have to finish dealing with my immediate deadline, followed by another deadline, and then another, and then paying a big bill. The first is extremely important because if I succeed in executing it, I can complete what I need to do for the other three areas in the short-run and long-run.
Practices: (1) Focus on what I can control; (2) Work on one thing at a time to maximize my productivity; and (3) Be present and put aside my fear of what may or may not happen tomorrow.
What are your strategies to alleviate anxiety and stress? I hope you’re doing well! ❤
#anxietyremedies #stressrelief #anxietyrelief #anxiety #stress #worry #fear #business #law #governmentaffairs #entrepreneurship #ecommerce #socialmediamarketing #writing #prioritize #productivity #bepresent #mindfulness #keepgoing #stepbystep #personalgrowth #selfhelp #selfimprovement #motivation #quote #motivationalquote #spilledthoughts #practices
Repost @riskhappy (@get_repost)
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“10 years from now, make sure you can say that you chose your life, you didn’t settle for it.” – Mandy Hale #riskhappy
We can do a lot when we’re single because we can push ourselves to the limits until our body and mind needs to sleep. Being on our own, we have a great amount of control of our direction and momentum. However, being alone can be lonely at times.
A relationship with a significant other can either boost us or slow us down. It can make us happier or more miserable. 😊😪
When you fall in love, how far are you willing to go? How much are you willing to sacrifice? When things aren’t going right, do you follow your gut feelings, and if so, to what extent? ❤💔
Even as adults we’re still trying to figure out our own life.
Get ready for the new kids.
They’ll rise, they’ll fall.
No matter what, they’ll find their way through it all.
– Jon Riki Karamatsu, Poem, 5/31/19 –
Every older generation seems to criticize the younger ones. We can guide the younger generations in a positive way, but in the end, the children will choose their own destiny by trying, failing, and succeeding on their interests and passions.
We control our own destiny, and influence those coming up. The children are our future. They learn by observing us adults. If we yell and scream all the time, they’ll become adults yelling and screaming at their family and at people at work, maybe even at strangers in the public. Peace starts with us, and it continues with the legacy we leave behind by those who were influenced by us. Let’s choose kindness, love, empathy, and compassion to make our world more peaceful!
It feels so good to be present and take in the beauty around us. This is a video of the clouds, skies, and sunset over Waikele, Hawaii on February 19, 2019! Aaaahhh. Recharge!
I love experiencing the moment when the glow of the setting sun make the clouds pink with the blue sky as a backdrop! These are pleasures that I didn’t fully embrace when I was younger. Whenever I’m outdoors, I take some time to breathe the fresh Hawaiian air and admire the beauty of Hawaii around me. It lifts my spirit everytime.
I think about death every day. It has been on my mind since I was brand new to this world. A time when I could count my age with one hand. I remember thinking about it when my uncle Dwight had died. I asked my dad, “What happens after you die?”
He answered, “When you die, you die, that’s it.”
I went to my bedroom and cried on my bed. With the urging of my mom, my dad came to my room and told me that there’s a nice place where people go to after they die.
Understanding my impermanence has been my greatest motivator ever since. I go all-out on every passionate vision that crosses my mind. I’ve tried so many things because of it. I had some nice experiences and some not so nice experiences, but one thing’s for sure, I have no regrets. I would rather try and fail than to not try and wonder what if I had given it a shot? And for the times I did win, man it’s an indescribable feeling of euphoria where you’re so happy you cry in a higher realm because of all the suffering you went through in order to achieve your goal.
No matter how bad life can be, as long as we’re alive, we can still do a lot of damage. You’ll never know what your limits are unless you push yourself to break them. When you befriend death, you love life more. You don’t waste time on petty things many people complain about. Nor do you hate and judge others. These negative types of people may only realize the most important things in life when they face their own imminent mortality if they are lucky enough to have some time to think before they die.
With this state of mind, death has been a strange friend of mine. I love death as much as I love life because death has taught me how to live.
Often times we’re so focused, even obsessed on #winning the big business projects, the marathons, that we bypass the smaller ones that could play a huge role in building us up. For me, the big business projects take a long time and until then, I don’t make any income from them. Recently, I’ve had to adjust and include small to medium projects in order to get quicker turnarounds for income to help sustain myself financially. It can be stressful at times not knowing the future.
What are your strategies for your goals? Do you include small to medium projects with your large projects?
Running gives me the runner’s high with the #endorphins and #dopamine kicking in. 🏃♂️
Walking and absorbing the beauty of the sky, clouds, and sunset puts me in a powerful state of presence where I feel a #spiritual and #emotional connection with the beauty of my surroundings. ⛅
Here’s a picture of the sunset in Waikele, Hawaii on March 14, 2019.
The Internet exposes who we already are! If we’re angry and judgmental, it shows. If we’re compassionate and empathic, others feel it. If we’re authentic and vulnerable, we become even more real to others. Don’t fear being broken. At some point in our lives, we all are. Let the perfect and judgmental people stick together in their own world. Together, in our authentic tribe, we rebuild and rise again! I’m honored that we can connect on the Internet from all over the world! I love you all! Keep crushing it!!! 😃👊❤
Different things can trigger our darkness such as the deaths of those we love, the deterioration of our body and mind, negative people, negative events, and failure. Our challenges and the fact that we are impermanent can be a powerful motivator for us to make the most of what we have now. Love everything with an awakened mind: the beautiful sky, your loving family and friends, and your passion projects. 😊
My #hair represents time. It’s a physical and daily reminder that #time is ticking. Once time passes, we can’t go back. We have to go all out on what we want now and #love our loved ones now. The longer my hair grows, the more #motivated I am to #work on my #goals and love my loved ones. 👊
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The second reason I enjoy having short hair to long hair is to break away from any feelings of #stagnation . So much of our life is based on our #mindset . I don’t want to be the same all the time. I don’t want to be doing the same thing over and over again. I want to constantly #evolve over time. I want to keep #expanding and #reinventing myself. So as my hair grows over 8 or more months, hopefully, so does my #knowledge , #skills , and #relationships .
Everything I do has a reason. There’s #practicality in growing your hair for #productivity besides saving money. I’ve enjoyed cutting my hair short and growing it out since my late teens. Try it! The Jon Riki Productivity Strategy! For me, it makes life #fun !! 😃
I had a nice time at Starbucks working on a marketing project for my client while my friend Claire since high school worked on her business educational project. We had a great talk about accounting, marketing, law, and vulnerability, some of the fundamentals for business. I’m growing to love vulnerability – you know that high you get when you do uncomfortable things because it could lead you to something amazing. That euphoric yet uncomfortable feeling you get when you can feel and taste your vision but you get attacked and judged by others along the way. You put on your bulletproof vest and keep going, taking the hits.
For all of you falling into darkness, I feel you. We can support one another by sharing our vulnerability as we move forward in our journey. Then when you get those big wins, share them with all of us! Now you can fire back in the air – your heroic fireworks!!! 😃
I became a lawyer and politician with this goal in mind through the laws and programs I created or supported.
I enjoy business because #commerce can connect people when a great value is provided.
I love writing fiction because you can touch the souls of people by evoking their emotions through the struggles your characters go through. If you can make a reader have compassion and empathy for a character they would have disliked or even hated but for the story, then you’ve played a small role in bridging the division created by human judgment. Such stories can be adapted into audio and visual form such as audio books and movies to reach a greater audience.
Nonfiction writing can play a role in our self-development in not just our career but our personal development to attain inner peace. If all of us are at peace, the world will be at peace.
So what do you think about attaining world peace? If we break it down into bite size pieces and work on ourselves and help others every single day, it’s possible right!
May peace be with you! Sending you positive energy!
What is your mantra? Is there a #word or #phrase that #inspires and #motivates you? Many Buddhists chant #mantras or have them sounded internally in one’s thoughts. They are either repeated continuously for some time or just sounded once. Mantras can keep our mind awakened with a crystal clear #vision of our lives and world filled with #love and #positivity . A #mantra can #motivate us to keep working on a practice that helps us maintain our positive #lifestyle .
Of the many #practices I do to keep myself #happy and motivated, it’s amazing how this simple #practice of speaking your mantra daily can boost your entire your day. For example, my mantra is “gratitude.” Gratitude is a practice in itself. I learned how to be #grateful from my mom since I was a little kid. She would always be telling me about how good and useful certain products are. While driving, she would compliment on how smooth a road was. From the moment I wake up, I tell myself, “I’m grateful to be alive.” I’m super grateful to be able to strive for all kinds of ideas. I’m extremely grateful for all my loved ones. On my bad days, by focusing on all the things I’m grateful for, I’m able to get some wins. In fact, my suffering has played a role in expanding my gratitude, which I wrote about in previous posts.
Pictured on my wrist is a bracelet with “Gratitude” engraved on it by My Intent @myintent . Also pictured on my wrist is my Jodo Shu Buddhist prayer beads from its headquarters in Kyoto, Japan, given to me by one of the head Bishops when he was in Hawaii in 2018.
Everyday speak out your mantra and attack your day with the light of positivity!
Howzit! What’s up! I love this moment with my #niece on February 16, 2019 at Salt Our Kaka’ako @saltourkakaako in Honolulu, Hawaii. Everyday, #children #learn exponentially with their desire to find out what they don’t understand. They have an immense amount of #curiosity . The children in our lives can inspire us to continue being #curious and have that excited #desire to learn.
Stay curious my friends! Sending positive energy to you!
There are 4 powerful energy sources to boost our motivation on our goals: Vision, Passion, Positive People, and Suffering. I use these energy sources to fuel my 4 rocket boosters that launches me towards the stars, my dreams.
Today, I want to focus on suffering. It’s a topic that isn’t placed on a pedestal but its superpower can be used for good if we learn to control its power. Many of us let our suffering bring us down. We also try to escape it. Negative people take it out on others. Instead, we should embrace our pain and make the most of this powerful source of energy.
In a previous post, I mentioned how suffering can expand our gratitude. In this article, I want to point out how suffering can boost our motivation on our goals. For me, suffering has been a tremendous motivator in my life. When I trained in the martial arts, specifically Aikido, we learned to take the energy from the on-coming attacker and use it to our advantage to win. Likewise, when suffering comes at us, we take that dark energy and convert it into positive energy by using it in our efforts to develop our mind, body, and soul. For example, my suffering gets me more pumped up to write, read, learn, exercise, meditate/self-reflect, and such. It has worked for me since I was a kid. When someone rejects me or attacks me, I get motivated to work harder. When people I love die, I’m motivated to hustle even more, and I dedicate my craft and success to them.
I wish you all the best in your efforts to turn your suffering into positive actions in your life. Keep crushing it my friends!
Being a 5th generation American on my mom’s side of the family and 4th generation on my dad’s and born and raised in Hawaii where there is a mixture of ethnicities with no majority, I was surprised to experience discrimination in Eastern Washington when I lived there and Idaho where I frequented with my law school friends for snowboarding and events. In Idaho, on a snowboarding trip, my law school friends Paul from Hawaii (hapa: Caucasian and Japanese), Joe from Southern California (Filipino), Marx from New Orleans, Louisiana (Jewish), and I went to a venue where we weren’t served. Not quite sure if my friend Karlin (Inupiak Eskimo and Caucasian) was there since he snowboarded with us. Also, in Cour d’alene, Idaho, on 4th of July, white supremacists drove by in their 4×4 trucks and jeeps yelling bad stuff with their Confederate and Nazi flags. Our country, the United States is not doing too well on these issues with a number of very public incidents.
My late great uncle Roy Okubo, my late grandma Bessie Karamatsu’s baby brother enlisted in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 522nd Artillery during World War II to prove the loyalty of Americans of Japanese Ancestry despite the racism and mass imprisonment done by our country.
When I became a politician in Hawaii, I pushed for equal rights for all, including legislation for gay marriage for the LBGT community and support of programs for single mothers and survivors of abuse. My political career has been overshadowed by my legal bouts with driving under the influence. Thus, now, I’m directing a good portion of my energy towards writing fiction, nonfiction, poems, and creative writing, on top of my business projects and legal career. Through stories, we can touch people’s souls by reaching into their emotions. Laws can’t do this in the way storytelling can. I’m hopeful that love, compassion, and empathy will overcome anger, hate, and discrimination. Together, we’ll make this world better!
I dedicate this poem to all you working on your dreams. Like many of you, I’m going through the process. Despite the tears, anxiety, and stress, keep working at it day by day! By doing so, we will improve ourselves by 1% or more everyday. No matter what, we will gain knowledge, skills, and relationships! Getting our dream is the bonus.
I have so much #gratitude for Starbucks @starbucks , especially the @waikelestarbucks @waikelepo because the baristas are so nice and the #vibe is good. I can #work there for 10 hours straight. Pictured here are some free samples: a brownie and the Pink Drink! Grateful ! Got my constant companion, my @apple #macbookpro #laptop ! 💻
For the past few years, I feel like almost every month or two, someone I know dies. My last poem was about racing against time. It’s the 9th time since 2004 that I’ve titled a post on my website “Racing Against Time.” We have to go all-out on what we want to do before our time in this realm expires. I’m super #thankful to have lived this long and experienced many things I envisioned #accomplishing but I still have so much more on my mind that I need to execute before I die. I’m quadrupling down on my work and going harder now! 💻
My friends, keep going, keep loving, and keep smiling! 😀
I only catch the #bus for #meetings. Yesterday was different. As usual, I do #work on my @samsungmobile #smartphone and @apple #macbook pro while riding the bus, but I was super excited because I was meeting with my friends Jerry L. Chang @mastif8 and Dick Kim for a get-together @shirokiyajvw !!! Jerry and I served in the Hawaii State House of Representatives together. He is also a real estate developer and former administrator for the University of Hawaii at Hilo. We have so much fun memories, especially our adventurous travels to other states and countries. He’s a great statesman and has so much positive energy. Jerry has been a huge mentor in my life!!! 😊
Dick is an import/export businessman doing trade between the United States and many countries. He is a very kind person, and I enjoy listening about how he sees opportunities in business. He has also influenced my life as such a positive and kind person!!! 😊
I’m so lucky to have wonderful experiences with great people like Jerry and Dick!!!
My friend Mike Noguchi picked me up at Ala Moana Hotel where I was working at after a meeting with a client at Ala Moana Center. He treated me to dinner at Ruby Tuesdays @rubytuesdayhawaii in Moanalua, Hawaii.
On a sad note, a close friend of my family died, my dad’s really good friend. He was my cub scout master, soccer coach, metal shop teacher, political supporter, and a mentor on how to live a positive life. He was always smiling and laughing. He always took my family and I to the airport and picked us up when we traveled. I’m deeply saddened.
When I eat, I do my best to be #present and enjoy the #flavors of my #meal. I’m #grateful for being able to #experience it and #thankful for the #efforts of the #chefs and #staff in preparing the meal.
Here’s a close-up on the #hamachi #sashimi I had a week ago or so @magurobrothershawaii in Chinatown, #honolulu #hawaii .
Here’s two strategies I use for my productivity: (1) Grow your hair long and cut it when you finish some of your goals; and/or (2) Have your sibling or siblings or an immediate family member have children because you will watch very closely how fast they grow up, which will make you work harder to get things done.
We can grow our hair long anytime. I’ve been doing it since I was a teenager, even when I was a politician and government attorney. As for our loved ones having children, well, this is a bit more tricky. Have fun with this strategy!
Here are pictures of my 10-month old niece and I with our long bangs on October 20, 2018 in San Mateo, California.
I’m a strong believer in having a positive mindset in order to be happier and more fulfilled in life. In this post, I would like to point out the importance of us having a growth mindset, which is believing that our abilities and intelligence can be developed. We can develop our knowledge and skills by reading and practicing everyday. The more we work on our knowledge and skills, the better we get. If we keep up this daily practice, over time, we may attain the knowledge and become very good at the skills we envisioned ourselves achieving.
I like to schedule in my Google calendar blocks of time to learning and building skills and I color code them according to the subject matter. I count each 30-minute period of learning or practicing as a “win” in my Count My Wins program I created for myself. This program gives me a natural high from the happy chemicals released when I finish each 30-minute self-development session. I’m a very curious person so I push myself even in areas I’m unfamiliar with. I really want to become a better person mentally, spiritually, and physically.
Have fun in your self-development! Crush it!
3 of my daily practices: growth mindset, mindfulness, and gratitude.
(I took a picture of these plants and trees in Waikele, Hawaii on March 12, 2019. They represent growth in our growth mindset practice. I’m always mindful of the beauty around me. I’m grateful to experience such simple pleasures.)
Technology has made it easier for us to produce and consume. When I started an Internet retail store selling Hawaiian themed products back in 2002, customers were increasingly becoming more comfortable on buying products online. Now, it’s a part of our lifestyle. It’s such an exciting time where we don’t need offices and brick and mortar stores. We can bypass the gatekeepers and provide value straight to the consumers. We can research and learn online. We can produce content and services on our computers. We can communicate with one another in many ways. It’s also a great time for artists and entrepreneurs to disrupt markets and be found. I just love this time period and it will keep getting better!
In this picture, I was working on my @apple Macbook Pro in the lounge of a hotel on March 6, 2019 before my lunch meeting with a law client in regards to business contracts and business documents. Isn’t this lounge and all the plants beautiful!
I’m so grateful for technology and all of my technology toys for work! They make the hustle fun!
From the middle, suffering expands our gratitude practice by making us more present and aware of the light in a mass of darkness, which is all the good things we have in our lives. Here are my 10 examples of how suffering can expand our gratitude practice:
1. When a loved one dies, we’re grateful for the time we had with that person.
2. When our romantic relationship falls apart, we’re grateful to have had the opportunity to experience romance.
3. When we fail at a goal, we’re grateful for the lessons we learned from the failure.
4. When we face financial hardship, we’re grateful for every little thing we have that helps us get by.
5. When we provide value for others and get attacked by opposition or critics, we’re grateful for our ability to create value for others and evolve.
6. When facts in litigation aren’t believed where we face fines, jail, or unfavorable rulings for business, divorce or our personal life, we’re grateful that we had the opportunity to tell what happened.
7. When we can no longer drive a vehicle, we’re grateful for public transportation.
8. When our health declines, we’re grateful for still being alive and having what abilities we still have.
9. When we are wronged by people, we’re grateful for all the positive people in our lives.
10. When our life appears to be in turmoil, we’re grateful that we were born to even have a shot at life.
3 of my daily practices are shown here: the middle way, gratitude, and listening to music (Im wearing Bose Soundsport)!
With the passing of my aunty JoAnn Matsumoto on February 1, 2019 due to pneumonia, I’ve fallen deeper into sadness. I feel an emptiness in my soul. Everyday I practice gratitude, mindfulness, meditation, creative writing, and my many other positive practices to keep moving forward. Nothing seems to matter to me except for those I love and my fiction and nonfiction writing for my far-reaching entertainment company. Everything in the stories I create embodies what my aunty JoAnn was: loving, caring, compassionate, emphatic, and positive. All my worse problems are small in comparison to losing my aunty. I would go to prison for my driving under the influence charge and lose more money with start-ups to have her back.
Yesterday, March 7, 2019, I attended the funeral services for my aunty JoAnn. She’s my mom’s cousin. She was like a sister for my mom Laraine and her sisters aunty Jamie and aunty Maydeen and brother Wilson because she stayed with them and their parents when she moved to Oahu for college from Hawaii island and spent so much time with them up to her recent passing.
My friends, cherish every moment with your loved ones. Them being with us makes our problems small. We can always make our comeback but we can’t get our loved ones back in physical form once they’re gone. We can always find ways to make money but that stuff doesn’t impact us the way good people do. I love you all. May peace be with you.
After years of remaining silent, I’ve decided to speak up on compassionate candidates like Tommy Waters @friendsoftommywaters for elected and appointed office. Unfortunately, power attracts some people who resort to anger, tantrums, and vindictiveness in our government, whether they be politicians, judges, or appointed officials. The only way to attain peace in our world is for all of us to attain peace within ourselves, especially with our leaders.
Tommy Waters @friendsoftommywaters cares for us. I know this from my experience with him when we served together in the Hawaii House of Representatives and when he was my opposing counsel in court. Know that even with difficult decisions, he puts all of his heart in. I saw this when he served as House Judiciary Chair, a position I served after him. Tommy is focused on providing value for us, not power. I’m getting a bit teary-eyed writing this because I know the struggles and attacks within politics and law, an area I once had great passion for. We really need good people like Tommy Waters, thus please vote for him on April 13, 2019!
Since I was little, my mom and dad encouraged me to try different things, learn, & work hard. You never know, anything is possible. You may live your dreams. Some of mine came true, like becoming a politician, practicing law, building businesses, & helping nonprofits with a mission of peace within ourselves & the world.
However, when you take a chance on a dream, a vision, a value you want to share with others, you put yourself at risk of failure, criticism, & even hate. I get most of my anxiety worrying about whether I will fail or if someone will attack me or my organization. Most of these anxieties are about things I can’t control. To lessen this darkness that slows down my progress & deflates my happiness, I practice what I can control: (1) Always keep learning & building new skills; (2) Hustle like I’m a fiercely determined soccer striker with #7 on the back of my jersey, practicing my craft everyday so I can play for that championship title; (3) Have patience in the process, as I understand many big goals take years to achieve; & (4) Be grateful from the moment I wake up until I sleep. I appreciate the chance to be alive, all the good things in my life, the lessons of my failures, the ability to learn new things, Hawaii, travel, & my loved ones.
It’s not always easy. We all have our down days. Yet, tomorrow is always another day to crush it! And yes, with a positive mindset, we can achieve great heights & fill our lives with happiness a vast majority of our time. So attack your dreams! Learn, hustle & live with patience. Most importantly, be grateful for your shot at life & all the wonderful things around you!
– Jon Riki Karamatsu, Haiku Poem No. 216, 12/31/2018 –
When you get taken down, take that negative energy to power your comeback. Rebuild, have empathy for your opposition, and keep providing value for others. Positivity will always rise.
– Jon Riki Karamatsu, Haiku Poem No. 212, 12/31/2018 –
The harder you work at your dreams, the further you go. The further you go, others will hate on you and crush you. All they see of you is dirt. Ignore them. They can crush the dirt for us. It is where we grind and hustle anyways. Focus on creating value for others, the diamonds underneath the dirt. Only those who appreciate the value you give them, will see and feel the diamonds!
JON RIKI KARAMATSU 