The ancient mountain dwellers of Japan For starters, the only way to really understand what a yamabushi is, is to become one yourself. However, I understand this isn’t exactly practical for most people, so I will give a rudimentary introduction of my understanding of the yamabushi from my perspective as a Dewa Sanzan Shrine Yamabushi. …

It’s up to you. — Motivate. Inspire. Lead. Or do the opposite of course. My Yamabushi Mailing List

That’s where you start. — This is your soul giving you the momentum to get started, and to proceed. All you have to do, is let it. Accept it. Surrender to your soul, and let it lead the way. My Yamabushi Mailing List

Be weary how you use your time — I completed a Sudoku game, and it told me how much time had elapsed. They are probably going for the ‘can you beat this time?’ angle, but all I felt was ‘this is how much time this game took up, was it worth it? …

The two go hand in hand — You have to be even slightly obsessed to get anything done. Or, at least, to give anything a chance of being done to its potential. Our obsessions get a bad wrap. When we become obsessed with things, we neglect others. By being obsessed we can give things our best. Therefore, to be able to give your best requires neglecting, sacrificing, one thing or another. When you are prepared to be obsessed with something, you have to be prepared to sacrifice something else.

As good a time as any — If as good a time as any is as good a time as any, now’s your chance. Now’s your chance to make that change, to shift the dial, to push things forward. The best time to do so was yesterday. The next best time is now. Get it started, get it done. Join The Yamabushi Mailing List!

It all starts with doing — Experience for the sake of experience. Experience for the sake of doing something. I am totally not against this. When you aren’t sure exactly what you should be doing, you simply should just be doing. It’s not entirely relevant what it is you choose to do, the point is that…

Let your curiosity get the better of you — It doesn’t mean you won’t, but it certainly means you should. You’ve been pondering the plans for a while. They’ve been floating around in your head. You’ve got the action plan, even in primitive form. Just go ahead and do it. Let your curiosity lead you. Let it get the better of you. Join The Yamabushi Mailing List!

Where your focus should go — A good photographer is able to instantly lead the viewer to the subject of the photo. When surrounded with potential subjects, like a bunch of leaves, the trick is to put the focus on one in particular. You don’t have to have one in mind, but you do have to have one in focus. Join The Yamabushi Mailing List!