Disclosure: This article includes affiliate links.<\/p>\n
A classmate gets promoted. A friend shares holiday photos. Another family looks wonderfully happy.<\/p>\n
You are pleased for them. That part is real. Yet after putting down your phone, your own ordinary day suddenly seems less impressive.<\/p>\n
A moment ago, life felt reasonably normal. Now you are conducting an unexpected performance review of yourself.<\/p>\n
Don’t be conceited, don’t compare yourself with others, take an interest in things, and live with composure.<\/p>Kirin Kiki \u2014 translated for this article<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n
Original: \u304a\u3054\u3089\u305a\u3001\u4eba\u3068\u6bd4\u3079\u305a\u3001\u9762\u767d\u304c\u3063\u3066\u3001\u5e73\u6c17\u306b\u751f\u304d\u308c\u3070\u3044\u3044. According to Shukan Josei PRIME’s report of Kiki’s farewell ceremony, her daughter Yayako Uchida recalled these words as something her mother had told her. We present them as words passed on by her daughter, not as a direct transcript of a lecture by Kiki. The English above is this article’s translation, not an official translation.<\/p>\n
An everyday reflection on these words<\/h2>\n
Their good news is not an instruction for you<\/h3>\n
A friend starting a new job is an event in your friend’s life. It is not a notification telling you to change yours immediately.<\/p>\n
Still, while looking at the screen, you may begin grading your own days. What am I doing with my life?<\/p>\n
You do not need to criticize yourself for comparing, either. First, notice what happened: you turned someone else’s news into your own score. Celebrating them and diminishing yourself do not have to come together.<\/p>\n
Interest does not mean pretending everything is funny<\/h3>\n
For this reflection, taking an interest in things does not mean laughing away painful experiences. The following is our own everyday reading, not a claim to explain all of Kiki’s intentions.<\/p>\n
It can mean returning your attention to something that quietly caught your interest: a shop on your way home, a neatly written line, or a pitch in a baseball game that made you look up.<\/p>\n
These moments may not look as glamorous as someone else’s holiday. But something moved in your own day. Not posting it or receiving praise does not erase the enjoyment.<\/p>\n
You can step back when composure feels out of reach<\/h3>\n
We need not read composure as a command to become someone who never gets hurt.<\/p>\n
If scrolling is making you miserable, close the screen for now. Give yourself time before replying. Talk to someone you trust. Taking some distance is an option too.<\/p>\n
One thing for today: return to a private pleasure<\/h3>\n
Think of one small thing you have wanted to enjoy. Open a book for one page, listen to a song, or look at the plant by your window. It need not cost money or become another appointment.<\/p>\n
After visiting someone else’s life on a screen, come back to your own. Even without impressive news to share, your day may still contain something worth noticing.<\/p>\n
How are you feeling? Explore more words for being yourself.<\/a><\/p>\n
Related reading<\/h2>\n
Misuzu Kaneko: Someone Else’s Strength Does Not Make You Smaller<\/a>
Shigeru Mizuki: You Do Not Have to Earn Your Day Off<\/a>
\u65e5\u672c\u8a9e\u7248\u3092\u8aad\u3080<\/a><\/p>\nSource<\/h2>\n