The Break...

Hey squad!! How is everyone?

There is a LOT to talk about, ranging from flight giveaways (did I mention I was planning on doing a Patreon-ONLY one? hehe) all the way to ongoing Patreon projects, a potential meetup calendar, and more! 

But for today I want to talk about one simple thing: I just took a break.

I prepped for this one (on the youtube side at least) so many may not have even noticed. But many did notice as well and so I thought it would be nice to share.

This year has been an eventful one in many ways. Unfortunately back in Feb of this year, I suffered a fairly major family loss, and while I have been doing everything in my power to stay positive and keep moving forward, I knew that if I was going to KEEP my strength, that I needed to prioritize taking care of myself~
About 3 weeks ago, I started to feel homesick. A rarity for me. But I just missed my brothers and sisters. Missed people back home. And I could see that loved ones who were still struggling hard from Feb, could probably use a bit of a break in their routine as well. So I booked a flight back to Canada and spent an entire week with many of the people I love~!

An incredible (and short) week filled with relaxation, smiles, tears, food, and a beautiful and much-needed temporary break from Japan to get that outside view and context that is so hard to get from the inside!!

Since starting doing what I do, I have watched many friends burn out. Many get stressed or frustrated. In fact, almost every year I have had this big tendency to over-push myself at the end of every year, and then need a big break come January!

But we learn and grow! And this year, the biggest thing I have picked up is the absolute importance of not only self awareness and proper care, but the prioritization of these points before its too late!

And so as we get closer to the end of the year and approach the holiday season, I want to remind everyone here to take stock of where you are, and prioritize taking a bit of time to be where you need to be mentally and emotionally! Not just for yourself, but for those around you!! It's easy to get wrapped up in the end-of-year rush and holiday season, and wake up January 1st more exhausted than you've ever been! 

This year I have already started to make my January-March plans and goals from the start of November! Giving me something to look forward to. Something to work towards. And a solid reason to make sure I take enough breaks that I have energy to pull it all off!!

I mentioned above that being away from Japan is a great chance to gain some context. After years of being in Japan and not easily being able to leave, it's been wonderful seeing it from the outside again, and has inspired a ton of content ranging from simple, to complex, that I am excited to get out!!

And while this break has delayed a few projects like the 'Explore Like Tokyo Lens' series, please know that those are still VERY much underway! In fact in the weeks and months to come, things here on Patreon will continue to get better and better!!

PS

One last note!! For anyone at the Active Adventurer level or above, please don't forget that you have access to both the Discord server (where I love hanging out!) and the Secret Instagram (where I do very sporadic livestreams! sometimes as many as 3-4 a week! or... disappear for a whole week or two lol)
How to gain access and all that is in the Patreon welcome email you received when you joined!!

Thank you all so much for the love and patience, and if you haven't started on the 'Explore Like Tokyo Lens' series yet, you can start with Episode 1 right here:  
https://www.patreon.com/posts/explore-like-01-71970004?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator