Even If I Don’t Have Great Talent, I Keep Improving a Little Every Day

Consistency has long been a small source of pride and comfort for me.

I don’t think I’m especially smart.

When I saw friends who could solve difficult problems at a glance or come up with brilliant ideas with ease, I felt envious. But I knew early on that I lacked that kind of talent.

Instead, what I had was perseverance.

When my friends studied for three hours, I had to sit for six just to keep up, but I found comfort in the fact that I could at least catch up that way.

Maybe that’s why I have always admired people who keep going steadily, even if they seem ordinary like me.

Like Kobe Bryant and Haruki Murakami.

Rather than geniuses, these were people who faithfully repeated their efforts every day and carved out their own paths.

Whenever I hear stories like that, I can’t help but feel encouraged.

It has been quite a long time since I started running a blog and a YouTube channel.

The blog has been going for more than 10 years, and the YouTube channel has continued for over 5 years.

At first, I wrote posts and uploaded videos simply because I liked doing it, regardless of whether anyone was watching.

But as time passed, one by one, people began to 찾아와 주셨습니다.

Now the YouTube channel has 340,000 subscribers, and the blog has surpassed 7.8 million cumulative visitors.

Of course, there are still many things I lack, but if there is one thing I can praise myself for, it is that I have kept going consistently.

I think it is a good example of moving forward “slowly, but surely.”

The “true strength” that One-Punch Man taught me

One of the comics I like is One-Punch Man.

There is a particularly memorable scene in it.

It is the scene where the main character, Saitama, is asked by his disciple about the secret to his strength.

Saitama answers like this.

“100 push-ups, 100 squats, 10 km of running every single day for three years without missing a day.”

The disciple laughs at him, saying that’s impossible, but Saitama says this.

“Doing something every single day for three years without missing a day is not as easy as you think.

There is nothing more important than building the foundation of what you want to do and sticking with one thing consistently.”

I strongly related to that.

Really, doing something steadily is never easy.

Because of my job as a doctor, new papers come out every day, and I have to constantly keep up with the latest information.

So I try to maintain a routine of “reading papers and writing” without missing a day.

If I don’t do that, I worry that I may fall behind someday.

The weight and meaning of living by a routine

Because of this routine, I sometimes feel sorry toward my family.

That is why even when I go on vacation, I can’t fully relax.

Even if I spend the whole day playing with my family, when evening comes, I start to feel uneasy thinking, “I still haven’t written anything today...

If time keeps passing like this, won’t I end up not writing at all?”

My wife can tell just by looking at my face and says with a laugh:

“Are you anxious again because you couldn’t stick to your routine? This is practically an obsession.”

It’s a joke, but at the same time, there’s also a sense that she understands my effort.

Maybe that’s why I don’t dislike the teasing—in fact, it can feel comforting.

Of course, I also sometimes worry that maybe it really is an “obsession.”

Why go this far?

People around me often ask.

“Aren’t you tired?”

Honestly, there are many times when it’s hard.

I also find myself thinking, “Why do I have to go this far?”

But strangely, it’s fun.

The sense of satisfaction I feel when I keep my routine, the fulfillment of having accomplished something.

I think I’m addicted to that feeling.

When I finish the day with the feeling that “I did it again today,” I quietly praise myself.

That is the reason I can keep this difficult routine going.

Even if it’s nothing special, a little each day

I think it’s okay if what I do is not extraordinary.

It’s okay if I wasn’t born with special talent.

Living faithfully, a little at a time, every day.

For me, that is a small but certain strength.

Because I know better than anyone that consistency is not easy,

I continue to keep my routine today and take one more step forward.