Weekly Review (2024-01-28)
It’s been a relatively quiet week. The number of meetings (I’ve just counted) was 43, but I mainly worked from home, and that is why I felt so.
From Monday to Friday, I was not feeling perfectly well, so I didn’t spend that much time in the office so as not to spread any potential virus. I wish I had been well, because two colleagues came all the way to Japan to attend meetings. That said, I usually consider feeling unwell to be a good opportunity to train mental stability. Whenever I have pain in my body, I try to observe it to alleviate the suffering. It is a great mindfulness training.
Somehow during the week, I had a few opportunities to meet with my long-term friends. These moments were quite relaxing. My best friends are the ones who make me feel at home. While excitement is great, I seek comfort and familiality from friendships.
On Saturday, I had dinner with my three primary school friends. My school used to have an extremely small class, and I shared the entire 6 years at the primary school with these three only. I think it is fortunate to see that I have three friends who have known me for more than 35 years. I found it interesting that our memory varies considerably although we spent 6 years together. It is because we tend to remember something that really triggered our attention, and our attention is drawn in different directions. For example, one told me that when I was in class 5 I said to a teacher that my dream was to be a CEO, and the teacher scolded me. I didn’t remember anything about it. In other words, these long-term friends are precious sources of our memory which often can be distorted alone.
A couple (both are my friends) had a newborn baby, so I visited there. They look after the baby together, saying that “it is a serious injustice if a husband makes a wife solely look after a baby. Raising children is an immense labor.” I felt exactly the same thing soon after the birth of my kid. Housework is a profession which ought to be respected much more than it is.
Moving on to a separate topic.
During the week, I realized that nothing can be personal if you are running a startup as the founder & CEO. Any private project becomes subject to scrutiny even if claimed otherwise. I realized that I’d better not invite anyone from my company to any other external matters. It’s a bit sad thing because my colleagues tend to be the most like-minded people, but it is what it is. No overlap.
I am thinking of starting a study circle. In my life, I had four so far. The first was to read the Economist and discuss selected topics. The second was to read books (we read the top 100 most-cited books of Google Scholars). The third was to discuss various matters about managing companies. The last was to discuss political ideas and philosophy.
The next one is to learn with people who are 20+ years younger than me. I just realized that I don’t interact with people who are 20+ years younger than me, though I frequently talk with those who are 20+ years older than me. I think it is not a good thing, as very likely my thoughts are not well-updated. We just agreed to start the one. I am very much looking forward to it.