Now is the time...

In recent times, things have been going really really well. After 6 years of effort, I have finally gotten out of English teaching. I am living full-time off of acting, modeling, and running my business, (www.phatenglish.com) I sleep in pretty much everyday. Sometimes I go a month or more without ever having to put on a tie or dress shoes. For the first time since I came to Japan, I can afford to take time off from work now and again simply to enjoy myself. For the first time since high school, I’m not really worried about money, and for the first time in my life, I actually have savings (as meager as they still may be). More than anything else though, for the first time ever, I feel like a success. I feel like ‘I made it’. I’m doing what I wanna do for a living, and loving every moment of it.

Not too long ago, I was spending time with the head of Spanish Embassy's press department in Tokyo, and he told me "If you ever want to come to Spain, you have a home in Madrid. You are always welcome." At the same time, a Japanese-Mexican friend whom was also drinking with us, also told me that his brother had a spare room in his place in Mexico, and that I was welcome for as long as I’d like to stay there too.

They are both great guys, and I know that their hospitality is sincere. As such, the temptation to take them up on their offers and fly to Mexico or Spain for a few weeks to study Spanish is incredibly strong. At the same time though, I have learned from my mistakes in the past, and know that the easy times are when you need to work the hardest. That’s what gets you through the tough times.

Now is not the time to take a vacation. Now is not the time to go to clubs, chase after women, or get wasted every weekend because I can afford it. Now is not the time to get all the clothes I’ve wanted for so long, or to start dropping cash on accessories that ultimately, I know I don’t need.

Now is the time to pick up extra freelance work because I can. Now is the time to start taking care of the people who took care of me when I was at my lowest. Now is the time to re-invest what cash I have back into myself whether it be in training programs, promotions, or attending social networking events. Now is the time to wake up early to study Japanese, Korean and Spanish before I go to work. Now is the time to work the hardest I’ve ever worked, push the hardest I’ve ever pushed, and study the hardest I’ve ever studied.

A while back, one of my business mentors, Lance, gave me the book, ‘The Alchemist.’ In the book, the main character is on a quest that puts him through all kinds of hardships. In the quest, his last great obstacle is to cross a desert, and in the middle of that desert, he finds an Oasis. In the oasis, he meets the woman of his dreams, and finds everything he wants and desires in life. To complete his quest however, ultimately, he has to choose to leave it behind and continue on.

Right now, I am in my oasis. And ultimately, like him, I know that now is the time to keep going.