Wabi Sabi has nothing to do with wasabi.

Given we are at the beginning of another adventurous lap around the sun, I thought it would be a great opportunity to start sharing a little more.

My mind is always ticking with ideas, learnings, thoughts and if you know me well, you know that I love to talk. So here we are, at email number one for the year, with the intention of continuous fortnightly(ish) blogs written thoughtfully to inject some curiosity, knowledge or wisdom into your life. Nothing more, nothing less.

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to begin, did you know that wasabi and Wabi-sabi have nothing to do with each other?

A late night google search led me to discover this for myself, which took me down the rabbit hole of what Wabi-sabi actually means. Wabi-sabi is an important concept in Japanese culture and is prevalent throughout all forms of Japanese art.

It is a world view centred on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. It defines the simplest art of finding beauty and grace in the nature of imperfection; and acceptance of the cycle of life and death.

Wabi refers to the kind of beauty found in asymmetrical, uneven or unbalanced things.

Sabi is the beauty of aged things and speaks to the impermanence of life through the passage of time.

Wabi-sabi gives us permission to be ourselves. It encourages us to do our best but not make ourselves ill in pursuit of the unattainable goal of perfection.

So how might you introduce this concept into your life? Some ideas..

1. Remember that perfection is a myth. It does not exist.

2. Strive for progress instead. Set small, realistic goals that will compound over time to create big results.

3. Make your most important work the job of accepting yourself unconditionally. I like to repeat written daily affirmations in my journal every morning to set the foundation for my day. For example, "I am enough. I am enough. I am enough. I am enough. I am enough. I am enough. I am enough"

4. Embrace your personal story, including your ups and your downs. Search for the lessons inside if your experiences.

5. Accept the imperfections of others. If someone does something you don't like or agree with, take a few minutes to vent in your journal and then let it go. Remember that they are doing the best in the same way that you are.

6. Find beauty in simplicity. You don't need more, you need to appreciate what is in front of you that you might be missing.

7. Practice letting go of control. Take baby steps, such as letting go of routine for a day, or allowing the house to be a little messy.

Finally, remind yourself of death often.

Remembering that we are mortal helps to keep life in perspective.

Thanks for reading -- until next time, Zo