The Road Not Taken
By Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
運命は勇者に微笑む
Unmei wa yusha ni hohoemu
Destiny smiles on the courageous
Miyamoto Musashi said, “Shinbutsu wo tattobite, shinbutsu wo tanomazu” (神仏を尊びて神仏を頼ず) which means, “Respect Buddha and Shinto gods, but do not ask them for anything.” He said that because warriors are self-made people. Everyone has potential, but only self-made warriors have willingness. Willingness is one of those things can’t be taught be but can learned. Someone once said, “Talent is nothing without hard work.” It’s true. Everyone has senshinryoku (潛心力) or “potential power,” but that potential is nothing without the willingness to do the work. Yaruki (遣る気 ) or “willingness” means having the determination, eagerness or motivation to reach our highest level. Yaru can mean “to do,” but it also can mean “to harm or kill” and ki means “energy.” Thus, yaruki can be about the potentiality to use our energy or destroy it. In Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken, he wrote, “Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” The path of the willing is fraught with obstacles but as Frost alludes, “It will make all the difference.” On our path, we can see each obstacle as a barrier or we can see it as a test of our mastery or a lesson toward it. Musashi didn’t ask the gods for help because he was his own person and, as a self-made warrior, he knew that there is something satisfying when we make it on our own. Maybe, gods decide the winner but gods don’t put in the work to win. What does it take to achieve our dreams? First and foremost, willingness. How willing are you to participate in your own life? Faith guides us, willingness puts on the path, and hard work keeps us there, but in the end, we can only rely upon ourselves. I know it was hard, but I am incredibly happy that you chose this path. Keep being willing to do the work - it will pay off in the end. Destiny does smile upon the courageous.
Today’s goal: Be willing to put in the work and don’t stop for anything or anyone.