The Emperor retired recently and that means that Japan has a new Emperor and a new era. We are a few months into the new era in Japan, and it feels the same to me. I watched all of the fanfare and excitement about the changing of the era, and think I am just too far removed culturally to get it. It feels exactly the same to me, except now I say I’ve been here for two eras. That will never be as significant or as meaningful as saying how many decades I’ve been living in Japan, and permanent residency will always feel most significant to me. I feel very much on the outside of this era vibe. A lot of my Japanese clients and friends made pledges that were similar to New Year’s resolutions. The scope and scale seemed a bit larger than a New Year’s resolution, but the vibe was similar. I personally have never been one to make New Year’s resolutions. For me, that feels so impersonal. It feels about the same as the changing of the era, almost like “what has that got to do with me?” I prefer setting self-improvement goals on my birthday.

This year, my birthday goal is to know my worth and have my actions reflect this knowledge. I think in the past I have allowed people to overstep with me because, although I knew my worth, I didn’t expect anyone else to. Now I set much firmer boundaries and say “no thank you” to behaviors that would result in my boundaries being violated. Interestingly enough, it is in my PhD program that this is most vital. I think that having good selfcare– knowing the value of my time and recognizing that I am worthy of having boundaries –is simultaneously terrifying and crucial. Knowing how to convey my worth without offense is tricky. I find that communicating what I know my capabilities to be is always a good starting place. I will say that boundary setting has always been a strong suit of mine. What I find interesting is that I was setting boundaries that did not reflect my worth. Setting boundaries that reflect my worth feels really close to the work I did to set boundaries in general. I guess I feel like “new era, same old Kisstopher”.