Who Is Akemi? Do I Know Myself?

I believe we are clueless about ourselves.

So when my fellow blogger, the bold business advisor Cath Lawson, called me “bold” in the comments of this post, I had no reason to be surprised. I’m bold? Because I came to the US by myself? Because I landed Mr. ProBlogger for my interview? Oh. I didn’t know I was but I guess I’m bold accidentally.
(Photo by withrow)

So here is my further self-exploration. Feel free to point out, “Hey, I don’t see you that way, Akemi!”

I am: shy. Child-level shy. And ambitious. Curious. A bit lazy with things I don’t like doing, like vacuuming.

I think: (secretly) I’m wonderful. (Oh, God, did I say that? Next!)

I know: what you were doing in your past life. Just kidding ^_^

I have: . . . (if you must know) . . . a teddy bear.

I wish: I were taller. (I stand impressive 5’1″)

I was: an ugly duckling. Seriously, I thought I was ugly when I was in Japan.

I wanted to become: a baker.

I hate: Loud music. Trashy foods. Rude people.

I miss: Ohio. It’s like my hometown in the US. (I lived there for ten years.)

I crave: Strawberries and blackberries. (NOT the electronic gadget)

I search: Hmm . . . a handsome, intelligent, kind single man.

I wonder: What the end of the Universe is like. And the higher dimensions of the Universe.

I regret: I’m conveniently forgetful about my regrets. Oh, but I wish I were kinder when I was younger.

I love: the trees and flowers. Fine arts. (Love Picasso, Modigliani, O’Keeffe, Frankenthalor. . . to name a few) Potteries. Antique furniture. The ocean. The sky.

I am not: American. I’m international, with pride.

I believe: We are all, always, connected. And I can be a successful entrepreneur while helping people.

I dance: I have my own dance that I do when I’m alone, like when I’m cooking or getting ready for shower. It’s so silly and that is why I love it. But I don’t think I’d be posting YouTube video of me doing it.

I sing: I often sing in the car. When I’m in good mood, I try the air of the queen of the night in Magic Flute, but I can never get to the highest part.

I fight: I don’t. It would be totally stupid of me to raise fight. I don’t think I even ever won in hand wrestling.

I confuse: people.

I listen: Mozart. So beautiful, it occasionally makes me almost cry.

I can: write mirror letters like Da Vince did.

I am scared: of car wash. Yes, those car wash that I have to drive in, get on the rail, and then the rail carries me and my car through the auto wash. I’m scared because I’m a horrible driver and I don’t think I got on the rail straight. I’m scared maybe I’d get stuck in the middle of car wash. . .

I need: a handyman. Too much work left undone just because . . . I can’t do it. Maybe he can hand wash my car, too.

I am happy: when I take a hot bath and then snuggle into the clean crisp sheets.

I imagine: what it’s like to live on a cruiser and travel the world.

I tag: you. Bare your soul with this writing exercise.

Yes to Me Month Three & Four Review

(Photo by Old Shoe Woman)

Yes to Me is four months old. In blog years, this is pretty good! Thanks to my great readers, commenters, subscribers, interview guests, and fellow bloggers, Yes to Me achieved a lot in the last two months since I wrote my first milestone. Here is a summary:

Yes to Me main achievements in this period

• Yes to Me is on Alltop.
  I guess this is one of the badges everyone wants to grab these days. It’s cute, isn’t it?
  
• Liz calls me SOB.
  Another cute badge here, brand new this week.
  
• Yes to Me is ranked by Google, and its Alexa ranking is improving.
  It got out of the “Not Ranked” baby status to rank 3 by Google. I don’t know much about Alexa and how it calculates the numbers, but as of this writing, it says 226.8K. I guess it’s good.
• Interview With Successful Entrepreneurs series picks up momentum.
  I learn so much from my guests, and the comments to each post indicate people really like this series. Special thanks to Kim & Jason, Susanna, Skip & Yasmine, Naomi, and Tony. I’ve created Hall of Fame page so that visitors can review the interviews quickly.
• I guest blogged at The Urban Monk.
  Please read Accepting And Loving Our Uniqueness there. It is my real life story about learning to love my accent and even capitalizing it in my business.
  Special thanks to Albert!
• Determined the blog tagline “Life Purpose, Entrepreneurs, Spiritual Growth”
  And added new pages for Life Purpose and Spiritual Growth. My home page is updated to focus on my coaching for aspiring entrepreneurs. Of course, this blog addresses all these three topics.

Most popular post

Dodging The Many Forms Of Psychological Manipulation
The enthusiasm and wisdom shown in the comments of this post indicate this is a real challenge for many. When we aspire to live our purpose, to live more fully, we often encounter resistance or even manipulation. What do we do when our loved ones disagree with our chosen path? How can we stay true to ourselves despite the putdowns? And when the table turns, how much “advice” can we give to our loved ones when they are up to something we don’t agree or don’t understand? Read on.

My personal favorite

The Best Birthday Present I Got For Myself
I like sharing my life stories just as much I like learning people’s stories. I am no super woman – I’m just a petite lightly-accented woman putting one foot in front of another. And that is what it takes to live on purpose and start a business. I hope the story helps you find the courage within you.

Link Loves

Some of my favorite posts in the blogosphere during this period:
Why You Should Turn Your Back On What Others Want You to Do
What is your personal definition of success? Read two inspiring stories in this post.
How Failure Costs Nothing And Success Can Steal Everything
Now get a perspective on what “failure” really is.
The Cycles In Life: How To Re-Emerge From “Down” Times
Great real life story of life changes and keeping the faith in yourself.

What I, Akemi Gaines, have been doing.

I find Oregon weather maddening. April was no warmer than March, and so was early May. Then, all of a sudden, the temperature rose from 50s to mid 90s. Without air conditioner, working from home in front of the computer became torturous. I gave in and bought a portable a/c. Now it’s back to 50s (we even had bean size hails a few days ago), and I somehow feel silly. . .

Yet I love Oregon! It’s so beautiful. Every morning when I open my door and see the luscious greens and the distant lavender mountains, the old phrase of “promised land” crosses my mind. I’m so glad I came here! I plan to drive to the coast someday soon.