Don't live a life where you have no expectations of yourself.

 　　What sustains life? It's demands.

　　As children, we were required to learn a subject every hour of the day, and to answer tests regularly. Work demands emotional, intellectual, and physical effort, and involves risk-taking… Society has its own rules and demands.

　　We can accept them or say no, but we must bear the consequences. Saying no to unreasonable demands might mean losing something, like the goodwill of others or opportunities for profit, but it also protects us.

　　Everyone needs to have demands on themselves; otherwise, life would be incredibly boring.

　　A life without self-demands is utterly devoid of interest. Thinking about not knowing what you want to do, drifting aimlessly, not knowing what to do—that's incredibly boring. Are people who

　　spend their days making money, reviewing their experiences, exercising, reading, writing, learning a skill, practicing English, learning about the internet, and reading business magazines really that amazing?

　　Not really. They simply have a little self-discipline, adding a sense of purpose and meaning to their otherwise dull lives, understanding the importance of long-term sustainability. That's all.

　　Life is like a blank canvas. The demands you set for yourself are what you paint on it. Interesting people are created this way, while boring and despicable people often start from having no demands at all.

　　It's easy to go from not knowing what to do to indulging in gambling, drugs, and prostitution; it's also easy to go from a muddled existence to indulging in excessive drinking, damaging your health, and becoming plagued by illness.

　　The more specific your demands, the better. Don't always feel that self-demands

　　are unrewarding. Avoiding boredom and not turning from a sharp, youthful spirit into a numb, jaded person is already a great gift. Moreover, looking at life in the long run, isn't it just a marathon? If you live with demands every day, you'll easily leave 80% of the people behind in the latter half. Most people have stopped demanding of themselves, so you'll be in that 20%.

　　If you don't like crowded places and don't like competition—well, that's my personality anyway—then having some demands on yourself throughout your life is an easy way to achieve a decent ending.