10 LIFE LESSONS I LEARNED FROM WATCHING INITIAL-D

Confession, I just watched the entire Initial-D series. Yes, all six of them. If you don’t know what it is, It’s a Japanese street racing manga that’s so freaking cool that it’s been adapted into a TV series, several movies, and the best arcade game ever.

A quick synopsis:

Set in the late 1990s in Japan, the series follows Takumi Fujiwara, an unsuspecting kid driving an old 1983 Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86. From a young age, he was forced to make deliveries for his dad’s tofu shop every morning around the windy roads of Mt. Akina. Becoming a skilled driver without even knowing it, he begins attracting the attention of racers all over Japan, and thus, his story as the fastest downhill street racer in Japan begins.

Watch the first episode here

Like any other teenage kid going through his awkward high school years, I, too, was obsessed with Initial-D. Every Friday, my friends and I would go to the local arcade just to play this game. Drifting! Who knew you could drive a car sideways?! Everyone had their car of choice and we all shamelessly threw down what little money we had to have a chance at beating one another on the winding roads of Japan. Initial-D was the birthplace for many young car enthusiasts like myself, for many years to come. Little did I know, Initial-D is about much more than just cool cars and drifting.

Here are the top 10 life lessons I learned from watching Initial-D:

1. Importance of setting goals - In racing, you have one goal, get to the finish line before your opponent, and do it as fast as you can. Without a finish line, you have nothing to aim at. With nothing to aim at, there is no direction, and with no direction, it doesn’t matter how fast your car is, you have nowhere to go. You’re just wasted potential. Without goals, you never encounter any challenges, and without any challenges, you never have any opportunities to grow as an individual. In order to grow, you need to have goals, even if it’s just delivering tofu every morning while trying not to spill the cup of water your dad gave you. (This is how Takumi’s dad secretly trained him to become such a good driver)

2. Seek out opportunities to bring out the best in you - Challenges and battles are a big theme in Initial-D. When word gets out about Takumi’s natural talent, people start showing up from all over Japan just to challenge him to a race. Later on in the story, Takumi joins Project D, a race team whose sole purpose is to challenge others on their home court so they could elevate their own game. How badass is that? If you want to elevate your game, don’t wait around, go out and look for people better than you so you can better yourself.

3. Losing can be inspiring - I love how often competitors were shown being excited about losing a race. This sounds counterintuitive, shouldn’t they be upset? But for someone who feels like they’ve plateaued or reached their peak, losing can be exciting. It can reinvigorate your spirits. It can give you a reason to keep improving. It can also give you a fresh perspective if you’ve gotten jaded from being in the game too long. As Takumi’s father, Bunta, once says, “Losing’s not so bad, it can teach you a thing or two.”

4. Respect your opponents - No matter how much trash talk there is before a battle, almost every race is followed up with a scene of both the winner and loser acknowledging one another. The loser admits defeat but also shares what they learned and how they intend on improving. The winner doesn’t celebrate. Instead, they commend the loser and might even share some advice. It’s great sportsmanship and points to the true nature of competition that I feel is often overlooked. It’s your opponents that make you strong.

5. Do your research - Before every race, Takumi would do test runs to familiarize himself with the course and develop a strategy to win (save for a few races that Takumi won on his own without practice because he’s a G). He’d know exactly where to slow down, speed up, and where there’d be opportunities to pass if he was behind. Routine prep work doesn’t sound like the most exciting thing to watch in a manga series, but it’s a staple in the Initial-D series, and I believe this is how most races in life are won.

6. You’re only as strong as your team - Everybody needs a team of people they can turn to for support and guidance. Takumi had the support of his father when he first began his journey and then the professionalism of Project D later on in the series. I think there is a great romance in being able to do everything on your own, but any great achievement, whether we like it or not, is done by standing on the shoulders of giants. If you want to get far in life, you have to surround yourself with good people.

7. Make your own discoveries - While it‘s important to be a good student when starting off on a new endeavor, you must also be proactive about furthering your growth. What makes Takumi special is his innate ability to figure things out on his own, most notably, the variations on the “gutter techniques” when entering a corner at high speed, or simply turning off his headlights to “disappear” when he was behind his opponent. The teacher merely shows you the way, you must be the one who walks it.

8. Longevity is the key to success - You would think a manga series dedicated to street racing would be all about speed, but sustained focus was often the deciding factor between winning and losing. Nowadays, there is so much emphasis on getting things done as fast as possible. Speaking from personal experience, this mentality can often lead to burn out and just take you out of the game completely. Sure, speed is good, it might even give you a comfortable head start, but long-term focus is how the tortoise defeats the hare.

9. Keep a level head - Emotions run high when racing through the mountains of Japan. The adrenaline pumping in your veins could cause you to abandon strategy and logic. One of Takumi’s key characteristics is his non-reactiveness, almost to the point of boredom, but that is also his greatest strength. When emotions run high we are more prone to act irrationally and make mistakes. In the case of Initial-D, losing your cool meant not just losing the race, but potentially getting yourself into a terrible accident. While we are emotional beings, we must keep ourselves in check so as not to let our emotions spin our lives out of control.

10. You’re the driver - Metaphorically speaking, everybody has a car. Everybody is a driver. Everybody is heading somewhere. Along the way, you will encounter challengers who will test you. If you stick to your guns, you might even encounter people who can guide and support you. But before any of this can happen, you need to make the decision to set off on your own journey. You hold the keys to your car and only you can be the one to start the ignition and drive towards the things you want in life. So what’s something you’ve been wanting to do? Hop into the driver’s seat, put it in gear, and go.

Phew, that was fun. I hope you enjoyed this blog post. Now, to be completely transparent, I really want to learn how to drift in real life, so if you’re Takumi in the flesh, let me know! I would love to learn.

by Jason Lam

(Photo, GIF Credit: Initial-D)

WE THINK BECAUSE WE CAN

We think because we can

But just because we can think doesn’t make our thoughts true

We speak because we can

But just because we can speak doesn’t make our words true

Action

Is the only way to find out what we truly think

Action

Is the only way to find out what we really mean

by Jason Lam

IMPATIENCE

I’ve come to notice that most dissatisfaction and unhappiness comes from impatience.

Not so much that you can’t get what you want.

But more so that you can’t get what you want right at this very moment.

In moments like this, I remind myself to breathe.

“I will get there when I get there,” I say to myself.

Which, obviously, is much easier said than done.

by Jason Lam

WHENEVER YOU FEEL LIKE IT'S TOO LATE

Whenever you feel like it’s too late

It’s not

Because before you know it

More time will pass and you’ll look back at this very moment and think

Damn

It’s too late

When it wasn’t late at all

by Jason Lam

THE JOURNEY NEVER ENDS

It just morphs

The more you know, the more is presented to you

The more doors you uncover, the more they are revealed

Soon as you figure out one game, you are tossed into another

There is no end

Only the acceptance of this never-ending journey

Life

by Jason Lam

MY DREAMS SCARE ME

Not because I think I can’t

But because I know I can

by Jason Lam

THE HEALING EFFECTS OF LIFE ON THE ROAD

At first thought, life on the road sounds like the opposite of healing. No set schedules. Constantly changing itineraries, and the risk of being stranded where no one speaks your language. 

How can this be healing?

I’ve thought about this for a while because as someone who loves traveling, weekend getaways, or even the afternoon trip to the coffee shop, I’ve always felt immense benefits through travel, whereas without it, I think I’d go mad.

The question is, why?

First and foremost, travel gives your life direction. When you have somewhere to go, you set yourself up with a target. With a target, you’re then motivated to move, and you have a reason to get up in the mornings.

Travel provides a clear sense of progress. It’s obvious when you’re getting one step closer or farther from your destination. Little things like buying a plane ticket and figuring out accommodation allow you to check off boxes and gives a sense of accomplishment.

All of this is not to mention the fun discoveries you can make on the road. The handicrafts, the food, the scenery, the smells, and of course, the people you meet along the way.

The healing aspects of being on the road come from the combination of all these things. Your experiences ultimately serve as a symbol of your ability to go out and make real changes in your life. You’re proving to yourself that you can make plans and act on those plans. You can get from A to B. You can say you want something out of life and make it happen. This can be very empowering.

On your return home, you never come back empty-handed. You bring back new experiences and skill sets you can then apply to situations that may have previously seemed insurmountable. Because back home the responsibilities are real, and they can seem overwhelming. Sometimes, we do feel a lack of direction, that there’s no sense of progress, and for the life of you, it seems you cannot do much to improve anything at all.

Travel, in this sense, is a microcosm of what you could do, a test of your character, and a reminder of your capabilities and self-worth. Travel is a gift you give to yourself, the kind of gift that enables you to learn how to heal yourself.

by Jason Lam

5 WAYS I MANAGED MY LIFE-LONG BATTLE WITH STRESS

I’m no doctor but I’ve felt the very real effects of stress. It comes out of nowhere, almost as if it creeps up on you throughout the years and one day it hits you like a train. You wake up all groggy. You don’t have the energy to go out on the weekends, and even if you do, you can’t ever relax and have fun. That’s stress. And it gets the best of us. 

What I’ve learned about stress is it’s not something you can just rid yourself of with a single yoga session or a weekend retreat. Stress builds up slowly, so you also need to find a way to release it slowly. Most often it comes down to the environment you’re in, and the daily habits you’ve developed throughout the course of your life.

In order to better manage your stress, you must be very honest about what could be stressing you out. Deadlines at work, a difficult boss, pressures at home, maybe even a bad chair, or desk. Who knows, it could even be the lights in your home aren’t the right color temperature. Whatever it is, we must become aware of what could be the cause of your stress. Almost like Sherlock Holmes, you must examine yourself with a magnifying glass and identify every smallest bit of detail as a possible suspect.

This isn’t to say that stress is all bad. Stress is the result of a natural bodily mechanism that secretes cortisol to help us focus. You know, good old fight or flight mechanisms. The problem is when it’s prolonged for days, months, and years. That’s when you start losing your appetite. Your skin begins to turn pale. And aging. Wow. It makes you age. fast. 

So what do you do?

It’s different for everybody but I’ll tell you what I did:

1. Admit I was stressed - I had to admit the problems I was having isn’t because I’m not strong or brave enough, it was because I was incapable of handling all the pressures mounting up in my life. I’m imperfect and fragile. There, I said it.

2. Start talking about it - It’s ok to say you’re stressed. Most often, If you try to hold it in, you just get make it worse.

3. Identify what could be causing you stress - Do little experiments to see if you are less stressed without that stimulant. A lousy commute. Pressing deadlines. Bad weather. It could be anything really. Most times, it’s a combination of a lot of small things. 

4. Relax - I know. Easier said than done. I don’t say this in terms of just getting a massage or going on a simple retreat. While those are encouraged, I like to incorporate moments of relaxation and opportunities to destress on a daily basis. Make it a routine to go out with friends. Take regular breaks at work. Sure, get a massage. Create stricter guidelines so you’re not always checking your phone. Allow time for yourself to rest.

5. Understand that stress is normal - Your goal is not to rid yourself of it completely but to find ways to improve your relationship with it. 

You’ll notice, as I have, that you’ll feel more energetic. You’ll feel more positive when you wake up in the mornings. You’ll also look better, have a better appetite, and be a joy to be around.

I didn’t know how stressed I was until one day I packed my bags and moved to abroad for half a year with the sole purpose of allowing myself to do nothing but what brings me joy. Yeah, that’s how stressed I was.

You have to experiment with yourself sometimes. Your doctors and friends can only help you so much. Sometimes, you have to be a doctor to yourself. As inadequate and inept you might feel, I think it’s empowering to know that it’s still within us to do what needs to be done in order to take care of ourselves. 

You are not weak because you cannot handle stress. You are human.

Take care of yourself.

by Jason Lam

MOVE FIRST

If you don’t know what to do or which way to go.

Move anyway.

Because even if you’re unsure of yourself and you feel you are going the wrong direction, you’ll find what you’re looking for on the way.

When I was studying at the International Center of Photography in New York, I was called to the front of the class to speak about my long term project. We all had to choose one, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do yet. So I didn’t know what to say, or how to describe what I was going for. 

My classmate says to me, “Just start talking”.

And of course, I began and even though the first few words that came out of my mouth were a little random, eventually, I found level ground and discovered the direction for my long term project. 

I wanted to do a project on the role lion dancing plays on first generation Chinese-Americans. Which has since come into fruition as Inside The Lion. I’ve done two iterations of this project. One in New York City. The second in San Francisco. 

Regardless of whether or not your objective is related to photography, I think this concept still applies. Often, it’s very hard to think your way out of a situation. As wrong as it may feel, sometimes moving without an idea of where you’re going or what you’re doing is precisely what you need to do.

Have a little more faith in your resilience.

by Jason Lam

THANK YOUR FAILURES

Because without it you would not have learned anything

You cannot learn without failing

The two come hand in hand

Sure, it may be frustrating at times

Annoying

Disappointing

You may have let some people down

You might feel you’ve let yourself down

But you’ve also gathered new information

Which you can use to your advantage

So you can reiterate

And do a better job next time

Thank your failures

Because every time you fail, you learn something

by Jason Lam

ADMITTING YOU'RE LOST

Admitting you’re lost is difficult

It’s a bit like leading the way with a bunch of people following you only to find out mid-way into your trip, you made a wrong turn, but you’re too afraid of admitting you’re wrong out of fear, embarrassment, or ridicule, so you keep going.

You try to cover it up.

But eventually, you’re going to have to stop. 

Face your fears.

And say, “Hey, I’ve got something to tell you.”

“I’ve made a mistake.”

“I’m going to wrong way.”

“We need to turn back.”

But in this case, the people following you isn’t anybody else.

It’s you. 

You’re following yourself.

You’re leading yourself. 

And every step you take towards one direction you are leading the future you into that direction as well. 

And if you keep knowingly going in the wrong direction.

You will also be inadvertently leading your future self further down the wrong path.

But regardless of the fear, regret, and shame that may come with admitting you’re wrong, admitting you’re lost is essential. 

You need to do it. 

Otherwise, you keep swinging in the dark. And getting nowhere.

Admitting you’re lost doesn’t feel good. It feels like you’ve wasted so much time and energy. But it’s better than continuing on the wrong path due to an unwillingness to let go, or to appear perfect, when you know damn well, that perfection doesn’t exist.

The past is gone and you have the power to create the future. 

Will you continue leading yourself down the wrong path?

Or will you sum up the courage to stop, admit your mistake, and give yourself another chance?

by Jason Lam

MY BEST WORK

My best work is often not the ideas that I think up in my head.

More often, my best work is the discoveries I make along the way towards the ideas.

I think my creative process works this way because the things I discover along the way are things that my body naturally reacts to, versus an idea conjured up in my mind and further justified with cerebral reasons as to why it is good.

My body knows when something is good, without me even being able to explain why. 

And so one might think that maybe it’s not so good to come up with any ideas. Maybe it’s better to just run adrift and wait for the body to react. 

Not quite.

It’s important to still have ideas. You need something to work towards. It’s more so that you should also be aware of the ideas that present themselves to you along the way. Be in tune with your body and how it reacts to the new potentials that you were not able to think of with just your brain alone.

With practice, you will be able to merge both mind and body, and hopefully, if practiced long enough and consistent enough. Your work, your best work can be conjured up from your being. Not just your mind. Not just your body. But your whole being in unison.

My best work. 

by Jason Lam

PLAY IT WRONG

Getting good at life is like getting good at a new game. 

You’ve got to be very bad at it first.

In improv class, one of the first things we learn how to do is fail.

Every time we fail, we don’t drop our heads in shame and never try again.

Instead, we throw our hands up in the air and say, “Yay!”

Next time you need to tackle a new skill, assignment, or creative idea, be intentional about the fact that you will have to play it wrong first. 

Not because you suck. 

But because it’s all part of the game of life.

Now throw your hands in the air and say, “Yay!”

by Jason Lam

CHOREOGRAPHY OF LIFE

I think we are all choreographers, even if you cannot do a proper pirouette or plié. If you don’t know what those things are, that’s fine, I can’t do them, and I had a hard time spelling them too. (They’re French ballet moves)

But what is choreography if not just a different word for a plan?

We all think. We all have ideas. We all act on those ideas. We are all choreographers of our own lives. One step leads to another, and as our actions are strung together we end up with our unique storyline with a beginning, middle and end. 

The choreography I am talking about, as you may have guessed, is not limited to dance on a stage, but the choreography of our daily activities. Do you make your bed in the mornings? Do you give your loved ones a hug? Do you cook yourself dinner? Or do you leave your living space unkept, look at your phone before you look at your spouse, and binge on fast food and TV dinners? 

Whatever the case is, I am using the word choreography because we all have the ability to make plans and act on them. I use the word choreography because it comes with it an air of skill and capability, which we all have. I use the word choreography because there really is a beauty in how everyone decides to pursue the art of living. 

We are all the choreographers of our lives. What are some “moves” you’ve come up with in your own choreography of life that has been of benefit to you?

by Jason Lam

WHAT DO YOU NEVER REGRET DOING?

I never regret going for a swim. I never regret following through on an artistic project. I never regret traveling abroad. I never regret catching up with friends. I never regret road trips. I never regret challenging myself and learning something new.

In a world with more possibilities than ever, it may be hard to figure out the answer to the age-old question, “What should I do with my life?” To be honest, that question can be a problem itself. So let’s reframe the question and ask instead, “What do you never regret doing?”

I like this question because it allows us to take inventory of the things we already enjoy. Maybe you don’t know what to do with your life and that could be quite daunting, but maybe you can find comfort in the fact that there are already many things you want to keep in your life moving forward.

When trying to determine what we want to do in the future, it’s easy to feel like we need to fill it with epic activities. But that overlooks many less dramatic and noteworthy things that could still lead to a life well-lived. For example, being able to come back to a comfy home, going for a drive along the beach, and being able to take a wide variety of classes at the local city college. Those are all things I want to keep in my life.

By reframing one of life’s biggest questions in this manner, you may find that you already know what you want to do with your life. Moving forward may not be so much about attaining what you don’t have, but about building a life around what you already do.

What do you never regret doing? 

Start there.

by Jason Lam

PAY THE PRICE

You don’t get to not pay a price in life.

We all pay a price, even if it’s just the ticking of time.

What you get to do, however, is to choose which price you want to pay.

In figuring out one’s direction in life, we’re most often asked what we want to do. Passions and so forth. But another way to ask this question is this, "What is a price I am willing to pay?"

Because there will be obstacles and things you do not want to do as you move towards any worthwhile goal.

Many people want to be musicians and actors and chefs but are not willing to pay the price.

What are you actually willing to do?

Separate from your end goals, what price are you willing to pay?

Pay the price.

by Jason Lam

THE INVISIBLE SIGNATURE

Create through the essence of who you are

Not through the fulfillment of what you think you should be 

Some spend entire lifetimes chasing this imaginary role only to find they are no happier than before

To find your essence you must let go 

Let go of ideas and goals you had for yourself 

Quit endeavors that do not speak to you 

Kill the you of yesterday

Abandon your “best” ideas

Let go in order to rediscover yourself

Watch yourself being 

Like that of a child

And when you rediscover yourself you must remember to create from that place of raw integrity 

That is how you find the signature in your work 

The invisible signature

by Jason Lam

PUT YOUR NAME ON IT

I used to write my name underneath all my toys. I thought it was fun. I learned it from watching Toy Story.

In elementary school, they always tell you to sign and date your drawings.

We also did the same in my after-school painting classes.

After I got older, it seemed a little odd to slap my name on things unless it was on a canvas.

For example, to put my name on a shirt seems a little self-involved.

Still, I think it’s important to find a way to take pride in your name.

And no, that doesn’t mean you must start putting it everywhere.

But one shouldn’t be afraid of standing for something, nor should you be afraid to say, “Yeah, I made that!”

Perhaps, because I’m Asian, so I come with a sense of humbleness that I can’t really shake.

But I want to take pride in my name, so I will put my name on things.

And I don’t want to hide anymore, nor will I intentionally leave my name out of things that I clearly had a hand in.

by Jason Lam

TAKE PRIDE IN YOUR WORK

I once showed up at a party and all my friends were wearing my shirts except for me. 

My friend pulled me aside and asked why I’m not wearing my own shirt.

I said I didn’t want to make it seem like it was all about me.

He said, “Sure, but I think it’s important to take pride in your work.”

That stuck with me.

Growing up, I never really brought attention to the things I’ve done.

I never invited anyone to my graduations. I never invited anyone to my high school band concerts. I never invited anyone to my track meets. I didn’t tell anyone of me winning any academic awards. Nothing. I just sort of did what I did and moved on.

I think it’s because I never really figured out how to talk about my achievements without sounding arrogant, so I just don’t say anything at all. 

It’s all a fine balance, I know. 

But perhaps I would benefit from challenging my beliefs and start thinking it’s okay to talk about what I’ve done, to stand up for myself, and most importantly, to take pride in my own work.

Thanks Paul.

by Jason Lam

FALL

There’s something about fall.

That makes me feel as if I’m reborn again.

I know. It doesn’t make sense. After all, the leaves are turning brown, yellow, and orange, and the trees are starting to look a little bare. The temperature’s dropping and I have to layer up because it’s starting to get cold again.

Still.

I think it must have something to do with the feeling that my body actually needs to do something to stay warm. Going outdoors and exercising isn’t as easy because it takes a little more time to warm up. I can’t just hop out of bed and be ready to go. Everything begins to take a little more time.

Or I guess, everything takes a little more work. 

Which, oddly, also makes me feel more alive. 

The contrast between the crisp air and the warmth of the sun keeps my senses heightened, trying to make sense of the change of the seasons. 

I go through my normal daily routines and still my body feels a change in the air.

There’s a shift happening. And I need to pay attention.

And as my body learns to adapt to the changing of the seasons it also reminds me to pay attention to what I am doing with my life.

Where am I? How are my goals? Does anything need to change? Where can I dial back? Where can I add more?

Today, as I sit on my bed and see the sunshine raking across my neighbor’s pale peach-colored house, I am thinking I can dial many things back, and life can be yet, even simpler than I believe.

Eat healthy, spend time with friends, tell those you love that you love them, make art, indulge in some coffee or boba every once in a while, and don’t make things too complicated for myself. Practice non-attachment. Acknowledge when things have done its job and let go. Life is short. But it’s also long enough. There really is no rush. Stop comparing. Because seriously, we’re all pretty damn different. Stay humble. Count your blessings. And be nice.

by Jason Lam