Tag: motivation

Pearls of Passionate Aging

“The Prima Ballerina Still Going Strong After 75 Years” (Wall Street Journal)

Yoko Morishita has the titles of  “Pearl of the Orient” and “Prima Ballerina of the World” according to Jason Douglas and Junko Fukutome, writers for Wall Street Journal. Beginning lessons at age 3, Morishita has the distinction of being en pointe for 7 decades. Her esteemed teacher and idol, British ballerina Margot Fonteyn, retired at age 62. Retirement is not in Morishita’s vocabulary; as a disciplined dancer, she practices her craft 6 hours a day, 6 days a week (stretching the 7th day). Morishita espouses the belief, “We can express passion in calmness.“  If you watch her online, you feel her dynamic passion. And you appreciate that she has persisted to polish her calm charisma.

Let’s admire grit (passion plus perseverance) in Morishita. She is the world’s oldest ballerina. She is rehearsing her beloved role as Clara in “The Nutcracker” for November, a role she has performed for 45 years.  She maintains positive expectations: “Once today is over, I think about tomorrow’s lesson.”

We might look to Morishita’s childhood to understand her incredible drive. Born in Hiroshima, 3 years after the city’s deadly destruction from an atomic bomb, she references the resilience of her family and neighbors as her guiding motivation. Her grandmother sustained serious injuries from the blast.

Morishita was slight and frail in childhood. A physician prescribed physical exercise, so her parents enrolled her in ballet classes in a kindergarten (across the street from the family home) that taught ballet after school. Morishita’s first ballet performance occurred as a first-grade fledgling. With a strict “old school” teacher, the little girl endured strikes on her feet from the handle of a feather duster if she was clumsy from pain for enduring en pointe too long. Morishita described parents not complaining about such harsh treatment; instead, they applied ointment to wounds.

At age 12 Morishita asked her parents to send her to ballet school in Tokyo. Her career flourished over the decades. She performed with legendary Rudolf Nureyev for Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee Royal Variety Gala. The two renowned ballet stars danced together 200 times in one decade. Despite a 4-foot-9-inch frame, Morishita remains a powerhouse on stage. A dance critic describes her captivating style as “uniquely Japanese.”

The frightful attacks on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, remain as a terrifying reminder of the perils of war. Hiroshima lost 80,000 people instantly (with a total death count of 140,00 by the end of 1945). A 5-mile section of the city was obliterated. Nagasaki lost an estimated 74,000 individuals. Another 91,105 survivors alive today suffer from ongoing health challenges of cancer and radiation sickness; thousands die each year. Remaining survivors were infants or young children in 1945.

Morishita is like a phoenix rising from literal ashes in Hiroshima to remind us of peaceful possibilities in life.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

522. What is the background of your motivation story?

523. How might Morishita inspire your passion plus perseverance?

Boys and Men Need Our Attention

Author David Deida has a new book, The Man of Zero. “Zero” Man is defined by Deida as arriving at “…a point where he’s no longer motivated by the same motivations as in the past…[he]could become depressed. A man can collapse when he’s feeling unmotivated. But if you don’t collapse, if you can stay very present with the moment, with what is, without collapsing—even though you have no sense of purpose or meaning—something else happens. You begin to live and think and move from a deeper place that’s not personal anymore.” 

Some can identify with Deida’s philosophy; others might question its veracity for their life. Perhaps everyone can agree to attend to boys’ and men’s wellbeing. June is Men’s Health Awareness Month with the intention to emphasize a critical need for preventive health screenings. This year’s theme reflects how important it is for whole families to invest in men’s wellness — “Partners in Care: For Better Lifespans Across the Lifespan.” Men’s health is a special focus in the week leading up to Father’s Day.

The rates of male depression and suicide have risen sharply according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. More than 6 million U.S. men experience symptoms of depression every year; a recent survey uncovered that 49% of men feel more depressed than they admit to people in their lives. A further cause for concern, men are less likely to ask for help with mental health challenges.

Risks for male wellbeing include these identified factors:

  • Toxic masculinity — the stereotypical gender roles to be strong, silent, and self-sufficient.
  • Stress at work – long work hours, high-stress roles, job burnout and depression.
  • Financial concerns — often the primary breadwinner, yet men more likely to face unemployment.
  • Substance abuse – men more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs, increasing their mental health concerns.

Victor Fontanez is a barber, motivational speaker and entrepreneur, who gave free outdoor haircuts when business collapsed during the pandemic, leading to his social media platform. He became a barber-turned-counselor in Atlanta. Fontanez is a strong role model for youth. He asks 11–12-year-old boys, “What would you change in the world?” They all say gun violence.

Fontanez shares how at age 23 he experienced a mental health crisis prior to his diagnosis of bipolar I disorder: “I thought I could physically push through anything. There was no need for therapy; there was no need to slow down…I pushed my body to the limits—and then I realized, it’s mind, body, and soul. It’s three things that a person needs to take care of.” He radically changed his behavior. Along with psychotherapy and medication assistance, he no longer compromises his sleep, eats a better diet, and exercises. He celebrates his positive changes.

Join “Wear Blue” on Fridays in June to show support for men’s bodymind health.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

506. When are you a role model for wellness?

507. What further steps might promote wellness in others?