Personally I found it very difficult to shake off this tendency. I often seek "what I should do" or even "how it should be" rather than "what or how I want to do".
It may be a clue to the resilience of Japanese people when they are struck by a disaster like the one currently unfolding in the country. They won't be opportunistic to the situation but would keep themselves in order. Actually we would be far more comfortable sitting in order than acting on self interests.
However by clinging to the way initially seemed to be the right one, there is always a risk to miss the true optimal path which may arise later as an option.
So I would stick to focusing on what I want to do and keeping an open eye to better alternatives as the one and only right path :)
Ray Murakami
