He identified what he really wanted and ordered his life around that.

From "The Art of Non-Conformity"...

..."Murakami focused on what he would gain instead of what he would lose.  He identified what he really wanted and ordered his life around that."

..."it's all about embracing life to the fullest and ordering your life around a few key priorities.  To make that happen, you'll need to look carefully at all of your current obligations to determine which ones are actually necessary and which can be eliminated."