I can’t tell you that I have learned these Japanese principles 100%. But if I return to them as much as possible, and although I’m not close to being like Goku, I can tell you that I have improved a lot in different aspects of my life.
A few years ago I had the opportunity to travel to Japan with my wife, one of my sisters, and my mother. It has certainly been one of the greatest trips of my life. I had no idea what was in store for me when we landed in Tokyo.
I visited amazing places, ate delicious food, tried some really weird things, had a lot of fun about how weird and fun Japanese people can be, and of course I was amazed at their culture.
I learned that I love Japanese culture! Since there is a lot we can learn from it to improve our personal and entrepreneurial lives.
Today, remembering this trip, I want to share these seven Japanese principles that will help you change your life:
- ikigai: “Your Reason for Being”. The intersection between what you love, what the world needs, what you’re good at, and that people are willing to part because of it.
- wabi sabi: “Finding beauty in the imperfect”. Accept the imperfect, the incomplete and fleeting of life. Simplicity and austerity will generate a deep richness in your daily life.
- Shinrin Yoku: “Nature Baths”. Immerse yourself in nature to reduce stress and rejuvenate. Soak in the sights, the smells, the noises, as a form of therapy.
- kaizen: “Continuous improvement”. Focus on steady, incremental progress in your personal and professional life. When small positive changes are sustained over the long term, they generate substantial growth.
- kintsugi: “Art of repairing with gold”. Value the process of repairing broken things, to make them more beautiful and resilient. Your failures and failures are part of your story.
- tsundoku: “Accumulate books and not read them”. It is easy to accumulate knowledge and resources, but it is more important to apply them. Balance your desire for new information with the time to reflect and put into practice what you already have.
- omoiyari: “Consideration and compassion for others”. Cultivate your empathy constantly. Try to understand the needs of others and help them without expecting anything in return.
In recent years I have been trying to implement these principles with simple actions, and they have certainly made a difference in my entrepreneurial journey. For example:
- Try every weekend to give yourself a space for at least 1 hour to walk in a park near your house.
- Ask yourself the 5 Ikigai questions at least once a year.
- Track habits to define a priority thing in which you want to improve 1% every day.
- Always remember empathy as one of your main values, always think that the other person has a reason to do things the way they do.
I HAVE A GIFT FOR YOU:
If you want to learn more about social entrepreneurship and impact investment, I want to give you my JEDI MANUAL OF SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP, the one that has my free courses, the best videos, notes and interviews I’ve done in the last 9 years.
Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram or TikTok, and send me a direct message saying: “I want the Jedi Manual” and I will send it to you.
john del cerro I am convinced of the potential of social entrepreneurship to solve major social problems, I am the Founder of Disruptivo.tv and Socialab México, winner of the National Entrepreneur Award from the Presidency, LinkedIn TOP Voice, part of Forbes 30 Promises for Business, Gifted Citizen, and received the Impulso Emprendedor Award from ASEM. I am a Founding Member of ASEM, author of 5 books on entrepreneurship, speaker on 4 continents and TEDx speaker.