Japanese Concepts

Last year, I was able to visit Japan with my daughter Claire and we fell in love with their culture.  Below are seven Japanese concepts that, when used properly, could change your life. One of them, Kaizen, is a nonnegotiable for my team, Coppola-Cheney and has been for 20 years.  (https://c2advisors.com/).

Kaizen means to constantly improve and applies to our systems, process, and ourselves. 

Here are my top Japanese concepts from the article below:  

— Ikiagi- Discovering your purpose in life.  As Fredrich Nietzsche said: “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.”  This is why Rule #1 of The Fantastic Life Revisited is Know Your Stories.  You can pick up a copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Fantastic-Life-Revisited-Live-Pass/dp/B0BM3HTZ26

— Wabi sabi- Finding peace in imperfection. This is one I am working on now — avoiding the traps of perfection. Here is a quote I say to myself and my team all the time: “Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt

— Oubaitori- Don’t compare yourself to others. This is for a whole generation watching TikTok and Instagram. Contentment comes from being happy with what you have.

— Kaizen– Continuous improvement –  Always seek to improve in all areas of your life. This is something I have written about in the past and it has been incorporated in my life both professionally and personally. I recommend you practice Kaizen every single day!

Bring some Japanese wisdom to your life this week and see how you feel!