Mindsets – Four Perennial Ideas That, Just Maybe, Should Become Habits

Occasionally I let my mind wander a little philosophically and, this morning, two thoughts collided.

Tomorrow is the United States Semiquincentennial, the 250^th birthday. Congratulations and “Happy Birthday” to all my friends there.

“Semiquincentennial”. I think that gets a triple word score in Scrabble?

I was also, for some obscure reason, considering mindsets (thanks Deborah Kops for that “brain worm” that won’t leave me alone 😉).

Ways of thinking, habits maybe, that also seem to stand the test of time. Things that apply equally to us as individuals in life as they do in our working endeavours.

I was specifically mulling over four classic philosophies that originated in Japan.

• We have all heard of Kaizen, the foundation of modern continuous improvement.
  • The idea of getting 1% better every day, avoiding the seduction of the idea of a single shift, heroic transformation.  Just 1% better every day delivers orders of magnitude improvement over a year, 37x to be precise.
  • Often referred to as the “aggregation of marginal gains”, it is a philosophy practised by sports coaches around the world.
• Ikigai, the belief in our individual purpose.
  • The reason to get up in the morning. The anchor belief that sustains the determination to deliver that 1% every day.
  • In western society, we talk a lot about “Purpose” and having a “North Star”.
• Oubaitori is the idea that we should not compare ourselves to others.
  • An abundance mentality. Someone else’s success does not mean our failure. Each individual path is our own.  
  • We are told that constantly measuring yourself against others often sparks a cycle of self-doubt and diminished self-worth, dissatisfaction and ultimately unhappiness. Maybe we can learn something about more effective KPIs from this? 
• I had also heard of Wabi-Sabi, which I had confused with the green stuff I have with soy sauce when I eat sashimi – but no 😉
  • The idea of being at peace with imperfection. I guess it relates to “Oubaitori” above. Nothing is ever perfect and nothing is ever finished. 
  • “Don’t let the pursuit of perfection be the enemy of the good” is a common warning against procrastination in the pursuit of flawlessness.

And that brings me back to 1% improvement every day, Kaizen and Continuous improvement.

I have never had a “Mid-Year resolution” but why not start now?

These four concepts are incredibly powerful. They may be the key to greater fulfilment.

I am going to try to live them a bit better.

On the eve of the auspicious U.S. anniversary, I’m feeling thankful for friends, influences and lessons learned from two cultures half a world away from each other.

And, just maybe, I should remember that timeless idea that what binds us all together on this little spinning rock is far greater than what divides us.

Happy Birthday U.S.A. 

Thanks for reading . . . 

Mindsets – Four Perennial Ideas That, Just Maybe, Should Become Habits