(生き甲斐, lit. "reason for being") is a Japanese concept of an individual's definition of the meaning of one's own life [1]. It can be finding a sense of purpose in life [2, 3] as well as holding it as a source of motivation [4]. According to a study by Michiko Kumano, feeling ikigai as described in Japanese is usually the sense of accomplishment and fulfillment that follows when people pursue things they're passionate about [5]. Activities that generate the feeling of ikigai are spontaneous and undertaken willingly, not imposed on an individual, making them personal and dependent on a person's inner [6, 7, 8, 9] sense of an internal locus of control. According to Japanese psychologist Katsuya Inoue, the concept of ikigai consists of two aspects, "sources or objects that bring value or meaning to life" and "a feeling that one's life has value or meaning because of the existence of its source or object." He classifies ikigai into three categories: social, non-social, and anti-social ikigai...More
Kaizen(改善, "[micro] improvements") is a Japanese word that has been adopted outside of Japan as a concept that asserts that significant positive results may be achieved due to the cumulative effect of many small (even trivial) improvements. It is put into action by continuously improving. It is about consistency, not perfection. Kaizen also applies to processes, aiming to eliminate waste and redundancies. It may be referred to as zero investment improvement (ZII) due to its utilization of existing resources [2], a Japanese philosophy frequently applied to business operations. More
Hara hachi bu (腹八分目, actually hara hachi bun me) is a Confucianism-inspired [1] teaching that instructs people to eat in moderation -- only until they are 80 percent full [2], never 100%. The Japanese phrase translates to, "Eat until you are eight parts (out of ten) full" [2] or "belly 80 percent full" [3]. There is evidence that following this practice leads to a lower body mass index (BMI) and increased longevity, and it might even help to prevent dementia in the elderly. More
Ganbaru (頑張る, lit. "standing firm," Romanized gambaru) is a Japanese word that roughly means to slog on tenaciously through tough times [1]. The word is often translated as "doing one's best," but in practice, it means doing more than one's best [2]. The word emphasizes "working with perseverance" [3] or "toughing it out" [4]. Ganbaru means "to commit oneself fully to a task and to bring that task to [its culmination]" [5]. It can be translated as persistence, tenacity, doggedness, [hanging in there like a kitten on a motivational poster], and hard work. The term has a unique importance in Japanese culture [6]. More
Wabi-sabi ("the art of imperfection")? In traditional Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi (侘び寂び) centers on the acceptance of transience and imperfection [2]. It is often described as the appreciation of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete" [3]. It is prevalent in many forms of Japanese art [4, 5]. Wabi-sabi combines two interrelated concepts, wabi (侘) and sabi (寂). According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, wabi may be translated as "subdued, austere beauty" and sabi as "rustic patina" [6]. Wabi-sabi derives from the Buddhist teaching of the Three Marks of Existence (三法印, sanbōin), which are impermanence (無常, mujō), disappointment (苦, ku), and not-self/emptiness, the impersonal nature of all things, devoid of self-nature (空, kū) [7]. Characteristics of wabi-sabi aesthetics and principles include asymmetry, roughness, ruggedness, simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy, and the appreciation of natural objects and the forces of nature. More
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