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6 Japanese Principles of Self-Development

Use them to be a little bit better every day

Sergio Guardiola Herrador
2 min readFeb 29, 2024
Photo by Riccardo Annandale on Unsplash

Kaizen

Kaizen means “continuous improvement”. When applied to self-development, it consists of making daily changes and small improvements for continuous growth, to also avoid sudden or major transformations.

This principle is also used by some companies like Toyota. Kaizen aims to drive efficiency and quality through the implementation of small changes and processes that in the long term increase productivity and quality.

Ikigai

Ikigai is a concept that represents the convergence of four elements:

  • What you love.
  • What you are good at.
  • What the world needs.
  • What you can be paid for.

The term means “a reason for being”. At the intersection of the four elements lies a fulfilling and meaningful life.
The purpose of Ikigai is to help individuals find what they should be doing in their professional lives.

Wabi-sabi

Wabi-sabi is the combination of two words: wabi (less is more) and sabi (attentive melancholy).

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Sergio Guardiola Herrador
Sergio Guardiola Herrador

Written by Sergio Guardiola Herrador

I write articles in English and Spanish, mostly about programming, technology, travel, money, investing. You can find me here: https://sergioguardiola.net

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