Key Takeaways
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Discovering your ikigai, your reason for being, is pivotal for a fulfilling life. Knowing your purpose fuels consistent action and unwavering commitment.
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The philosophy of Kaizen teaches us the power of small, consistent improvements. Instead of seeking instant results, focus on making 1% progress each day.
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Wabi-Sabi encourages us to find beauty in imperfection and impermanence. In a Personal Development Plan, this means accepting setbacks as part of the growth process.
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While these philosophies offer profound guidance, beware of misapplications. Don’t use them as excuses for inaction or stagnation.
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These concepts shouldn’t just be theoretical; integrate them into your daily routines.
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Celebrate your progress along the way.
Now that 2024 is in full stride, I have a question for you all. Are you still pursuing your goals from January, or are they now in 2025’s resolution wish list? Don’t feel bad if they are the latter. Setbacks are inevitable.
Picking up where you left off is better than not starting at all. Sometimes, it’s better to use philosophy rather than mindlessly doing actions to reach goals. Understanding the significance of goal setting in personal development plans is crucial for anyone looking to enhance their personal growth and personal improvement.
24 books in 2024 is a goal achievement I set for myself to consume as many books as possible. Currently, I’m at 15 books and have no intention of slowing down. If you want to know about my book consumption method, read this article. Achieving such goals is not just about the number but also about the journey of personal growth and personal improvement it fosters.
While on my consumption journey, I noticed a common thread. Philosophy was almost always used to reinforce the author’s topic of choice. Authors from Seneca to Naval Ravikant apply their evergreen wisdom in today’s world of business, leadership, art, self-development, and personal life.
Picking up where you left off is better than not starting at all. Sometimes, it’s better to use philosophy rather than mindlessly doing actions to reach goals. Understanding the significance of goal setting in personal development plans is crucial for anyone looking to enhance their personal growth and personal improvement.
What is a Personal Development Plan?
A Personal Development Plan (PDP) is a structured approach to self-improvement, aimed at enhancing one’s skills, knowledge, and overall well-being. It involves setting specific goals, identifying areas for growth, and outlining steps to achieve these objectives. A PDP encourages individuals to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, fostering a proactive mindset towards personal and professional development.
In its essence, a PDP correlates deeply with Japanese concepts such as Ikigai, which represents the pursuit of finding one’s purpose in life, guiding individuals to align their goals with their passions and talents. Similarly, the principle of Kaizen, emphasizing continuous improvement, resonates with the iterative nature of a PDP, urging individuals to make small, consistent steps towards growth.
Additionally, the notion of Wabi-Sabi, finding beauty in imperfection and impermanence, offers a perspective on embracing the journey of personal development, understanding that growth comes from both successes and failures along the way. Thus, a Personal Development Plan not only provides a roadmap for self-improvement but also embodies these profound Japanese philosophies, encouraging a holistic approach to growth and fulfillment.
The Japanese Concepts to Live By
Ikigai
This refers to finding one’s purpose in life. We’re starting deep here, but that’s the point. To become who we want to be, we must deeply root ourselves in our cause. If you ask someone, “What’s your purpose in life?” They may think about it for a minute. Then, depending on their planned answer, they may spit out a joke or dismiss the question entirely. Rarely does someone know what their purpose is. Just thinking about the question makes them uncomfortable. However, knowing your ikigai is 50% of the battle.
Once you know your purpose, nothing (outside of death) can stop you from reaching your goal. You will wake up earlier. You’ll complete a task even when you don’t have the motivation to start. Most importantly, you’ll do these things consistently, and they will become second nature.
Are you having trouble finding your ikigai? Don’t worry, it’s a lot easier than you think. The image below shows you how to find your ikigai. Combine your passions, skills, marketable talents, and societal needs. In the center is your ikigai!
For example, suppose you love reading books and have an innate ability to break down the book’s plot, characters, and overall quality. In that case, people will respect your opinion and may even build their reader list based on your recommendations.
In the author community, they may see the value of having someone like you review their book and pay you to do so. When you do what you love, work becomes nonexistent. You’re doing what you love and getting paid for it, which is a bonus since you would do it for free.
The 4 Points of Ikigai
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What you love refers to pursuing activities and endeavors that ignite passion and joy. This aspect encourages individuals to identify their interests and hobbies that bring a sense of fulfillment.
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What the world needs directs attention to contributing to something greater than oneself, whether through work, volunteerism, or creative pursuits that benefit society.
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What you can be paid for emphasizes the practicality of sustaining oneself financially through skills and services that are valuable to others. This point highlights the intersection of passion and profession.
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What you are good at focuses on recognizing and honing one’s strengths and talents, ensuring that they are utilized in meaningful ways.
When these four points—passion, mission, profession, and vocation—intersect, they form the central core of Ikigai, guiding individuals towards a purposeful and harmonious life where they are doing what they love, contributing to the world, being rewarded for their efforts, and utilizing their strengths.
Kaizen
The philosophy of continuous improvement and incremental change. We live in an age of instant gratification. You post something on Instagram and check 10 minutes later to see how many likes you got. You work out for a week and start checking the mirror for results.
Sadly, most things in life don’t operate that way, leading to the failure of many New Year’s resolutions. Instead of seeking instant victory, what if you aimed to improve by 1% daily? In Atomic Habits, James Clear writes:
“Daily habits are powerful because of how they compound…”
1% a day isn’t a remarkable change, but it’s not terribly complicated. Everyone can do it 1% and be happy to mark something off their checklist. Consistency remains critical, as I mentioned earlier. People quit before they can see the compounded results.
Either they think the 1% is a waste of time, or they lose sight of the big picture. Their ikigai wasn’t strong enough. The 1% a day is genuinely transformative because change happens when boredom sets in. One day, you’ll come in and say, “You know what, I’m going to do 2% today.” That is a 100% increase of what you did the previous day. Okay, let’s not pop the champagne just yet.
But this is the essence of Kaizen. 1% turns into 2%. 2% turns into 8%. 8% turns into 20%, and so on. Soon, you’ll realize you can run a mile without being out of breath and want to test your limits. Incorporating Kaizen into your daily routines is a surefire way to sustain self-improvement and reach your goals.
The 3 Pillars of Kaizen
The three pillars of Kaizen, a philosophy focused on continuous improvement, intertwine seamlessly with the concept of a Personal Development Plan (PDP):
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Standardization in Kaizen correlates with the structured approach of a PDP, where individuals establish standardized goals, processes, and routines. This alignment ensures clarity and consistency in personal growth efforts. Secondly,
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Elimination of Waste in Kaizen resonates with identifying and discarding unnecessary habits, distractions, or inefficiencies in a PDP. By streamlining actions and focusing on what truly matters, individuals can optimize their development journey.
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Empowerment in Kaizen aligns with the self-reflective and collaborative nature of a PDP. It encourages individuals to take ownership of their growth, seek feedback, and leverage their strengths, mirroring the empowerment to contribute and innovate within the framework of personal development.
Together, these pillars form a holistic approach to growth, where a structured PDP, inspired by Kaizen principles, fosters continuous self-improvement and efficiency in pursuing personal goals.
Wabi-Sabi
The acceptance of imperfection and finding the beauty within flaws of the process.
“…worrying too much about every daily choice is like looking at yourself in the mirror from an inch away. You can see every imperfection and lose sight of the bigger picture.” James Clear, Atomic Habits.
No one is perfect. If you were, you wouldn’t be reading this, and you wouldn’t be setting goals for yourself. So why do we chase perfection? Is it because we know it’s impossible to obtain, so it doesn’t feel bad when we abandon our goals?
We tell ourselves, “I quit while I was ahead.” But how can you be ahead of something that you were chasing? It’s a defense mechanism we use because we don’t want to fail at 100% effort. If you quit at 50% effort, it’s no loss because you weren’t even trying. Quit while you’re “ahead,” and it’s seen as an intelligent decision. Because there was no way you would accomplish that goal, right?
Well, I’ll see your defeatist mindset and raise you with a new perspective. What if you embraced the failure just as much as incremental wins? Embracing failure has its benefits of becoming a dangerous goal-chaser.
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It promotes self-acceptance. You’re not perfect, and that’s okay. What you are, though, is enough. Continuous self-improvement adds layers to your purpose and gives you a better understanding of what’s important to you. Being perfect means there’s no room for growth. If you don’t grow, you die. Finding the beauty in your imperfections makes you the unique person you are.
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Failure builds resiliency. I get it. We don’t want to go through pain. Taking the simple path is popular, but it fosters mediocrity. In his book, The Obstacle is the Way, Ryan Holiday talks about perseverance. He says, “Persistence is an action. Perseverance is a matter of will. One is energy, the other endurance.” When we fail, two things happen: we get a scab, it heals, and the skin becomes thicker. We also receive a free lesson on what to avoid.
So, when we come across a similar situation, we know how to navigate it. Imagine chipping away at your goals daily, making mistakes along the way, and taking inventory. By the end, you will have created a well-oiled system that allows for automation and occasional adjustments as you pursue your next goal. Failure is good pain. Embrace it.
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Fosters a mindset of authenticity. Success stories inspire us, but they’re rarely effective for reaching our goals. Would you rather hear the present-day story of how someone became a multi-millionaire or how they lost everything they had trying to reach their first million because they had to overcome an addiction?
Failure makes us human, and it’s a beautiful flaw that makes us relatable to one another. When you’re authentic with yourself, you open a door of self-discovery that you didn’t know was there. Instead of saying, “I quit while I was ahead,” you can say things like, “Maybe this isn’t for me right now. I need to step back and revise my strategy.
After meditating on it, if it’s still not for me, I’ll let it go and revisit it at a different season of my life.” That is so much better than giving up entirely and feeling bad for yourself.
The 3 Principles of Wabi-Sabi
The three principles of wabi-sabi can offer profound insights into a Personal Development Plan (PDP).
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Mujō or impermanence reminds us in a PDP that growth is an ongoing process, embracing change and the evolution of goals over time. This principle encourages adaptability and openness to new experiences, vital for personal development.
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Fukinsei or asymmetry reflects the acceptance of uniqueness and individuality. In a PDP, this principle encourages embracing one’s flaws and quirks as part of their journey towards improvement, fostering self-compassion and authenticity.
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Shizen or naturalness encourages simplicity and the appreciation of life’s natural cycles. This principle in a PDP suggests that personal growth shouldn’t be forced but rather allowed to unfold organically, with patience and mindfulness.
Embracing the principles of wabi-sabi in a PDP means understanding that the path to self-improvement is not linear or flawless; it’s about finding beauty in the journey, acknowledging setbacks as opportunities for growth, and cultivating a sense of peace and acceptance throughout the process.
Beware of the Pitfalls
We can twist anything to serve our agenda, and philosophy is no different. We have to be careful not to self-sabotage ourselves, using words of wisdom to reinforce negative behavior. There’s a delicate balance between embracing these principles and actively applying them to positive growth, rather than using them as shields for stagnation. This awareness is crucial in a Personal Development Plan, ensuring that the pursuit of self-improvement is genuine and not a guise for avoiding the hard but necessary work of change. Here’s how that would look.
Ikigai
I’m not special; therefore, I have no purpose. If I did, my purpose is to live a regular life. So, there’s no point in pursuing my goals or making goals in the first place. I love to sleep. I’m good at sleeping. The world, in general, needs sleep, and I can get paid when I go to a job I don’t love.
Kaizen
Monday I’m super motivated, so I will give 100% today. Tuesday I gave 100% yesterday, so I can take a break today. Wednesday I’m still tired from Monday, so I’ll take it easy today, but I’m right back at it tomorrow. Thursday Okay, I will get back on track starting Monday.
-1% every day until you fall off track completely. Slow and steady wins the race.
Wabi-Sabi
I’ll never be able to give up this type of food. I’m not a morning person. I’m always late. I’m not a runner. I’m a slow writer. I don’t like to read.
These are all imperfections I said about myself at some point in my life. Instead of embracing these flaws, I let them consume me and did not reach my goals. Sometimes we let our flaws define us and stop us from growing.
The worst thing I ever convinced myself was, “This is my new normal.” That one statement not only kept me from achieving goals, but it was also enough for me not even to start.
These are the three words I want you to take into the rest of 2024 and beyond. Avoid the pitfalls that can keep you shackled to failure. I encourage you to find your purpose through Ikigai. Make incremental improvements through Kaizen. And accept your imperfections with Wabi-Sabi.
Conclusion
As 2024 continues to unfold, it’s time for a reflection: are your goals from January still in sight, or have they found their way onto 2025’s resolution list? Don’t feel disheartened if they’ve shifted; setbacks are inevitable. What’s important is that we keep moving forward. Sometimes, it’s not just about mindlessly pursuing actions to reach our goals; philosophy can guide us.
Understanding the significance of goal setting in personal development plans (PDPs) is crucial for anyone seeking to enhance their growth and improvement. My personal goal of consuming 24 books in 2024 was not just about the number; it’s about the journey of personal growth and improvement that reading fosters.
Now, as we look ahead, I want to reiterate the three Japanese concepts that will guide us not just in 2024, but beyond, as we continue our paths to success.
Ikigai, the pursuit of one’s purpose in life, is a profound starting point. Knowing our ikigai—our reason for being—is half the battle. Once we find our purpose, nothing can deter us. We wake up earlier, persist when motivation wanes, and act consistently, making progress feel natural and effortless.
Kaizen, the philosophy of continuous improvement, challenges our desire for instant gratification. Instead of seeking immediate results, what if we aimed for 1% improvement daily? This approach, though seemingly small, compounds over time.
Lastly, Wabi-Sabi teaches us to embrace imperfection and find beauty within flaws. In a PDP, the principles of Mujō, Fukinsei, and Shizen ensure that our personal development journey is not just about reaching goals but also about finding beauty in the process.
Let’s find our purpose, make incremental improvements, and embrace our imperfections. These are the keys to not only setting goals but also achieving them with authenticity and resilience.