Ikigai & Kaizen: The Japanese Strategy to Achieve Personal Happiness and Professional Success (How to set goals, stop procrastinating, be more productive, build good habits, focus, & thrive)

by Anthony Raymond

Wabi-sabi teaches us to coexist with imperfection and appreciate the beauty of transience. This way of thinking frequently finds expression in Asian art and culture. A Japanese rock garden (or “Zen Garden”) features a deliberate interplay between order and randomness. The gravel is tended with great care, raked into intricate patterns that defy the forces of entropy. And yet, large stones jet out from the genteel landscape, seemingly at random. Their antagonistic presence juxtaposes the meticulous symmetries of the garden, creating a dynamic representation of man’s quest to create order amidst the backdrop of chaos.