Japanese Wisdom

By cryotosensei | travelinJapan | 14 hours ago

Wabi-sabi (わびさび) is a Japanese term that calls upon us to appreciate the beauty of something with all its quirks and changes with age. Take a mindful moment and view your portfolio through the lens of wabi-sabi.
The ideogram for ‘human’ can be found in every character of daijoubu (大丈夫) , the Japanese word for “It’s fine”. Which goes to say that when you lose tonnes in investing, you will survive it when you have the support of people around you.
“Kokology," based on the Japanese word kokoro, 心meaning "spirit" or "mind," is a fun and psychological personality test.
Kaizen 改善　is a Japanese word that means “continuous improvement".
Japanese is great for having onomatopoeia like pika pika (ピカピカ　glittering) n kira kira (キラキラ　sparkling).
Kansha 感謝　is what the Japanese say when they want to express gratitude towards someone or for things that they are blessed with.
Omotenashi おもてなし　is a concept that guides Japanese people to entertain or welcome their guests in a thoughtful and selfless way.
Ichigo ichie 一期一会　is a Japanese phrase that means "once in a lifetime experience" and stresses the importance of treasuring each moment or meeting in life.
A Zen koan says, “When you can do nothing, what can you do?”
Reminds of me of the Japanese idiom 花鳥風月 (made up of the characters for flowers, birds, breeze and moon).
七転び八起き (nana korobi ya oki). A Japanese proverb that means “fall down seven times but get up eight times”. Reminds me never to give up and always stand up after a setback to keep on investing.
Shirin Yoku (森林浴) is a Japanese practice that advocates spending time in the forest to absorb its calming vibes.
三寒四温　(3 cold days and 4 warm days) is a Japanese idiom that describes the end of winter. So even when it’s winter, there will be some warm days.
自画自賛 (jiga jisan) is a Japanese idiom to refer to the act of praising oneself.
5S is a five-step methodology used in housekeeping. The "S"s are derived from the following Japanese words: Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu, Shitsuke (Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize, Sustain ー整理、整頓、清掃、清潔、仕付け)
Have you ever heard of the Japanese proverb うなぎのぼり　(unagi nobori)? Inspired by eels swimming upstream, it means “climbing like an eel” and describes the sudden rise of something.