I set my life goal to 'Jiro at 100,' and my life got a little bit easier.
Hello, I am Jiro at 100, a pediatrician who wants to keep enjoying Ramen Jiro and Jiro-style ramen even at the age of 100.
This is the second article where I write down my thoughts as they come to me after reading Shu Yamaguchi's book,
'Life Management Strategy: 20 Strategic Concepts for Thinking and Living Your Own Life.'
This is the second article where I write down my thoughts as they come to me after reading this book.
The first article is here ↓
Chapter 1: On Goal Setting
To begin with, I don't know my 'purpose in life'
01 Purpose: Grasping the 'Basic Principles' of the Game of Life
■ A 'correct strategy' is premised on a 'correct goal'
■ The game of converting time capital into other forms of capital
■ Social capital increases through human capital
■ Social capital generates financial capital
■ There are two types of capital
■ People who 'couldn't earn money' or 'couldn't get promoted' are not 'failures'
■ The relationship between well-being and the three capitals
■ To avoid having your life stolen by 'time thieves'
Chapter 1 discusses the purpose of life, or 'purpose.'
Following the content of this book, I will ramble on and write down whatever comes to mind.
The image is like someone drinking alcohol, watching a medical drama, complaining incessantly, and annoying their children.
Purpose refers to the fundamental reason for existence, explaining why a company or organization exists and why it conducts its business. While sometimes translated as 'objective,' 'intent,' or 'goal' in English, in a business context, it is used to mean 'corporate value' or 'social significance.' In other words, purpose serves as a basic guideline for what a company is trying to achieve and how it intends to contribute to society.
Definition of Purpose: Corporate reason for existence:Refers to the role and value a company fulfills within society.
Social significance:Refers to the value a company creates by contributing to society.
Fundamental objective:Refers to the most basic goal of what a company is trying to achieve.
Yes, setting a 'project objective = purpose' is super important.
Until I turned 40, I didn't have a long-term goal for the project called my life.
After suffering through a midlife crisis, I realized I didn't have a purpose, so I went through trial and error to set one.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when the number of pediatric patients plummeted, I faced an identity crisis.
Wait, can I not make a living as a pediatrician anymore?
Wait, what is my life?
Wait, how am I supposed to live?
That's what they call a midlife crisis.
So, I went through quite a lot of trial and error.
I started working out, running, taking walks, getting over eight hours of sleep, going to counseling, and meditating.
I kept searching for the meaning of my life.
And then, for the first time, I understood.
There is no meaning to life.
Homo sapiens came into existence through a series of coincidences.
The fact that I am alive right now is also a coincidence.
It is just a coincidence; there is no meaning to my life, and no one will teach me the meaning of life or set it for me.
Man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked.
In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life.
I knew these words of Frankl's when I was 20.
But I didn't understand them.
I had read 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' many times since my days as a ronin, and I even practiced the second habit, 'Begin with the End in Mind.'
I own the first edition, the complete translation, and the one about putting first things first, and I even bought the Kindle versions.
But I didn't understand them.
I was convinced that if I just worked hard as a pediatrician, I would understand the meaning of life.
There is no meaning to life.
You have to give meaning to your life yourself.
It wasn't until I was over 40 that I realized this.
So, after more trial and error, the answer I found when searching for the meaning of my life is
'Jiro at 100'
To be 100 years old and enjoying a bowl of Ramen Jiro.
In 'Life Management Strategy', the
purpose—the long-term goal of the project called life—is set as follows.
To build a state of sustainable well-being by appropriately allocating time capital, and to live a life where, no matter when I am told I have limited time left, I can think, 'It was a good life, true to myself.'
long-term goal of the project called life in 'Life Management Strategy: 20 Strategic Concepts for Thinking and Living Your Own Life'
Wow, Shu Yamaguchi is amazing!!!!
This articulation is incredibly easy to understand and overflows with a sense of conviction.
To build a state of sustainable well-being by appropriately allocating time capital, and to live a life where, no matter when I am told I have limited time left, I can think, 'It was a good life, true to myself.'
long-term goal of the project called life in 'Life Management Strategy: 20 Strategic Concepts for Thinking and Living Your Own Life'
It's wonderful, so I repeated it.
Apparently, there are three points to this goal setting:
1. The only strategic variable we can control is 'time capital'
2. 'How to allocate time capital' becomes the central issue
3. Aim to 'build a state of sustainable well-being'
Strategically allocate time capital to acquire human capital, social capital, and financial capital.
Acquiring each of these capitals is not the goal itself, you see.
The ultimate purpose of acquiring capital is, after all, 'to build a state of sustainable well-being'.
Here is the diagram.
Working hard as a pediatrician during a 'Can you fight for 48 hours?' style grueling residency was truly going all-in on human capital...
Hmm? What is well-being, anyway?
1. Self-efficacy: The sense that you have the ability to grow by fully utilizing your skills for something meaningful, and the sense that you are elevating yourself by being useful to others.
2. Social connection: The sense that you are trusted and relied upon by your workplace and business partners, and that you have built friendly and affectionate relationships with acquaintances, friends, and family within your community.
3. Economic stability: The sense that you are financially stable and have no anxiety about maintaining a normal standard of living even if something happens.
Diagram of the relationship between the three capitals and well-being
I see.
The reason I feel like I'm lost in my career is...
Am I afraid that my self-efficacy, social connections, and economic stability as a pediatrician will be compromised now that life as a pediatrician is expected to become more difficult?
So, the answer I found through trial and error is:
'Jiro at 100'
Why was this good?
First of all, it feels right even when compared to the long-term goals of a life project as defined by Shu Yamaguchi.
To build a state of sustainable well-being by appropriately allocating time capital, and to live a life where you can think 'It was a good life, true to myself' no matter when you are told you have limited time left.
Even if I die at 88, if I was eating Ramen Jiro and Jiro-style ramen deliciously right up until the end, it's a success.
It would be sad if there was a long period where I couldn't eat it deliciously, but well, it can't be helped.
What I envy is Caballo Blanco from Born to Run.
Dying while doing the trail running you love is such an incredibly enviable life, isn't it?
My ideal is a pattern where, after passing 100, I die while waiting in line for Ramen Jiro, or die the moment I stand up from a squat.
Once I'm over 80, I'd be happy if I could leave a will saying, 'I will donate 100 million yen to those I inconvenienced if I pass away suddenly,' but...
It also looks good from the perspective of the relationship between the three capitals and well-being.
In order to eat Ramen Jiro and Jiro-style ramen deliciously at 100, I'm thinking of creating a gym myself (currently CrossFit and Hyrox) that I can go to and want to keep going to even when I'm 100.
For that, I can't directly use the human capital, social capital, and financial capital I've cultivated as a pediatrician, but I feel like I have capital I can use indirectly.
Well, I need to re-acquire new human capital and social capital for things like opening a gym, managing it, hiring people including trainers, and various other things.
Previously, by opening a clinic as a pediatrician, I was able to directly use the human capital, social capital, and financial capital I had built up as a pediatrician and convert them into human capital and social capital as a business owner.
However, I am challenging myself with opening a gym, which is a different kind of venture.
I believe that the human capital, social capital, financial capital, and self-efficacy that I (will be able to) acquire there can be sustainable in the advanced declining birthrate and aging society of Hell Japan—or rather, precisely in Japan!!
Since I will be using up my financial capital and my human capital and social capital as a freelance pediatrician, I can manage the economic stability during this new period of learning.
'Jiro at 100'
Hmm, I must say, I set a pretty good life goal for myself.
I'm also taking concrete action for the sake of that goal.
'Eat Jiro-style ramen at least once a week'
I've imposed this on myself and am currently putting it into practice.
Brother Ramen's MegaMen Pork Light Soup
Continued