There are three parts to how we perform in life: observation, understanding, and performance.
Life constantly moves through ups and downs. When things go down, we observe what is happening. We experience failure, confusion, resistance, fear, or simply the difference between what we expected and what actually happened.
But there is a deeper challenge here.
Can you still show up for observation when you are afraid of what you might see?
It is easy to observe when everything is going well. The real test comes when everyone around you seems to be moving forward while you are standing still.
Someone is getting promoted. Someone is learning faster. Someone is receiving recognition. Someone seems to have figured out something that you are still struggling with.
And you begin to feel fear.
The natural reaction is to look away. We compare ourselves, become defensive, blame circumstances, or convince ourselves that the situation does not matter.
But if we stop observing, we stop learning.
There is an interesting lesson in Japanese philosophy and practice that connects with this process.
Hansei (反省) is the practice of reflection and self-examination. It asks us to look honestly at what happened—not simply to criticize ourselves, but to understand what can be learned from the experience.
That requires something else: shoshin (初心), the beginner's mind.
When we can approach our situation without constantly protecting our ego, we can say:
I don't know yet.
I may have misunderstood something.
There may be something here for me to learn.
That is difficult when everyone else appears to be doing better.
And this is where gaman (我慢) becomes important—the patience and endurance to remain present through discomfort rather than immediately escaping it.
Sometimes there is nothing dramatic to do.
You simply continue showing up.
You observe.
You learn.
You endure the uncomfortable period without allowing it to define you.
Then comes action.
This is where kaizen (改善) enters: continuous improvement. Not necessarily a dramatic transformation, but a series of small improvements based on what we have understood.
The process becomes:
Experience → Observation → Hansei → Understanding → Action → Kaizen → New Experience.
And then the cycle begins again.
It looks like a circle, but it is actually a spiral.
A circle would mean returning to exactly the same place. A spiral means that we may encounter similar situations again, but we encounter them with a different level of understanding.
The programmer encounters another difficult problem, but now knows how to investigate it.
The musician makes another mistake, but hears something they could not hear before.
The sportsperson loses another match, but understands the game differently.
The person who once became overwhelmed by comparison encounters it again, but this time remembers to observe instead of running away.
That is improvement.
The ups and downs are not interruptions to the learning process. They are the mechanism through which learning happens.
And perhaps the hardest part of the entire process is not performance.
It is having the courage to remain present during observation.
When everyone seems to be moving ahead and you are afraid, stay with the experience long enough to understand it.
Hansei teaches us to reflect.
Shoshin teaches us to remain open.
Gaman teaches us to endure.
Kaizen teaches us to improve.
Together, they allow the spiral to continue.
Observe. Reflect. Understand. Act. Improve.
Then do it again.
Not in exactly the same place.
A little higher.