Sessa takuma 切磋琢磨


Being an entrepreneur is often lonely. I believe in using sessa takuma to make this lonely journey into a joyful, exciting one where you will grow exponentially. I will use an example I observed to explain sessa takuma.

I was born in a family which cultivated their own future by creating our own business. I have learned many important things by watching and listening to my parents, especially my father. Becoming an entrepreneur was the key to experiencing and having abundance in life rather than being employed.

One of the things that I remember my father having said many times, is “Other business owners are not your enemies. Enemies will kill each other. There are no enemies in business. We have colleagues who you can sessa takuma with.”

Sessa takuma means friendly rivalry

Sessa takuma means friendly rivalry, where we can polish each other by encouraging, sharing, and benefitting together. It’s as if you were a stone that, once polished by doing sessa takuma, is transformed into a diamond. This is mutually beneficial. My father’s stance was always to be a good sport in business and in life. He didn’t engage in anything that would pull someone down and he always wanted his business to be better, inspiring his employees. He knew the importance of having business consultants to evaluate and give different perspectives, allowing him to stride further.

My father went to seminars all over Japan and befriended other successful restaurant owners. He often came back with excitement sparkling in eyes and would tell me and my siblings that he’d met someone who inspired him. They had become friends. When my father wanted to be a friend, it meant that person must have been a cool guy. We just knew it. We grew up with parents who were always doing sessa takuma, who kept challenging themselves. It was honorable and I respected how they conducted their business and life.

My father even toured America, as one of the consultants had arranged it. He talked about American beef and Japanese beef after he came back from that tour.

I grew up in a small fisherman town in South, meaning no one there learned like my father. Wherever he was, he wanted to learn from the best people and aspire to be the best version of himself, as well as the best representation of his business. He didn’t skim when it came to investments in learning and those investments were always fruitful.

1: Challenge yourself to climb the mountain.

Don’t settle for the small or shy way. Even if you feel like you’re out of your league right now, you will learn and move up at your own pace. Business is a marathon. As long as you are taking small steps, it compounds. No one will make fun of you because you’re challenging yourself. If you have someone in your life who makes fun of your efforts, simply don’t talk about it with that person; establish healthy boundaries.

2: Reflect and praise yourself.

While you are mindfully working towards your goal, sometimes it seems like an eternity has passed and you’re not even close. That is not accurate. You have grown and you are better than before.

3: Find someone who is like-minded.

Your vibration attracts like-minded people and creates a safe environment which others want to join. If you’re in an unhealthy environment, think about your thoughts and actions. If there is anything you need to learn from this environment, learn it and move on! Distance doesn’t matter here; we can connect online. Think globally!

You will reach your destination with friends you can sessa takuma with. That creates a joyful and exciting journey in the process.


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