Last week, I got the best career advice of my life from an 86-year old sushimaster in Tokyo. And it changed how I think about work, success, and purpose. And all in the span of 81 minutes. Jiro Dreams of Sushi is artful, inspiring, and direct. You must watch it immediately.
The documentary tells the story of Jiro Ono and his restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro, the best in the world. It has 3 Michelin stars, and people make reservations up to a year in advance. With only 10 seats, no bathroom, and a fixed menu, it not offer appetizers or modifications. The average dinner costs $370 and lasts 20 minutes. Celebrities and tourists book trips to Japan just to dine there. Here's why.
Jiro has been practicing his craft for nearly his entire life. He began training at age 9, shortly after his father died. Upon leaving, he was told, "You have no home to come back to." With no money or support, he started on the path to becoming shokunin, which is exactly what he did. The simple translation means, "master craftsman," but many believe true shokunin share knowledge and improve the world through their work. Reaching this level is hard - it takes decades, sometimes a lifetime to achieve. And you only get there through honest, persistent effort.
Once you decide on your occupation... you must immerse yourself in your work. You have to fall in love with your work. Never complain about your job. You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill. That's the secret of success... and is the key to being regarded honorably.
I know, we've heard the "love what you do" pep talk many times. And I've been lucky to have many good career opportunities so far, but to be honest, I've not yet fallen 100 percent in love a job yet. I think I've been 90 percent in love, which is pretty good. I've been "in like" with all of my work experiences, though. The point: it's incredibly hard to find work-love, even in a healthy economy. I think we settle too often, because we think a job title, well-known employer, or salary is going to make us happy. We look at what we've studied, match it up to a finite set of job opportunities, and hope something special happens. At least that's what I've done. I've focused on being good on paper and getting that raise or promotion, sometimes at the expense of deep fulfillment and meaning.
Fortunately, I still have many years left, which means I've still got a shot at becoming shokunin. And that's great, because I love doing something with focus, over and over, until it's perfect. Whether it's graphic design, fancy gift wrapping, or cleaning my bathroom, I embrace intense-concentration activity with my mind and hands. It's meditative, and if you care deeply about doing something well, effort is never wasteful.
Learning about shokunin reminded me of the 10,000-hour rule in Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers. Gladwell teaches us that practice makes perfect, and the key to becoming expert is logging 10,000 hours of practice. That can be daunting or attractive, depending on how you feel about the work. Here's the thing: 10,000 hours is just the start of becoming shokunin. Apprentices at Jiro's restaurant are not allowed to cut the tuna until they know how to handle it properly. For the chance to make tamago (egg sushi) one apprentice had to practice it 200 times before it was deemed acceptable. And that wasn't until his tenth year of employment. And the look on the apprentice's face when he told the story, you wanted to high-five him through the screen!
Jiro also taught me to surround myself with people who care about their craft as much as I do. In the film, we meet Jiro's rice and fish dealers, men who save their best product for Jiro, because they believe only his skill is worthy of it. Jiro's rice dealer was approached by the Grand Hyatt for his rice, and flat out turned them down because "they would not know what to do" with it. Respect for the work and those who do it well - I love it.
So I'm looking forward to what's ahead, whatever that might be, armed with Jiro's wise advice:
1. Choose your occupation carefully. Love it, be awesome at it.
2. Practice hard. Every single day. Then practice some more. Get better at it each time.
3. Find others who are as passionate as you are about the work. Work only with them.
The great thing about Jiro (and there are many), is that he's been making sushi for 77 years. And he still takes the subway to work every day. He's got no plans to retire yet, and he's constantly thinking of sushi. He sees it in his dreams and bounds out of bed (as much as a 86-year old can), with ideas on how to improve on something that's been around for centuries. In short, he's doing it right.
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