Oubaitori: The Ultimate Guide To Focusing On Yourself​

Oubaitori:

The Ultimate Guide To Focusing On Yourself

This is an Ultimate Guide to focusing on yourself in 2024. Explore the factors that will make you successful in the modern world.

In this guide, you'll learn how to :

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Contents

What is Oubaitori?

Welcome to the foundation of your journey to success!

In this chapter, we will explore the origins of Oubaitori and define the term.

So if you are looking for the key to achieving success in 2024, this chapter is for you

Definition of Oubaitori

Oubaitori is the art of never comparing yourself to others.

It is associated with developing your mind so that you focus on your own personal growth as a person and not worry or compare yourself to others.

Beyond helping us to realise that each of us is unique and that we need to take our separate paths in life, Oubaitori wants us to see how even the littlest things can be beautiful and important. It teaches us to be careful and thoughtful in everything we do, including our jobs.

It is one of the 7 Japanese philosophies of life and has been followed and implemented for centuries in a country that has considered self development a must.

History of Oubaitori

The origin of this age-old Japanese expression lies in the characters representing four spring-blooming trees: cherry blossoms, plums, peaches, and apricots.

Each blossom unfolds in its unique season, conveying the essence of the idiom that emphasizes the importance of individual growth and the different blooming paces of every person.

Translated from Japanese, Oubaitori means “the art of never comparing yourself” 

Benefits of Oubaitori

Oubaitori results in many benefits, not just a development in the mind and self, but also in productivity and mental health.

As a result of improvements to workflow and eliminating waste, some of the expected benefits of Oubaitori include:

  • Increased productivity
  • Increased Ability to Achieve Goals
  • Improved Morale
  • Alleviates Stress
  • Balanced Growth

Increased Productivity

Balancing personal and professional well-being with this concept has the potential to enhance overall productivity. This is because you are focusing only on what you can achieve and the path you need to take rather than worrying about what everyone else is doing. You also streamline your focus and direct all your energy into doing the things you need to do to maximise efficiency and effectiveness.

Increased Ability to Achieve Goals

When you are only focusing on yourself and not comparing yourself to others, you will find that achieving your goals will be a much simpler task as you are promoting self-awareness, and prioritizing tasks that need to be done which leads to a more direct and efficient pursuit of your goals.

Improved Morale

By not comparing yourself to others and only focusing on yourself, you increase your self-confidence, self-appreciation, and a sense of personal accomplishment.

Oubaitori allows you to recognize your strengths and achievements, contributing positively to your overall sense of well-being and happiness.

Alleviates Stress

Oubaitori allows you to practice self-care, set boundaries, and engage in activities that promote relaxation and well-being.

It also allows for better stress management, as individuals can identify and address their needs, leading to a more balanced and resilient approach to life’s challenges.

Balanced Growth

Oubaitori promotes development and progress in every aspect, fostering a well-rounded and harmonious entrepreneurial journey.

It encourages personal development, such as personal skills, professional expertise, and having a happy way of thinking.

This all adds up to making the entrepreneurial journey more complete and balanced. I’m sure you’ve been told many times that “it is the journey that matters, not the end result“.

Principles of Oubaitori

Oubaitori is guided by 3 principles :

  1. Trust Your Journey
  2. Focus On Yourself
  3. Don’t Compare To Others

Trust Your Journey

Oubaitori is all about trusting your journey.

In Japan, four trees bloom in spring: cherry blossoms, plums, peaches, and apricots. These 4 trees bloom at different rates, but eventually, they all reach their heights.

This is an idiom for the fact that we need to trust our journey. Everything happens for a reason and some people may grow faster than us, others may grow slower.

But none of that matters because we all have to bloom at our own pace and not get distracted by what others are doing.

Because eventually, if you are committed and put the work in, you will get to your goal.

Focus On Yourself

If you invest your focus in what others are doing, that is focus lost that should be put into what you should be doing.

Being concerned about what others are doing will only harm you in the long run because some may be doing better than you, and that can damage your self-confidence whilst others may be doing less well than you, and that may boost your ego even though you still haven’t accomplished anything.

Focus on yourself and don’t look around you.

Look straight ahead at the path that you need to take to achieve success. 

This is how you achieve success.

Don't Compare To Others

Comparing yourself to others will do nothing for you.

You have to understand that everyone is at a different stage in life. They may be doing well, or they may not.

They may have certain things they have to deal with that you simply can not understand.

Comparing yourself will not only be detrimental to your mental health in the long run but it also steals focus away from your task at hand. 

It may feel good in the short run because you might be doing better than some people, but in the long run, they will catch up to you because they focused on themselves rather than looking back at how others are doing.

Mind your own business.

Implementing Oubaitori

Holistic planning

Holistic Planning refers to a way of planning that looks at and puts together all the important things and different points of view in a project to make sure everything is complete and works well.

This will help you focus on the long-term goal rather than being obsessed with a short-term victory.

You can implement this by:

Setting comprehensive goals

Have a clear goal in mind and know why you are doing what you are doing. Find your North Star.

Consider All Aspects

Think about the various elements, including research, design, presentation skills,  teamwork and any potential obstacles.

Involve Everyone

Ensure that each team member has a specific role and that their strengths and interests contribute to your success.

Reflection

Reflection is key in all areas of life.

Without reflection, you would be making the same mistakes over an over again without realising and you would end up making no progress and possibly even going backwards.

In order to reflect, you must track what you are doing. A simple way to do this is at the end of the day, simply write down in a notebook the following:

  1. What is your current state of mind? (Happy, worried etc.) Why?
  2. What went well today?
  3. What didn’t go so well today?
  4. What are you thankful for today?

Writing these down will help you clear your mind and reflect on the day.

After doing this exercise, on a different piece of paper, write down 3 goals you want to set for tomorrow and look at them the following morning so that you have set your goals and know what needs to be done to be productive.

Balance Your Skill Development

You have to remember that 80% of the equation is what’s going on inside. Don’t just focus on the tactics of entrepreneurship, you have to focus on becoming a better person first.

Stack your private victories and your public victory will come soon enough.

Focus on areas like:

  • Meditation
  • Physical Health
  • Mental Health
  • Reading
  • Sleep
  • Detox
  • Discipline
These are just some of the things you need to have good knowledge about to be a good entrepreneur.
 
The tactics of sales and marketing or whatever your niche is can be learnt easily online. But without these core skills, you will never succeed.

Reflect and Improve

Reflection holds significance within the continuous improvement cycle.

After implementing Oubaitori, revisit the workplace to identify any lingering inefficiencies. This stage is key, as you are already aware of the issues and potential solutions, providing a chance to experiment with innovative ideas.

This will not only help you grow as a person but also improve your entrepreneurial journey as well.

Now It's Your Turn

Congratulations on completing this comprehensive guide to mastering Oubaitori! You’ve equipped yourself with the knowledge and actionable insights needed to optimize your life effectively.

However, if you don’t take the actionable steps highlighted in this post, you will make no progress at all and will have just wasted your time reading this.

Remember: Action is mastery, not knowledge.

What did you find most interesting?

Was there anything that I missed?

Let me know in the comments below!

1 thought on “Oubaitori: The Ultimate Guide To Focusing On Yourself​”

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