Inner-balance as an inner state of mind or being is very difficult to achieve especially in Western Cultures. However, there is no better example of how crucial the quality of your inner state of being (i.e. your state of mind) is than during a global health crisis pandemic. This is particularly true when the pandemic started in a foreign country, probably as a result of gross negligence–or worse–and many public officials gave extremely conflicting data and advice. Such extreme uncertainty significantly contributes to stress and the feeling of dreadful unease. Even in many Eastern cultures such as Japan, inner-balance or the state of Mushin or Makoto is extremely hard to achieve. Eastern cultures like Japan have an advantage in that inner-balance as a concept and mentality is not just sought after as a valuable trait to seek in a spouse, a partner, an employee, or a leader, the Japanese culture is also infused with the spirit and state of mind that makes it easier for everyday people to acknowledge inner-balance as a important value. Moreover, the various institutions of the Japanese culture like school, the media, church, etc., all collaborate to further bolster the idea that inner-balance is a important life goal for everyone in the way gardens are arranged, the esteem that various cultural practices are held like tea ceremonies, and the prominence and ambiance of health spas called onsen all around the country. In Japan, there is a greater emphasis on the the ways that individuals can strive to develop inner-balance. The more that a goal is treated as an important value in a business culture, in a family culture, or in a national culture, the more people of that culture will strive to achieve it. This is called creating the conditions for the goal to grow, much like a plant or flower would need the right conditions to flower or bloom. There is much insight in the analogies of growing, blooming, flowering, etc.
There is an important lesson for goal-setting and time management as well. For goals like inner-balance or success or happiness to be achieved, they must be treated with care and importance. An environment that encourages the development of a particular value, makes it more likely that people will want to achieve that value. This applies to adults as well as it does to children. It is one of the foundations for motivation. This observation applies to motivation and leadership in school, at at home, in business etc. Inner-balance not only depends on individual attitude, it also depends on cultural attitudes
The tension between individuality and cultural trends was the primary reason I developed the Shinsei Method™ of training to serve as a method self-training and self-education. I found that school, which represents for most people the first introduction to the idea of training, does a very poor job to train individuals in the important values and principles they need to face life, let alone work and crises. Inner-calm, inner-quiet, levelheadedness, are all synonyms for inner-balance. All of these characteristics are essential to face and resolve a crisis. The obvious question is why so little attention is paid to how these important character traits are developed in social and practical terms. And, for those who seek to develop important virtues like inner-balance, it is an uphill battle. At every turn, there is tremendous social pressure (at least in America) not to develop a methodical and thoroughgoing process for reaching decisions, evaluating information, interpreting data, etc. Many were quick to act in the most extreme ways despite misleading data. In other words, many people in positions of authority lacked inner-balance or self-discipline. Prudence is a natural consequence of inner-balance. Prudence also requires self-discipline, but if self-discipline is considered too austere a goal to be valued in social situations, few people will seek to develop it. Then, when a crisis like the Wuhan Chinese Corona virus hits, over-reaction is predictable. Caution is a natural consequence of inner-balance. Maturity is a natural consequence of inner-balance. Are any of these important character traits encouraged or rewarded culture-wide? Not usually. Typically the reverse is true. The most extreme, hysterical, impulsive and hyper-emotional response is generally supported. This is also true in areas like the law and the legal system where small business owners can be arrested and severely penalized in ways that hardened criminals are rarely sanctioned at the drop of a hat. Reactions are too extreme and a sense of proportion is no longer the standard operating procedure. This means, that if proportionality is valuable to you, you have to develop it on your own with very little cultural support. This also highlights why self-trust or self-belief is so crucial especially in these times. It is very easy to doubt your own values when those values seem to cause more problems for your regardless of how constructive those values may be in objective terms. This is also the real challenge of individuality. If maturity, balance, deliberation, are all fundamental to the development of individuality, they have to be developed in the individual to be present. If they are not developed, these values so important for desirable outcomes will not be present in a crisis. These traits are a part of the growing process–or at least they should be. In Japan, these important traits are still advocated for claiming adulthood especially in males. To develop inner-balance in the West especially in America today, requires not just inner-balance, but also inner-strength and self-trust as well. This does not mean that everyone in Japan can achieve or even seeks to achieve inner-balance. Without these inner-elements, it is exceedingly difficult to maintain a course toward true north. There is a significant social pressure not to steer a straight, well-tempered course. Achievement of a goal depends on the individual’s commitment to that goal as well as other environmental factors. Often the environment can make all the difference for achievement.
Some time ago, I observed an interesting development in a Botanical garden. It established the foundations of the Shinsei Method™ philosophy. The martial ways of Japan, investing, and science have all strongly influenced the Shinsei Method™. The Martial ways of Japan or Bushido in their emphasis on a totality of experience or a total being approach to development greatly informs the Shinsei Method™. Science and investing because of the their emphasis on analyzing facts, interpreting facts, and developing a strategy or understanding based on the facts also served as a foundation for the Shinsei Method™. Science and investing also emphasize evaluating the accuracy of the particular hypothesis through experimentation. This is not experimentation in the typical sense where someone may try something out to see what it is like. This kind of titillation served as the basis for the drug culture in America. On the other hand, scientific and investment experiments are well thought out in advance. In some cases a scientific experiment may cost millions of dollars and may have been in development over many decades. But, an experiment does have an unknown result. Once an experiment is conducted, the data is in, and the accuracy of the understanding can then be assessed. Investing is much the same. The stock of a company can be researched in terms of price, earnings, and company performance also called due diligence. When an investment of any kind is finally made, it is an experiment of sorts in that there is always an element of risk or the unknown in every investment. But, that risk is mitigated to some degree through prudent and balanced research showing just how important these characteristics are for all walks of life, not just crises.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: This site, its author, and the Shinsei Method™ do not offer investment advice. But, the concept and practice of investing have been very influential in the development of the Shinsei Method™. Investing like science provides many useful insights for business, life, and training. It is the educational aspect of investing and science that this site always refers to. Anyone that seeks to invest should consult a reputable and licensed professional as well as the relevant governmental agencies such as the SEC or the FINRA. In addition, not every investment need be financial. This is one of the conclusions of the Shinsei Method™. An investment can be made in terms of time, talent, emotions, intellect etc. This is one of the most important differences about the Shinsei Method™ of training and personal and self-development.