Everyday actions compound. Many people seem to believe that to act well, one must first possess good character, but in fact it is the other way around. Good actions — that is, the accumulation of good choices day after day — give rise to good character. Yet amid the crush of busyness, that single step is all too easily lost. Even if one holds some principle of action, such as "courage, kyō, learning" (yū, kyō, gaku), where kyō (興) means starting things out of genuine enjoyment, turning it into daily action requires a connection to reality. This is something I myself have not yet practiced well enough, and something I want to practice from now on. So I decided to set down three principles for daily judgment and action.

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Openness

Learning begins with an open, honest attitude (sunao). When people are bound by their own experience and common sense, they resist change and stop learning from reality. They act as if they know what they do not know, and assume that only the world they know is right. That is an act of closing off one's own chances to correct course. Always keep in mind that you might be wrong. Look at the facts as they are, and keep breaking down your own assumptions. Do not cling to who you were yesterday; update the way you see the world every day. Be open.

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Ownership

To start anything, being the one who acts on your own initiative (shutai) matters most. The first step gives birth to countless possibilities in the future. A step you take yourself moves reality more than waiting for luck or the tide. As long as there is no end to what must be done, you must take the reins yourself. Look not only at what is in front of you but also at what surrounds it; find what is needed yourself, and do it yourself. Opportunities are not to be waited for but to be created. No one is coming behind you to do it. Only those who hold the reins create the future. Take ownership.

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Singular Focus

To be courageous, singular focus (sen'itsu) is indispensable. With limited time and resources, you cannot have everything from the start, and inner conflict is unavoidable. But if you scatter your attention, you cannot pour your strength into what truly matters. The things that truly matter are few. Anything that is not irreversible can be put off until later. First, do less. Set your priorities, and pour your strength into what you can only bet on now. By gathering heart and strength into one thing, courage is born. Be singularly focused.