I recently watched this documentary on Netflix called Jiro Dreams of Sushi. It was a touching story with a lot of relevant messages that resonated with me, so I thought I would share.Â
On the surface, it is about the story of one poor man who follows his dreams to becomes a sushi chef in Japan. He has a rigid routine, very high standards, and a deep motivation to work.
On a deeper level, this documentary is about passion. Jiro is an excellent example of how following your passion leads to success.
Each and every thing that Jiro did had a purpose and meaning. This led him to becoming a well-respected master in his field. Jiro’s life purpose was to work hard to refine his skills. What is most impressive is that even as he became famous, received 3 Michelin Stars for his restaurant with ten chairs in a subway station, had people making reservations for his restaurant months in advance, he never viewed himself as perfect nor the best. Rather, Jiro viewed himself as still learning and still needing to practice.
No matter how much time and energy Jiro put into his work, he understood that there was always more to be done and more knowledge to acquire. Jiro also understood that if he got too confident, he could start to slack off and lose respect. I think that this is a very important lesson to take away. We are never too old to stop learning or to try something new. We are never too old or perfect to think of a new idea, find a new hobby or make a new friend. Life is a constant cycle of change and the more we accept this and are able to be resilient and adaptable, the better off we will be.Â
Following your passion is never a mistake. Finding your true passion can certainly be challenging. Society works in a way that tends to mold all young people into the same type of person following the same guided path. We need to recognize this pattern in our societal structures, such as schools and businesses, in order to start to change this mentality.Â
Diversity can be such a beautiful thing. This might sound cheesy, but that’s only because we have gone so far down the path of conformity. We think that there is only one definition of beautiful, only one definition of successful, one purpose in life. We have lost touch with what actually makes us happy, which is finding our true purpose and passion and acting on it. Even if that passion is out of the ordinary, that is a good thing, not something to look down upon. Your passion is what makes you special and unique and it is what will ultimately make you successful, and more importantly, what will lead you to happiness.Â
Anything you believe in can be relevant and relatable. Chances are, if you are passionate about something, there are other people out there who share the same interest as you. We need to look outside of our common perspectives sometimes to realize there is more to life than money and making your way up the corporate ladder. There is enjoyment to be found, relationships to be built, passions to be discovered, and sushi to be eaten!