My Encounter with This Book
Today's book. This eighth entry is "Hataraku Kihon" (The Basics of Work), a collaborative work by former editor-in-chief of Kurashi no Techo, Yataro Matsuura, and his business partner, Tetsuya Nojiri.
I encountered this book in 2017. The pressure of my job at the large company I joined as a new graduate was immense, and I was feeling quite overwhelmed mentally when I stumbled upon it in a bookstore.
Whenever I'm troubled, my first instinct is to escape to a large bookstore, and I can only eat Zaru Soba for lunch. I was about 26 at the time. The year 2017 was a year of significant change for me; I got married and our first son was born, and tackling the new challenge of becoming a parent made things quite difficult.
Six years have passed since then, and my mental resilience has grown considerably. I've become better at discerning what suits me and what doesn't, and if necessary, I can now distance myself from things more easily. The days when only Zaru Soba could pass my throat are gradually fading away.
The message on the page you randomly open is what you need right now.
This book doesn't require you to read it from the first page; it presents 100 essential mindsets for work across two-page spreads. So, I calm my mind, open it to a random page, and take the message that appears as exactly what I need at that moment, always keeping it on my desk.
Today, I'll share the words that emerged when I used it in the same way.
What are your basics of work?
Thank you for reading to the end.
Stay well today, too.
