CHINA Town Hall 2026

[0:00]Hello, I'm Dr. Ken Mogi, a neuroscientist and a visiting professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. And I'm also a best-selling author of a book called The Little Book of Ikigai, The Japanese Way to a Happy and Meaningful Life. And it is such a great honor to be invited to the conference of the Project Management Institute. And I'm going to talk about the ikigai and project management. Now, ikigai is a Japanese concept which can be translated as a reason for being, a reason to get up in the morning, a joy and a sense of purpose of life. And in my book, I've identified five pillars of ikigai. Pillar number one is starting small. Pillar number two is releasing yourself. Pillar number three is harmony and sustainability. Pillar number four is the joy of little things. And pillar number five is being in the here and now. So let me explain one by one. Starting small actually refers to the small steps you can take to achieve your big dreams and big goals. So if you want to be a great novelist, you have to start by writing a single sentence. And then the next sentence, and then the next paragraph, and then the next page. And then when you keep doing it, then at the end of the day, you will achieve your dreams of becoming a great novelist, for example. And this is very relevant to project management, because in project management, we are always thinking about the long-term goals and how to achieve those long-term goals. And in order to achieve those long-term goals, we need to make sure that we have a series of short-term goals that are achievable, and the steps that we take are small enough so that we can keep doing it without getting exhausted or frustrated. So starting small is one of the key elements, and also this refers to the quality of the micro tasks that you perform. Because when you are thinking about big goals, we tend to get emotional, we tend to get over the moon, we tend to get like, oh, I'm going to do a great thing. But the greatness comes from the meticulous attention to the small details, the small tasks you perform in your daily routine. So I always say to people, keep your big dreams in your head, but at the same time, make sure that you concentrate on the small tasks you perform every day. So that is starting small. The second pillar is releasing yourself. And this means that you should be free from any kind of prejudice, stereotype, or any kind of fixation that you might have. And in this regard, I refer to one of the greatest poets in Japan, Matsuo Bashō. Matsuo Bashō was a haiku poet. And he said, if you want to write a poem about a pine tree, you should go to the pine tree and become one with the pine tree. In other words, you should release yourself from all the conceptual prejudices you might have about a pine tree. You should not think about the pine tree and the way it should be. You should become the pine tree. And this is a very interesting idea, because in order to accomplish a great project, in order to manage a great project, you have to be very flexible. You have to be very much open to new ideas, open to new realities that might emerge during the project management. And you should not be fixed on some idea that you have prior to starting the project. So this is about being flexible, being open to new ideas, being open to your team members' opinions. And you should be able to release yourself and listen to what the world has to say to you, and what your team has to say to you. So that is releasing yourself. The third pillar is harmony and sustainability. And this is a very important idea, especially in Japan, because in Japan, we have four seasons. And we know that after spring comes summer, and after summer comes autumn, and after autumn comes winter. And there is a cycle of life. And this means that you should take care of yourself, you should take care of your team members, you should take care of the environment. And you should not exhaust yourself, you should not exhaust your team members, you should not exhaust the resources you have for the project. So this is about sustainability. And this is about making sure that the project is not just a short-term success, but a long-term success. And you know that there are some projects which are like shooting stars. They shine brightly for a short period of time, and then they vanish. But for ikigai, it's about making sure that the project is like a river. It flows smoothly, it flows continuously, and it nourishes the environment. So this is about harmony and sustainability. The fourth pillar is the joy of little things. And this means that you should be able to appreciate the small things in life. The small successes, the small achievements, the small joys that you experience every day. And in Japan, we have a concept called Wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi refers to the beauty of imperfection, the beauty of transience, the beauty of simplicity. And this is very important because in project management, we are always striving for perfection. We are always striving for big successes. But sometimes, the big successes are not always there. And sometimes, the perfection is not always there. So we should be able to appreciate the small things, the small successes, the small imperfections. And this is a very important idea, because when you appreciate the small things, you are more likely to be happy, you are more likely to be motivated. And you are more likely to keep going. So this is the joy of little things. The fifth pillar is being in the here and now. And this is about mindfulness. This is about being present in the moment. And this is very important because in project management, we are always thinking about the future. We are always thinking about the deadlines, the next steps, the next milestones. But sometimes, we forget to appreciate the present moment. We forget to appreciate the work that we are doing right now. We forget to appreciate the team members who are working with us right now. So this is about being mindful, being present in the moment. And this is a very important idea, because when you are present in the moment, you are more likely to be creative, you are more likely to be innovative, you are more likely to be happy. And you are more likely to enjoy your work. So this is being in the here and now. So these are the five pillars of ikigai. Starting small, releasing yourself, harmony and sustainability, the joy of little things, and being in the here and now. And I hope that these five pillars will help you in your project management. And I hope that you will find your ikigai in your project management. Thank you very much.