Harnessing Sensitivity and the Subconscious Mind — Philosophy: “Set Lofty Goals”

This time, Inamori* spoke about the above motto in Kyocera philosophy.

What Inamori said is quoted with “”.

 

“ At that time, speaking to fewer than a hundred employees, I used to say:

‘Right now, we’re operating out of this rented, wooden factory and causing all sorts of inconveniences, but I dream of turning Kyocera into a company that can compete on the world stage.’

I would continue by saying,

‘First, let’s become the best company in Haramachi district. Then the best in Nakagyo Ward. After that, the best in Kyoto. Once we become the top company in Kyoto, we’ll aim to be the best in Japan. And finally, the best in the world.’

But if I had imposed such an ambitious goal—becoming the world’s best—before even achieving success in Haramachi district, the gap between dream and reality would have been too wide. People would have thought, ‘There’s no way we can climb a mountain that high,’ and fallen into despair.

So instead, I used to simply say,

‘Let’s give our all to today.’

This approach allowed everyone to relax a bit. Without worrying too much about the distant future, we were able to throw ourselves into our work. And day by day, step by step, that steady effort built the Kyocera we know today.

If you set a goal too high, the gap with the present can be overwhelming, and people lose their fighting spirit. But if you focus on just getting through today, while keeping the big goal tucked away in your subconscious, it still quietly drives you. In other words, you don’t forget the goal—you just don’t let it weigh you down. You take on the day with a mindset of, ‘I just need to get through today,’ and that’s how our employees were able to keep going, day after day. ”

This passage, I believe, offers a profound lesson in how to skillfully activate and leverage the subconscious mind.

And it holds valuable insights for how we approach work and business in the Reiwa era.

To put the principle of “setting a high goal while giving your all to what’s in front of you” into practice, I believe three elements are essential:

 

 

 

Let me explain them one by one.

 

1. Do the work your heart truly seeks

” though the goal I spoke of seemed far-fetched even to me, I never thought of it as a complete fantasy. If I had truly believed it to be ridiculous, I would never have said it out loud. The fact that I kept saying it every day meant that, somewhere deep in my heart, I genuinely wanted to make it come true. ”

— This speaks to the importance of valuing our intuition and inner sensibilities.

It means listening closely to what we feel in our bodies—our instincts, inspirations, what feels pleasant or unpleasant—and aligning our actions and thoughts with those sensations. It’s about honoring that subtle but powerful guidance that comes from within.

At our company, we are currently developing a business advisory service based on the principles of **Sanmei-gaku**, a traditional Eastern metaphysical system. In this endeavor, we intend to place great value on what we genuinely feel.

What we find fascinating, meaningful, beautiful or simply valuable in this world are essential. They are the source of our desire to share this service with others. That inner sense of wonder and sincerity becomes the driving force behind everything we wish to offer to our clients.

 

2. Devote yourself fully to the task right in front of you

” In reality, each day began with arriving at the office early in the morning, taking care of whatever unfinished tasks remained from the day before, and then throwing ourselves into the urgent work of producing the promised products. There was simply no room to think about tomorrow. All we could do was devote ourselves wholeheartedly to getting through that one day. ”

— In the same way, I find myself asking similar questions every single day:

What kind of message should we deliver to our clients?

What lies at the root of our clients’ concerns?

How can we convey our message in a way that feels natural and easy for them to accept?

These questions run through my mind constantly.

I try to study the art of communication from every possible source—films, videos, ancient texts, mythology, and legends. Using these materials, I want to shape our messages into vivid, concrete images that our clients can easily grasp.

Looking ahead, I believe that turning our insights and analyses into simple visual stories or short films could be a highly effective way of delivering our work.

By continuously refining and innovating how we communicate, I believe we can offer even greater satisfaction and value to the next client we serve.

Devoting ourselves fully to the work in front of us leads to constant improvement in quality. And that steady improvement becomes the very staircase that takes us closer to our highest goals.

 

3. Speak your goals aloud, again and again

“ It’s not good to always keep your eyes fixed only on the lofty goal. When the road ahead feels too long and distant, we tend to grow weary, feel discouraged by our own limitations, and eventually give up.

Instead, if we tuck that high goal away in our subconscious and keep moving forward, step by step, day by day, we can go farther than we ever imagined. ”

— By repeatedly speaking our goals aloud, they are gradually impressed upon our subconscious, and this begins to influence our behavior. Mr.Inamori emphasized this point time and again: that saturating the subconscious with our aspirations is key to transforming our reality.

To further activate the subconscious, it’s important to make our envisioned goals more concrete—turning them into visuals, images, or even videos—and drawing fresh inspiration to renew our energy.

While mastering our core area of expertise is essential, expanding our understanding into surrounding fields often creates powerful synergies that elevate our work even further.

 

 

 

Though I still find myself constrained by rational thinking and conventional expectations, I’ve come to believe in this process—and from today, I will begin putting it into practice.

 

 

* Mr. Kazuo Inamori, the founder of Kyocera, KDDI (one of the top tele communication companies in Japan) and the top of revitalization project of JAL. As a well-known Japanese entrepreneur, he has been sharing his experiences and management know-how with managements of small to middle companies in Japan

 

Further queries or doubts, please email to ytomizuka@abrilsjp.com

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