Sweat it out. ―Serendipitous flashes of insight become inevitability.

"Do you truly want this job so badly you'd die for it?"
That's what I was told during an alumni visit when I was job hunting.
"You haven't thoroughly examined who you are and what you aspire to achieve. That's why your thoughts and passion don't come across at all."

A few years ago, while attending our company's "20th Anniversary Service Commemoration Ceremony," this phrase suddenly came back to me. It was the moment I realized how profoundly this statement and event had influenced me—so much so that it became the foundation for choosing Dentsu Inc. and dedicating my career to "thinking."

After entering the workforce, countless encounters with diverse people, the stimulation they provided, the many lessons learned, and the resulting thoughts and actions all came flooding back.

Now, more than twenty years after my job search, I find myself looking inward and driven by a strong desire to pass on what I've learned from those who came before me to the next generation. That became the impetus for writing my book, 'Improving Your Mental Constitution '.

In this series, I will introduce selected content from that book. First, I begin with the prologue, which explains what exactly "Improving Your Mental Constitution"—the title I chose, matching the book's name—actually means.

■Quick Thinking, Flexibility... Daily Mental Training

 

Recently, I fractured my wrist.
Trying to look cool in front of my daughter, I tried skateboarding for the first time in ages and promptly took a tumble. The pathetic result? A hairline fracture in my bone.

Around me, I occasionally see younger colleagues in their 30s and 40s showing up with a wry smile, saying "I did it again..." – crutches in hand, leg in a cast. When I ask, the common answer is "I fell during my kid's sports day and got hurt..."
Ironically, these are often the same people who were athletic club members back in their student days. They still have a lean, athletic build and don't look like the type to get seriously injured.

But think about it—it makes perfect sense. If you barely move your body normally, then suddenly try to do something strenuous, your body just won't adapt well.

This principle actually applies to the "mind" as well.
Have you ever tried applying techniques or methods learned from books on thinking or idea generation to your work, only to find they didn't work? Even when you understand the knowledge and grasp the theory, your mind doesn't always cooperate as you'd like.

It's the same as knowing how to run or skateboard but your body not responding properly. Even if you memorize baseball rules and tactics before stepping into the batter's box, you won't hit many hits unless you've been practicing your swing and building your body regularly. What you mustn't forget is the importance of daily fundamental practice and training to transform your body into one suited for sports.

To think flexibly and generate ideas or plans in work situations, just like your body, you must condition your "mental constitution" to be adaptable on a daily basis. That is the most important thing. Only when your mental constitution improves will the thinking methods and ideation techniques you've learned truly take root and come alive within you.

■Sweat your brain first, before learning knowledge or techniques

 

I work under the title of "Communication Designer."
My job is to devise ideas and plans for clients' challenges, propose them, and bring them to life. The means and methods are diverse; I handle and design everything related to communication, not limited to advertising.
Currently, I'm involved in creating commercials, launching websites, planning TV programs, and even publishing picture books and launching new ventures.

Every idea and plan for these projects starts with thinking inside my head.
Since I joined the company, I've often heard it said, "The factory of an advertising agency is the mind of each employee." Therefore, constant maintenance is essential. More than that, it's necessary to train and strengthen it regularly.

To be able to crank up your brain to full capacity when it really counts and mass-produce high-quality ideas and plans. You must always maintain your brain in that kind of condition.

Before learning knowledge or techniques, sweat your brain first. Doing so frees you from the frustration of merely waiting for serendipitous flashes of inspiration, transforming it into inevitability.

■Two Guidelines to Avoid Suffering and Pain

 

That said, I don't want to endure painful or grueling tasks like basic sports drills or training. I don't have the daily leeway to deliberately carve out such time.

Therefore, I practice thinking training guided by the following two principles:

"Things you can do by adding a small extra step to your daily actions"
"Things that can be done in spare moments throughout the day, without needing special tools or space"

Both are things I can sustain long-term and enjoy doing. Plus, many of them boost my motivation; the more I do them, the more eager I become.

Here, I'll focus on the training I do regularly and introduce ways to improve your mental constitution—making it more flexible for generating ideas and planning.

Of course, this applies to those in creative fields, but whether you're in marketing, product development, or any profession, fresh perspectives and ideas greatly expand your potential.
However, if you distance yourself from such activities, you risk developing a mindset that struggles with thinking. Now, several years into my career, the sagging I should be concerned about might not be my belly, but my mind. How about you?

It's the small, daily accumulations that lead to big changes. Use this as your starting point to experience that for yourself.

Illustrated by Tokuhiro Kanoh