Wabi-Sabi Art of being imperfect and incomplete for happy living

It was a lazy Sunday and we all try to complete taking good rest, catch-up with family and friends. Usually a hectic day of the week. I caught hold of my Sunday Times and started from top left corner of first page with a tea mug along my side. There are lots of things you can read right from current affairs to fashion, healthcare to fitness and cars to gadgets in Sunday Times. What caught my attention is mind matter different articles, which gives me enough meat to chew through out the week and also to quote in my training programmes.

This time it was all about "Wabi-Sabi"

Wabi-sabi is very interesting concept about incomplete things and being imperfect. I kept wondering all about it and even know while i am penning this blog, this concept comes from the same Japanese culture of perfection. Matter of fact is I knew almost all perfection theories and concepts of perfection and quality origin from Japan, like 5 S theory, Kaizen, the famous Toyota Management Systems and so on. The world has taken good lessons of these perfection theories and now practicing for years and years.

Wabi-Sabi concept comes as complete spin from Japan and i started following it, only to realize sometime it is better to have some things incomplete and unfinished. it bring down your pressure and stress, tell you to leave few things as it is and move on. May be the time could be spent in living life better than spending time in trying to finish and doing thing in perfect manner.

What is wabi-sabi?

Wabi-sabi is an ancient Japanese philosophy focused on accepting the imperfect and transient nature of life. It's rooted in Buddhism and arose from tea ceremonies in which prized utensils were handmade, irregular and imperfect. There is no direct western translation for wabi-sabi, but essentially it is the art of finding beauty in the imperfect, impermanent and incomplete.

Practsing Wabi-Sabi

We all can practice Wabi-Sabi in our day to day living, we all try to make our surroundings in office or at home perfect and shining, in this process we lose the originality of things around us. We lose the beauty and earthiness of our surroundings, this builds up stress and pressure.

Embracing wabi-sabi will do more than create a pleasant environment at home. By falling in love with our imperfect homes and possessions, we reduce the need to buy as many new things. This will reduce consumption which will save money and put less strain on our planet.

Our mind-set will change too: Wabi-sabi puts the focus on gratitude for what we already have rather than always yearning from something new and shiny. This powerful shift in perspective will help us to feel more peaceful and content in the current moment, and by doing so, allow us to embrace serenity and tranquility in our day-to-day lives.

Next time if you are under pressure and stress try Wabi-sabi.