This series explores topics surrounding women who began their careers in Japan around the time of the implementation of equal opportunities employment legislation in the mid-1980s. With many now reaching the age of retirement, it is hoped their stories can provide insight and lessons for women in Japan’s professional world today.
While myriad factors impact our career success over time, two inner ingredients stand out as essential: a sense of calling — a compelling passion that drives a person toward a certain pursuit — and excellence, or how good you are at it. In the end, you need both to thrive, but one can supersede the other: you may be either calling-driven or excellence-driven.
While the former formula may be more intuitively understood — as a Japanese proverb attests, “whatever you love, you will eventually excel at” — there are less-obvious examples where a drive for excellence, keeping your head down and grinding for perfection eventually pay off equally handsomely.