Seize the Spark: The Wisdom of Acting on Intuition

There are proverbs that seem, at first glance, to contradict the one I discussed last time, Isogaba maware. They are Zen wa isoge and Omoitatta ga kichijitsu. Because they are so commonly used, many of you are likely familiar with them. They mean, respectively, "If it's a good idea, do it immediately," and "The day you resolve to do something is the best day to start."

The origin of Zen wa isoge is said to be a Buddhist scripture that teaches, "Hurry to do good, delay doing evil." Therefore, "good" originally referred to religious or moral good deeds. Over time, however, the meaning seems to have evolved to encompass anything beneficial to oneself or anything one genuinely believes is a good idea.

Omoitatta ga kichijitsu originates from a mid-16th-century Noh play called Tosen. In it, there is a passage that encourages people to set sail boldly on the day they make up their minds, rather than waiting for a kichijitsu - a lucky day on the calendar. I love the spirit of that. This passage resonated deeply with people, and as it was passed down, it became firmly established as a proverb.

Both Zen wa isoge and Omoitatta ga kichijitsu clearly urge swift action. In that sense, they are indeed the exact opposite of Isogaba maware. So, how should we interpret this seemingly contradictory relationship?

To unravel this, I would like to delve deeper into the meanings of these proverbs and explore with you, the readers, what kind of wisdom they hold.

First, what do we move from thought to action? It is something you think is good, or something you have decided to do. It’s not about doing what someone else tells you. It is something that spontaneously springs up from within you. We might call that "something" intuition or a flash of inspiration.

Both intuition and inspiration appear suddenly and vanish just as quickly. I'm sure everyone has experienced these fleeting moments. And if you start overthinking this and that, you often end up paralyzed and unable to act. The reason why it's better to spring into action immediately seems to lie right here.

Digging deeper like this, the wisdom contained in Zen wa isoge and Omoitatta ga kichijitsu gradually becomes clear. If I were to put it into my own words, it would be something like this: "Execute your intuition and inspiration immediately, before you forget them," "If you want to do it now, do it now," or simply, "When it clicks, act!"

By the way, in the English-speaking world, there are equivalent proverbs: "Strike while the iron is hot" and "There’s no time like the present." Both are powerful expressions that make you think, "Alright, let's do this now!"

So, how can we actually put this universal wisdom into practice?

I believe the key lies in the proverb we explored last time: Isogaba maware. Yes, the key is the wisdom of enjoying the process of reaching your destination. What do I mean by that?

If you intend to enjoy the process, you naturally take a deep breath, creating the emotional bandwidth to actually feel your feelings. With that mental spaciousness, you can immediately translate sudden inspirations into action. As you take these actions, the process becomes even more enjoyable, and before you know it, you’ve arrived at your destination.

In other words, practicing Isogaba maware makes it possible to practice Zen wa isoge and Omoitatta ga kichijitsu, which in turn loops back to practicing Isogaba maware. Some of you might wonder, "Is that really how it works?" But to tell you the truth, I myself am experiencing this very cycle right now. And I am beginning to feel that this joyous cycle is the very process of turning thoughts into reality.

There is a maxim that seems to express this insight in an ultra-compact way: the Latin phrase Festina lente, translated into English as "Make haste slowly." The wisdom hidden within this paradoxical expression may be the mindset needed to realize thoughts: "Always keep your mind relaxed, but act quickly on inspiration." There is a beautiful Japanese translation for this maxim: Yuyu to shite isoge (Make haste with a serene mind). Now, how would you translate and interpret it?

This article was published in the March 2026 issue of Views, the newsletter of the Japan Business Society of Detroit.