Ichi-go ichi-e: this is the moment

Following up on Benjamin Zander's inspirational teachings on the art of possibility (and performance), allow me to share a simple idea from the art of tea or Sadou, "the way of tea." You may think that the traditional art of Sadou (茶道) is a strange place to glean lessons that can be applied to various aspects of our daily lives, but the simple practical lessons from the Zen arts run deep and wide. Ichi-go ichi-e (一期一会) is a concept connected to the way of tea; it expresses the ideal of the way of tea. Roughly translated the phrase means "one time, one meeting" or "one encounter; one opportunity." In the way of tea we should respect the host and the others in the garden and the tea room and honor the moment as if it were a once-in-a-lifetime gathering. That is, we should cherish every meeting for it will never happen again. Ichi-go ichi-e is a reminder that each tea ceremony is unique even though the elements are familiar.

Application for presentation
Each occasion to present or speak publicly is also a unique event although your material may be so familiar that it feels routine. Being completely present in a presentation — right here right now — is something I always touch upon when discussing the delivery of a talk. The moment will never happen again, even if you do the same talk 100 times or more, the audience is different in each case. The audience is different, the time is different, and since your last talk, you are different.

Forever but never again
This idea of ichi-go ichi-e reminded me of a line from a famous jazz ballad from 1949 called "Again" (Mark Murphy's Stolen Moments version is my favorite; here are the lyrics). There is nothing "Zen" about the lyrics or their origins, of course, but there is one line from the song that has stayed with me since I bought the Mark Murphy album when I was 16: "We'll have this moment forever, but never again." I didn't understand that line when I was in high school, but it stuck with me. Now those simple eight words are almost a kind of mantra for me; and the meaning is clear and illuminating.

Above: The slide above looks a bit sappy perhaps out of context, something like a Hallmark card (I took the photo last week at Bondi Beach just 20 minutes from downtown Sydney). But the point I am making when I speak in front of this visual is about appreciating the moment of whatever it is you're engaged in—a concert, a speech, a lesson...or a walk with a friend, etc. This is the moment.

(By the way, the subtitle for the movie "Forrest Gump" in Japanese is ichi-go ichi-e. I suppose this is because the Forrest Gump character appreciated every moment and every chance encounter without a thought of being anywhere except where he was at that moment. See the movie poster in Japanese.)

Update: went to a tea house today and did indeed enjoy a great time with a couple of very nice tea masters who taught us more lessons on the way of tea; very casual and friendly. A few snaps from today.

Comments

[Michele Miller]

Great post, Garr. Love your book and this blog! You're so right. I spend so much time working on my slides that it's easy to forget to stay in the moment. The energy you get from an audience is so important - and critical for maintining the connection and delivering a memorable message.

[Carlos]

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[Angus Blair]

Hi Garr,

Great post as usual. What is the font used in the slide? Or does anyone else want to take a guess?

[justin]

this post reminds me of the Nancy Duarte talk you linked to. Her story of meeting the guy on the bus was interesting. The in-the-momentness of his iPhone presentation struck me.

[John Watkis]

Hi Garr,

Thanks for this post. Every time I give a presentation, I find myself in awe of the moment. Every time I connect with an audience, I'm reminded of how privileged I am to be able to share my thoughts and ideas with people from all walks of life.

Your post has reminded me that those moments of awe shouldn't just be saved for when I give speeches. I should be in awe every time I interact with someone, because I'll never have that moment again.

Keep up the great work.

John Watkis
http://www.wellwrittenwellsaid.com

[Eric]

"Honor the moment as if it were a once-in-a-lifetime gathering."

Wow.

I've actually heard this once before through one of my many career mentors. He told me the most important lesson he ever learned was to "be here, wherever you are." He wanted me to always remember the importance of being invested in the "now" and caring about the people you were with rather than outside concerns that could wait until later.

Thank you for reminding me!

[Jan]

Beautiful pictures. What type of equipment do you carry on a daily basis and on travels to document like this? What's useful to carry and what is convenient? Any opinions, without sounding like a commercial?

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Thanx for this beautiful piece of japanese wisdom.

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