Dear Blog,
Picking up from where I left off, today I want to talk about the "Harajuku moment."
This term was coined by Tim Ferriss in his book The 4-Hour Body. It refers to a crucial turning point—a sudden understanding that transforms a goal from a passive "nice-to-have" into an absolute "must-have." It’s the moment when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of making a change. This imbalance creates powerful motivation, enabling us to finally commit and follow through.
The term was inspired by the story of Chad Fowler, a successful CTO and a friend of Ferriss. Fowler had been obese for over a decade. While on a business trip in Tokyo, he went shopping with his companions in the Harajuku neighbourhood, famous for its street fashion. It was there he heard himself say, "For me, it doesn't even matter what I wear; I'm not going to look good anyway."
The helplessness in his own words sparked a sudden realization. He thought to himself that while he was successful in most areas of his life, when it came to his health, he had become the very "limp, powerless ego" he despised in others. He decided to change and, in less than a year, lost more than 70 pounds.
My Harajuku moment came when the reading on my weighing scale hit 111 kg (my height is 183 cm). I realized this was the heaviest I had ever been. If things continued on the same path, I knew I would be 120 kg before I knew it, and lifestyle diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes would inevitably follow.
Simply knowing what to do is not enough. We all know what's good for us, yet we often fall back into habitual, self-sabotaging behaviour. We don’t need more information; we need strong emotional fuel to push past complacency and take action. This is why reading countless insightful quotes and self-help books often has a near-zero impact on our lives.
Working in tandem with this raw emotional fuel is another crucial element: tracking progress. I already knew the importance of tracking from my reading of David Allen’s Ready for Anything, but I didn’t use the calorie-counting method Fowler used. I have always found counting calories to be incredibly soul-destroying.
Instead, I used a graph designed by Phil Libin (the CEO of Evernote from 2007 to 2015), which was provided as a resource in The 4-Hour Body. This graph offered a minimal-effort tool to track and visualize my progress. Its beauty lies in leveraging the power of psychological feedback rather than willpower, which is a limited, tyrannical, and unreliable resource.
The graph has a "buffer zone"—as long as you are within this zone, despite minor fluctuations, you're on track. It is important to mention, however, that this graph is a psychological tool, not a medical one.
Finding your Harajuku moment is the spark; without it, nothing will happen. But tracking is what will keep the fire burning.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical expert. This post reflects my personal experience and should not be considered medical advice. Please consult a healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.
Picking up from where I left off, today I want to talk about the "Harajuku moment."
This term was coined by Tim Ferriss in his book The 4-Hour Body. It refers to a crucial turning point—a sudden understanding that transforms a goal from a passive "nice-to-have" into an absolute "must-have." It’s the moment when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of making a change. This imbalance creates powerful motivation, enabling us to finally commit and follow through.
The term was inspired by the story of Chad Fowler, a successful CTO and a friend of Ferriss. Fowler had been obese for over a decade. While on a business trip in Tokyo, he went shopping with his companions in the Harajuku neighbourhood, famous for its street fashion. It was there he heard himself say, "For me, it doesn't even matter what I wear; I'm not going to look good anyway."
The helplessness in his own words sparked a sudden realization. He thought to himself that while he was successful in most areas of his life, when it came to his health, he had become the very "limp, powerless ego" he despised in others. He decided to change and, in less than a year, lost more than 70 pounds.
My Harajuku moment came when the reading on my weighing scale hit 111 kg (my height is 183 cm). I realized this was the heaviest I had ever been. If things continued on the same path, I knew I would be 120 kg before I knew it, and lifestyle diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes would inevitably follow.
Simply knowing what to do is not enough. We all know what's good for us, yet we often fall back into habitual, self-sabotaging behaviour. We don’t need more information; we need strong emotional fuel to push past complacency and take action. This is why reading countless insightful quotes and self-help books often has a near-zero impact on our lives.
Working in tandem with this raw emotional fuel is another crucial element: tracking progress. I already knew the importance of tracking from my reading of David Allen’s Ready for Anything, but I didn’t use the calorie-counting method Fowler used. I have always found counting calories to be incredibly soul-destroying.
Instead, I used a graph designed by Phil Libin (the CEO of Evernote from 2007 to 2015), which was provided as a resource in The 4-Hour Body. This graph offered a minimal-effort tool to track and visualize my progress. Its beauty lies in leveraging the power of psychological feedback rather than willpower, which is a limited, tyrannical, and unreliable resource.
The graph has a "buffer zone"—as long as you are within this zone, despite minor fluctuations, you're on track. It is important to mention, however, that this graph is a psychological tool, not a medical one.
Finding your Harajuku moment is the spark; without it, nothing will happen. But tracking is what will keep the fire burning.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical expert. This post reflects my personal experience and should not be considered medical advice. Please consult a healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.
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