Zanshin: The Art of Attention and Focus

Hi friend,

In the 1920s, a German professor named Eugen Herrigel moved to Japan to teach philosophy in a small city northeast of Tokyo called Sendai.

To deepen his understanding of Japanese culture, Herrigel began training in Kyudo, the Japanese martial art of archery. His teacher was a legendary archer named Awa Kenzo.

But Kenzo had a very different approach to mastery.

For the first four years, Herrigel was not allowed to shoot at a traditional target.
He only practiced firing arrows at a roll of straw seven feet away.

That might sound strange, but for masters like Kenzo, everything is aiming.

Where you place your feet.
How you breathe.
The way you hold the bow and draw the string.
The outcome is determined long before the arrow is released.

This deep attention to process is where we encounter zanshin.

Zanshin is a concept found across Japanese martial arts.
It translates literally to "the mind with no remainder."

In practice, it's a state of relaxed alertness. Complete focus. Unwavering presence.

Zanshin is the awareness of your body, breath, and mind during action.
But it’s also a mindset for life.

Zanshin is choosing to live with intention instead of reacting automatically.
It’s showing up with presence, even after you've reached a goal.
It’s the discipline to continue, even when the work becomes routine.

There’s a Japanese proverb that says, "After winning the battle, tighten your helmet."

Victory is not the finish line.
The moment you get comfortable, the moment you stop paying attention, is when growth ends.

This applies to everything.

Writing: The battle doesn’t end when you publish. It ends when you stop sharpening your voice.
Fitness: The battle doesn’t end at your PR. It ends when you lose the discipline that got you there.
Business: The battle doesn’t end with a big win. It ends when you let ego replace focus.

The enemy of improvement isn’t failure.
And it’s not even success.
It’s boredom.
It’s distraction.
It’s the belief that the process no longer matters.

There’s a quote I love from Kenneth Kushner:

"One should approach all activities and situations with the same sincerity, the same intensity, and the same awareness that one has with bow and arrow in hand."

We live in a world obsessed with outcomes.
Like Herrigel, we often fixate on the result — did we hit the target?

But the real mastery lies in how we show up.
Where we place our feet. How we breathe. How we aim.
If we get those things right, the results will come.

The point is not to hit the bullseye.
The point is to fall in love with the craft.
To embrace the boredom.
To build a life that’s driven not by quick wins but by focused intention.

Because everything is aiming.
Everything is zanshin.

One day, Herrigel, frustrated by his slow progress, told Kenzo his problem must be bad aim.

Kenzo looked at him and replied,
"It is not whether one aims, but how one approaches the task that determines the outcome."

Herrigel joked, “Then you ought to be able to hit it blindfolded.”

Kenzo paused. “Come to see me this evening.”

That night, under complete darkness, Kenzo fired two arrows into the void.
When Herrigel switched on the light, he found the first arrow had hit dead center.
The second had split the first one down the middle.

Kenzo had hit a double bullseye in the dark.

Not because he saw the target.
But because his focus was in the process, not the result.

That’s zanshin.
That’s how we master the invisible.

One final thing before I close today.

Starting this week, I’ll be moving to a once-a-week cadence for these emails, every Monday.

I’ve always believed that writing should come from clarity, not pressure. And recently, writing twice a week has started to feel like output for the sake of consistency, rather than quality. That’s not the kind of work I want to share with you.

I’d rather send one thoughtful, well-crafted message than two rushed ones.
Fewer emails. Better writing. Something you actually want to read.

That’s the standard I want to keep. And the standard I believe you’re here for.

Thanks for reading.
See you next Monday.

Lorenc - Founder of Success Skill