As a botanical artist, I can’t help but notice the beauty surrounding us in the wide array of the botanical world. We are gifted with such glorious sights of plants, flowers, and trees that captivate our attention and leave us reveling in their wonders. I have painted countless plants, yet these are just a minute fraction of what there is out there. The botanical landscape is filled with uniqueness, each plant having its own rare charm and intricacies. As I observe them with great intent, I realize that the allure of these plants, in particular, blooms in its own time, with no worry of competing with the others. Even so, the appeal of each is extraordinary and unrivaled, having bloomed in its own time. The direction of growth is not based on competition; rather, it is directed toward completion.

This brings me to introduce you to a Japanese philosophy I hold dear to my very existence. It has, by far, helped me to live life through the prism of my botanical world, subconsciously and now ever more consciously with words that encapsulate this mindset—Oubaitori. Based on the four trees that bloom in spring, this philosophy is an ancient Japanese idiom that conceptualizes the idea of people, just like flowers, blooming in their own time and in their inherently unique, individual ways. Each character in the written kanji of Oubaitori represents one of four trees: cherry, peach, apricot, and plum blossoms. We might wonder, Why these four trees and not the rest?

The cherry, peach, apricot, and plum may look somewhat similar at first glance, but each blooms differently, with distinct smells and shapes, not bound by a certain time relative to the other trees.

This speaks greatly to something that many people suffer from as a personal mental struggle. We are taught the idea of competition from a young age at school, which can be a healthy factor in achieving success. But as we grow older, we may either become a competitive person who perpetually wants to beat the rest, or we may eventually just want to flee the scene and become the antithesis of competitive. Neither of these mindsets is correct because living in extremes is not a healthy choice. Finding that pivot point is the mindful choice of Oubaitori. Although I credit this competitive side to our "survival of the fittest" instincts, we must rid it from our systems and renew our minds.

Our existence does not need to entail competition. Like these blossoms, we can bloom on our own path and develop a deep sense of our uniqueness, living life not merely as a destination but as a beautiful journey of sweet development. Practicing Oubaitori allows us to focus all our resources on being the best version of ourselves, not encumbered by those who surround us. Competitively looking around to see how we can contend to be better than the rest doesn’t add value to the undiscovered rarity within us; rather, it creates “cookie-cutter” value. The world is a beautiful horizon with all of our distinctions.

The only competition we should be pursuing is competing against ourselves and racing toward being our finest.

Here are three solid ways we can take baby steps toward practicing Oubaitori in our daily lives, professionally or personally. We do this by consciously removing.

The need for competition

A flower doesn’t need competition to look its best. It just needs to understand itself and tap into all the resources it can find to nourish its being so it can grow and reach for the sunlight.

To live and let live.

(Gerald de Malynes, 1622)

He is a Dutch proverb that emphasizes the idea of choosing to live as we decide and allowing others to do the same. It resembles a sense of individuality void of competition that we can abide by. We are innately wired to compete, but mindfully removing the need for competition at the very beginning of a thought will help you achieve freedom from longing for supremacy or superiority. There will always be competition, and you will not always be the best among your competitors, but certainly no one can be the exceptional version of you. That is rare.

The weight of people’s opinions

Much of human consciousness is perturbed by the intrinsic weight we carry of people’s opinions. A blossom worries not about how it looks; it just blooms. It may experience shortcomings and may eventually look imperfect, but it still flourishes and stands proud among its peers. Imagine what we could achieve if we freed ourselves from the weight of others' opinions and the time spent wondering what they might be thinking about us. It is truly not worth your precious time. Instead, with that weight off your mind, you can prioritize working on yourself to achieve an authentic and priceless value within you.

What a man thinks of himself, that is what determines or rather indicates his fate.

(Henry David Thoreau)

The unwillingness towards solitude

“Solitude is a deep romance with self,” were the wise words of R.H. Sin. I have a few personal favorite quotes about solitude, as this is the place where you reach the depths of your being. Solitude is a state of being that lets you remove yourself from the external chatter that subtly internalizes itself. When you embrace solitude as a necessity, like the air you breathe, Oubaitori becomes effortless. Consciously practicing solitude makes way for a wealth of discoveries. Marcus Aurelius said in his famous quote on solitude, “Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.” It’s a journey to the center of your being. The blossom finds itself in solitude to grow and become what it must. It does not resist solitude; it welcomes it as part of the growth process.

You might think that Oubaitori is a destination, but instead, it is a journey. The growth of a tree starts with a seed that is nourished toward fruition. What we eventually enjoy is the sight of a pretty flower. Is that the final destination of that flower? No, it isn’t. It then pursues existence in its beauty while accessing all the natural resources within reach to continue flourishing until life calls its end or external factors disrupt its course. Whatever its end may be, it followed its own unique path of distinct differences, living unbothered, free of competition from one blossom to another. It is a journey that should be enjoyed.

Life’s goal should not be competition for success; instead, pursue completion for excellence in everything we do. Till then, I wish you a splendid journey on your discovery of the pleasures and joys of Oubaitori!