by Gene Burke

There is a Japanese concept known as Osu No Seishin,  the spirit of perseverance. Alongside it lives the proverb, “Seven times down, eight times up.” Together, they describe a mindset grounded not in victory, but in continuation.

The kind tested in arenas and competition, and also in everyday life, where dreams are pursued quietly and progress is often invisible.

Anyone working to build something meaningful knows this terrain.

Projects begin with energy and vision. Plans are made. Systems are learned. Time is invested. And then, inevitably, friction appears, setbacks at work, physical fatigue, failed launches, stalled momentum, opportunities that don’t materialize.

Effort goes out. Silence comes back.

Seven times down.

What makes Osu No Seishin powerful is not the denial of difficulty, it is the response to it.

Because after frustration comes a decision:

Try again, or stop.

Many days, stopping feels reasonable. Even justified. The dream can seem distant, the work exhausting, the timeline uncertain. Doubt makes persuasive arguments: It’s too hard. I’m Too Old, It’s Too much.

And yet, more often than not, something quiet happens.

The work resumes.

A page gets edited.
A system gets fixed.
A new approach gets tested.
Another step, small, almost unremarkable, gets taken.

That is the eighth rise.

Rarely dramatic. Often unseen. But deeply transformative.

Over time, this cycle of falling and rising becomes a teacher. It reveals patience that didn’t exist before. It builds endurance beyond what felt possible. It teaches how to continue without immediate reward and how to believe without constant validation.

Small wins begin to surface, incremental progress, lessons that stick, connections that open doors just slightly. None feel monumental alone, but together they form proof of forward motion. And often there is no win at all.

Persistence compounds.

And somewhere along the journey, the definition of success begins to evolve.

At first, success is the realized dream, the visible outcome. But through repeated setbacks and renewed effort, another layer emerges: success is also the person forged in the process.

More disciplined.
More resilient.
More self-aware.
More capable of continuing when continuation is hardest.

This is the deeper gift of “seven times down, eight times up.” It does not promise immediate achievement. It promises transformation through persistence.

The dream may arrive exactly as envisioned, or it may take a different shape entirely. But the spirit developed along the way is never wasted.

Because once perseverance becomes identity, it extends far beyond any single goal.

To live Osu No Seishin is to accept that frustration is part of creation, that setbacks are part of progress, and that doubt can coexist with determination.

It is to fall, repeatedly, and still rise.

Not because the path is easy.

But because continuing has become part of who you are.

Seven times down.

Eight times up.

Have an awesome day!!!