THAT'S THE WAY THE TUNA ROLLS: SUCCESS TIPS FROM A SUSHI MASTER

THAT'S THE WAY THE TUNA ROLLS: SUCCESS TIPS FROM A SUSHI MASTER

Sushi master chef Jiro Ono:  life-long dedication to a single purpose

Sean Parker: Jack of all trades, master of none

Sukiyabashi Jiro, in a Tokyo subway station

Exploring Netflix the other day, I came across the 2011 documentary film "Jiro Dreams of Sushi," about Jiro Ono, the 85-year-old proprietor of a sushi-only restaurant in Tokyo lauded as the greatest sushi chef in the world. What I first perceived as an entertaining diversion became, as the film progressed, a universal affirmation about the nature of business success and personal achievement.

The definition of success has narrowed over time from a combination of factors including family life, sufficient wealth and satisfying work into today's more focused meaning more or less strictly concerning financial status.  Jiro's life is fascinating because he pursues the more general meaning of success by focusing his being on a single goal -- creating sushi perfection.

Strictly measured by wealth, many successful people today gained their status by excelling at many disciplines.  Taking a random sampling from the Youngest Billionaires of 2013 in Forbes magazine, Sean Parker, with an estimated $2 billion fortune, founded Napster before becoming Facebook President and now has an interest in the film industry.  With a $6.7 billion net worth, Elon Musk has interests in low-earth-orbit transportation, electric cars and solar homes.

In contrast, Jiro concentrates each day on refining the preparation of sushi so that the results may be better compared with the day before.   Repetition of tasks mixed with talent work together over a lifetime to produce a person worthy of honor.  That's another antiquated notion held by Jiro that has been lost over time.  For Jiro, personal honor earns trust that marks success.  There is a scene in the film where the rice vendor confides to Jiro that the Hyatt hotel asked that he sell them the special rice supplied only to Jiro.  He refused what would be a much more lucrative order and derided the hotel on camera for even suggesting he consider the offer.

With his dedication to his craft, honorable business dealings and relentless pursuit of a single goal, the ten-seat sushi restaurant was awarded three Michelin stars, the guide's highest rating.  The film takes on a melancholy tone when Jiro describes the fish that were plentiful years ago that are no longer available due to over-fishing.  I feel at that moment, the octogenarian master was describing his own place in the world.