“There are
No Coincidences in Life Just
Unrecognized Patterns”
MY STORY
When I was twenty-one years old and a senior at San Jose State University, a wise adopted daughter of a samurai told me, “We are all ordinary people, it is what we do with ourselves that can make life exceptional.”
That one sentence supported by simple habits, Kaizen, ingrained into me by the adopted daughter helped me find my ikigai (in Japanese this word represents what is your purpose) and create an amazing life. Ikigai is so important that it is one of the nine elements supporting the Blue Zone phenomenon where people typically live 100 or more years.
My ikigai journey has guided me through three distinct overlapping phases in my life:
First Phase - doing what I was suppose-to-do: build a solid financial base while working in the tech industry. Corporate Leadership
Second Phase – doing what I was meant-to-do: become a higher ed educator and lifelong learner. Academic Leadership
Third Phase – doing what I want-to-do: share stories that help us expand our imagination and bring us together. Thought Leadership
CONSIDER,
Should we ask ourselves, “What if” more than stating “What is” so that we can see beyond the horizon of our lives?
Are there no coincidences in life, just unrecognized patterns?
When is The Age of Contribution (#AgeofContribution) and does it matter?
Or, what is The Age of Contribution, and how will we know?
Could we all be samurai and inherently mystical if we study Bushido philosophy and training?
Will human evolution be purely biological, or will future technology intertwine with our DNA, or advance directly through a brain-computer interface (BCI)?
Will robots be capable of humanistic social presence through a human-computer interface (HCI)?
Can we retain our identity, culture, or beliefs and create a #BalancedHumanity where we share an authentic reciprocity of respect and friendship with others?
Can we solve the world’s loneliness problem by sharing stories and ingraining a CPR Framework (Conduct, Purpose, and Repair)?
What power rests within the ancient philosophies of Bushido, Ikigai, and Kintsugi that may help set future AI guardrails?
These questions and more will be explored in my upcoming activities - Books, Blogs, & Startups.
Let’s take this life journey together,
Richard Y. Okumoto, Ph.D.
* Interested in Real Stories about Real People – please visit: www.Digital-LifeStory-Project.org
Release Date: May 5, 2026
AMERICAN JAP GIRL is a hauntingly true story of a Japanese American woman—abandoned as a child, incarcerated during World War II, adopted by Samurai, and shaped by poverty and prejudice. Tome draws on her Bushido lessons to find her ikigai and transform suffering into dignity, resilience, and hope.
Tome reclaims the slur “Jap” to confront its historical violence and affirm her dignity by refusing to let it silence her. She proves that one life, lived with purpose, can change the course of the next generation.
I am thrilled to announce that AMERICAN JAP GIRL has been awarded the BLUEINK STARRED REVIEW. Reserved for the top 5% of books reviewed, the Blueink Star is a seal of excellence awarded only to titles of exceptional quality and outstanding literary merit.
Find out more about AMERICAN JAP GIRL on MY BOOKS page.
For updates, news, and the possibility of being interviewed for my next edition of The Age of Contribution book (go to MY BOOKS page to learn more).