The Will to Keep Winning

1. Persistence is the Foundation of Success

By never giving up.

Unwavering determination. Daigo's journey, from an isolated child finding solace in games to a world champion, was fueled by sheer persistence. Despite lacking self-confidence and facing criticism for his passion, he refused to quit, pouring immense effort into gaming. This relentless drive, honed through childhood challenges like holding his breath longer than anyone else, became his greatest strength.

Effort builds confidence. While not initially confident in gaming itself, Daigo found self-assurance in his approach and consistent effort. He committed to outworking everyone, believing that persistence could overcome natural ability. This dedication, rather than innate talent, was the source of his confidence and allowed him to overcome feelings of intimidation and humiliation.

The will to challenge. His ability to take on challenges and see them through to the end, regardless of difficulty or external doubt, is what set him apart. This "will to challenge adversity" was invaluable for someone grappling with childhood insecurities. It allowed him to devote himself entirely to gaming and eventually reach the elite ranks.

2. Effort Trumps Natural Talent

Dad would always tell me that the path to achieving great things was through hard work, that effort always trumped natural ability.

Lessons from family. Growing up, Daigo witnessed his sister's effortless academic brilliance, which initially made him doubt his father's teaching that effort beats talent. However, his struggle to memorize the Japanese Constitution's Preamble, a task his sister mastered quickly, solidified his belief that extraordinary effort was his only path to compete with natural talent. This experience taught him to approach everything with intense dedication.

Back-breaking work. He concluded that overcoming those with innate talent required "back-breaking levels of hard work." This meant playing games as if his life depended on it, sacrificing time and health in pursuit of victory. He refused to lose, seeing persistence as the only way to avoid feeling inferior to naturally gifted individuals.

Outlasting the competition. While others might have found games easier initially, few could match Daigo's persistence. He believed that by simply outlasting everyone else, he could eventually win. This mindset, born from childhood experiences and reinforced by his sister's talent, became a core principle of his competitive approach.

3. Focus on Sustainable Growth, Not Just Winning

While seemingly similar, I want to show you that these are highly different goals, to the point where they can be at odds with one another.

Winning vs. Keep Winning. Daigo distinguishes sharply between winning a single event and consistently producing results over the long term. Fixating solely on winning can narrow your focus, restrict your options, and lead to conventional, safe strategies. True, sustained success requires a different mindset focused on continuous improvement.

Process over outcome. Overly focusing on tournament outcomes or external validation (like cheers or awards) makes your motivation fragile and dependent on external factors. Luck plays a role in results, making them unreliable indicators of true strength or progress. Instead, deriving joy from the daily process of learning and improving provides a stable, internal source of motivation.

Sustainable effort levels. Daigo learned the hard way, by pushing himself to physical and mental breakdown for a fourth championship win, that reckless devotion is not productive effort. Sustainable growth requires finding a moderate level of daily practice that can be maintained for years, like aiming for a "happiness level of sixty" in daily practice rather than one hundred from a win.

4. Embrace Change and Challenge Your Weaknesses

Growth Implies Change

Constant evolution. Daigo believes that in competitive fields, there is no growth without change. Staying the same person or player as the day before means you are not growing. This requires constantly striving to change yourself, breaking out of your shell, and trying new things, even if they are unsettling or don't immediately lead to victory.

Confronting discomfort. Challenging weaknesses is essential for evolution. This includes not only in-game tactics but also personal aspects, like associating with people you dislike or facing situations you fear. Avoiding disagreeable people or challenging stronger opponents limits your potential for growth and keeps you stuck within your comfort zone.

Failure as direction. If a change doesn't work, you simply change again. Failure indicates that the right way lies in a different direction. The accumulated effect of small, daily changes builds the capacity for bigger, more difficult, but ultimately more rewarding changes later on. This continuous cycle of challenging, changing, and learning from results is key to long-term strength.

5. Ignore Outside Opinions and Trust Your Intuition

Outside Opinions Don't Matter

Freedom from judgment. Being overly concerned with what others think is suffocating and prevents you from being yourself. While basic manners are important, opinions that don't impact your life should be ignored. This includes fear of being seen as desperate for trying hard or a failure for losing.

Inner conviction. Persistence allows you to ignore criticism. If you are giving your all and still not producing results, external criticism can easily make you cave to pressure. However, those with true persistence can press on in their own world, oblivious to others' evaluations, because their motivation comes from within.

Intuition as a guide. Trusting your intuition, especially after putting in significant effort and gaining experience, is crucial for moving beyond conventional strength. Acting on a feeling, even if it defies logic or theory, is essential for discovering unique approaches and feeling truly alive in your pursuits. This requires courage and faith in your own judgment.

6. Learn Relentlessly from Failure and Keep Thinking

Thomas Edison, responsible for upward of thirteen hundred inventions in his lifetime, said that those who fail to succeed are those who fail to think.

Analyzing defeat. Daigo's unwavering confidence comes from intently thinking about why he lost after countless mistakes and failures. He doesn't make excuses or blame external factors. Instead, he considers the facts, analyzes them, and uses failures as indicators of where he needs to improve.

The power of contemplation. Thinking deeply about issues, discarding preconceived notions, and investigating problems from every angle is essential for finding solutions. When stuck, pushing the issue to the back of your mind allows your subconscious to work, often leading to insights from unexpected sources. This habit of deep thinking builds confidence and allows for quicker problem-solving under pressure.

Note everything. Small concerns or observations that pop up throughout the day, whether in games or life, should be noted immediately. Ignoring them means they will likely come back to bite you later. Capturing these thoughts allows you to address issues even after time has passed and prevents underestimating seemingly minor opponents or problems.

7. Seek Intense Competition for True Growth

I make it a point to play the game that is most popular at the time.

The draw of the forefront. Daigo intentionally chooses the most competitive games because they attract the strongest players and offer the highest level of challenge. This intense competition is an irresistible draw for someone focused on self-development. Playing against the best constantly pushes him to improve.

Avoiding comfort zones. Choosing less popular games or niche markets might offer easier wins or titles, but it limits growth. Constraining yourself to a small field prevents breaking new ground and exposes you to less intense competition, which can lead to the deterioration of your ability to keep winning.

Opportunities for discovery. New, popular games are seen as opportunities for self-discovery and growth. While it means frequently starting over and facing the pain of losing initially, the challenge of competing on the big stage where everyone is focused is necessary to stay at the top of your field and keep up with trends.

8. Develop Skill Beyond Imitation

Skill exceeding ten can't be taught, and it can't be imitated.

Beyond conventional strength. Reaching a certain level of skill (likened to 'ten') is achievable by following established methods and imitating others. However, true mastery ('eleven or higher') is on a different plane. It's a strength that others can sense but cannot pinpoint or replicate. This is the level that inspires awe and makes a player truly formidable.

The result of deep exploration. This ultimate strength is not about specific techniques or methodologies but about the depth of your approach and how far you are willing to go in exploring every option. It comes from working harder than anyone else to understand the true essence of the game, independent of easy or trendy strategies.

Unwavering confidence. Attaining skill beyond imitation provides an absolute, unwavering sense of confidence. Knowing that your strength is based on your own painstaking effort and cannot be easily copied makes you resilient to imitation and external validation. The ability to make new discoveries is more valuable than the discoveries themselves.

9. Find Joy in Daily Progress, Not Just Outcomes

Big discoveries in my daily efforts make me far happier than winning World Championships.

Internal satisfaction. While winning is better than losing, the joy derived from a tournament victory is fleeting and less significant to Daigo than the satisfaction of making small discoveries in his daily practice. These internal realizations, even if no one else understands them, provide a consistent source of motivation and happiness.

Mental armor. By focusing on self-improvement rather than outcomes, Daigo develops a mental armor against the emotional swings of wins and losses. Defeats are seen as valuable opportunities to identify weaknesses and grow, rather than reasons for despair. His greatest opponent is himself, not the person across the screen.

The value of the process. The purpose of matches and daily practice is self-improvement. Learning something from a match, regardless of the result, makes it a good outcome. This perspective allows him to play daringly in risky situations, unburdened by the fear of losing, because his happiness is rooted in the continuous process of becoming better.

10. There Are No Shortcuts to Lasting Strength

While they might mean well, the truth is that there are no shortcuts.

The hard road. Achieving significant, lasting strength requires choosing the difficult path. Relying on easy-to-follow online strategies or convenient moves might provide temporary wins but limits growth and leaves you vulnerable when those methods fail. True mastery comes from exploring every option yourself, even the seemingly unpromising ones.

Overcoming adversity. Building confidence and overcoming shortcomings requires experiencing hardship. Dodging issues or taking the safe route limits potential. Hammering through failures and confronting barriers is vastly more effective for progress, even though it's not easy and may involve ridicule from those focused on short-term results.

Commitment to the craft. Shunning the easy path is not done on a whim but out of deep devotion to the pursuit. If your passion is strong enough, you won't be satisfied with being merely average or winning in a way that compromises your individuality. This commitment provides the conviction to keep searching for new ways and push beyond the limits of conventional approaches.

Last updated: May 5, 2025