Part 3: Designing a life in three dimensions

This series explores the three dimensions of a fulfilling life inspired by Shigehiro Oishi’s book Life in 3 Dimensions and my own experiences living in Japan, moving to the United States, and working between both cultures.

By the time I reached the final chapters during another morning walk, I felt as if Oishi had handed me a lens that clarified the shape of my life. The three dimensions he describes were already present in my experiences, but I had never considered how intentionally they could work together and how I can use this knowledge to help others.

Meaning has always been central for me. It is what drew me toward cultural consulting and training. Helping people understand each other across cultural divides is work that demands patience and empathy, and it is work that still excites me. When a group reaches a breakthrough or when a client realizes the deeper reason behind a misunderstanding, I feel the kind of fulfillment that has kept me in this field for years.

Pleasure plays a softer, more understated role. It appears in the satisfaction of a productive workshop, in a peaceful walk, or in the quiet joy of preparing a session that I know will resonate with people. These moments do not define my life, but they sustain it.

Psychological richness is the dimension that I now see most clearly. It has accompanied me from the moment I moved to Japan, through my transition to the United States, and into my work today. It shows up when I navigate different expectations, when I help two sides understand each other, and when I recognize the deeper dynamics behind a decision or a silence. It has shaped my understanding of communication, identity, and leadership in ways that continue to unfold.

As I listened to Oishi describe the interplay of these dimensions, I realized something important about the next chapter of my own journey. These experiences have not only shaped me. They have given me a mission. I want to help others understand this kind of life, one that stretches across cultures, challenges assumptions, and builds depth through experience. I want to guide people who are navigating change, identity, or cross-cultural complexity, because I know how confusing and lonely those transitions can feel.

I often think about how much I would have benefited from this kind of guidance when I was young. Someone who could have said, “These experiences that feel difficult now will become your strengths later.” Someone who could have helped me make sense of the richness that was already forming, even when I could not see it clearly. That is the kind of support I want to offer now through coaching: helping others find clarity in their own three-dimensional lives and encouraging them to build lives that feel authentic, purposeful, and rich.

As I finished my walk that morning, I felt a kind of steady clarity. I did not consciously design a life across cultures or seek out a career where these three dimensions would intersect so naturally. But they did. And now that I understand how powerful this combination can be, I feel a responsibility and a sense of excitement to help others find their own version of it.

Listening to Oishi reminded me that a fulfilling life is not a single pursuit. It is something we grow into, shaped by experiences, choices, challenges, and moments of connection. It is built slowly. Layer by layer. Country by country. Conversation by conversation.

And it is something we can choose to guide others through as well.