Becoming 1 in a Million: How Ordinary People Keep Achieving Their Dreams | Kei Tanaka | TEDxWasedaU

Kei Tanaka, former Co-Head of the Investment Division at Goldman Sachs and a radio personality on J-WAVE, explains in this TEDxWasedaU talk how ordinary people can keep achieving their dreams. He argues against fixing oneself to a single title and describes balance as continuous adjustment across several roles and values. The talk covers building small habits, aiming to be among the top 1% in multiple fields, and combining them through a strategic approach he calls the "#method". It presents a repeatable way of thinking and acting aimed at reclaiming ownership of one's life.

• Balancing multiple roles instead of being defined by one title
• Treating routine-building as a skill
• The "1-in-100 × 1-in-100" approach to combining achievements

Many people fix themselves to a single title and mistake that for stability. However, true balance is not found in stillness—it exists in motion. It’s the ability to keep adjusting while being pulled by multiple roles and values at once. A former Co-Head of the Investment Division at Goldman Sachs. An investment banker who also ran 257 km across the African desert, and stands behind the mic as a radio personality on J-WAVE. How is it that this same person can realize what would normally be incompatible paths? This talk unpacks how “ordinary” people can keep achieving their dreams. The key lies in building small habits, becoming the “top 1%” in multiple domains, and combining them through a strategic approach called the “#method.” It offers a reproducible way of thinking and acting—one that frees you from being defined by a single title and helps you reclaim ownership of your life. Kei Tanaka is an individual who has spent his life exploring a simple question: how can ordinary people keep achieving their dreams? While building his career at Goldman Sachs, one of the world’s leading investment banks, he found himself up against his own limits—and a growing sense that something wasn’t quite right. That turning point led him to focus on routine-building as a skill, using it to redesign his health, his capabilities, and ultimately, his career. Alongside serving as Co-Head of Japan in the same firm, he has gone on to pursue challenges across very different fields: completing a 257 km desert race in Africa, working toward the Ironman World Championship, and fulfilling a long-held dream of becoming a navigator on J-WAVE. At the core of his work is his original “1-in-100 × 1-in-100” approach—a multi-hashtag strategy that combines small, achievable wins into extraordinary results. Through this framework, he shares a practical, repeatable way to build a career, centered on one belief: taking back ownership of your life. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx