Ikigai - The Japanese Concept On How To Find Your Purpose In Life
Finding who you truly are and what you want to do with your life are some of the most important and stressful questions we all have come across. For some of us, we spend our entire lives trying to figure it out, yet, we rarely ever do.
We are constantly told by the world about what we should or should not become, but even after all the advice and counselling, it still just doesn't feel right for some reason.
Figuring out what your life means and why were we brought into this world is a question many of us ask ourselves, but rarely do we get an answer that is both satisfactory and plausible.
However, some of the great minds of Japan, seems to have it figured out way long ago. The 'Ikigai' concept might very well be the closest way we have to find meaning in our lives and find what our purpose should truly be.
A Reason For Being
Ikigai or 'a reason for being', focuses on the purpose of one's existence. It lays down the four simple and basic elements of what makes up for a meaningful and fulfilling life and then finds an equilibrium between them.
What You Love
Everyone has something in their life that they absolutely love doing and can't imagine their life without, even if they are not necessarily good at it. Find what you love.
What The World Needs
Serve others and the world you live in for the betterment of everyone. The idea is, the more you help others grow, the more valuable your life becomes.
What You Can Be Paid For
No matter how much you want to become or do something, if it can't pay you enough for living a decent life, then it's probably not a deal worth considering.
What You Are Good At
Ask yourself: What is something that you can do that nobody else can do as good as you? Every single one of us is born with a gift, but not everyone realizes it.
Now it's important to acknowledge the fact that rediscovering these qualities about yourself isn't a one-time thing. It can take a lot of time, and you have to be patient with it because it will require looking deep into yourself and asking yourself the kinda questions that you usually don't.
Finding An Equilibrium
Once you have figured out all the four elements, combine them. The equilibrium then achieved, is Ikigai. But though it might sound easy enough while reading about it through an article, it really is quite the hassle when you actually get yourself to find it.
More often than not, you will find yourself in a place where you can satisfy two or three elements but are not sure about the others. For example, you may know what you're good at or what you love, but doubt if what you love is also what the world needs right now.
Passion
When you know that what you are good at is also what you love doing, and you have a strong feeling that it is what your heart desires, but don't necessarily know if it can give you enough to live a decent life or if you can add any value to the world by doing it.
Mission
Aiming for a moral approach, you know what the world needs right now, and you are more than happy to serve the world for that, but don't know if you will be any good at it and struggle to find that something that can be made money out of.
Vocation
You know that what you are doing is right for your professional life, but wonder about the idea of doing what you truly want for a living. You are paid good and you are helping the economy, sure, but that sense of fulfillment and bliss is still missing.
Profession
You are paid for doing what you are good at, and are set to succeed in your work life, but the thought of whether or not are you really of any worth to this world still wanders your mind. You feel good about what you have achieved, but don't know if what you are doing is helping the world become a better place.
In the end, it all comes down to finding a balance between being valuable for the world, and feeling like you did what you were meant to do. It's not gonna be easy to find it, but it's worth all the time and effort you put into it once you do find your balance, your own Ikigai.
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We all thrive to find the balance. Ikigai in Japanese. Perfect explanation in this article. I must resteemed it so other people can read it, as I find it very interesting. 😊
Thank you so much!! :D It really means a lot.
Love your post, @ayushjalan
Always striving for balance - takes constant effort and mindful attention - challenging sometimes!
I'm going to resteem this so I can read again and again ;) Thank you for sharing and giving us all a little reminder
It sure is challenging, no doubt, but the outcome is worth it!
Thanks for resteeming if you do :)
It is hard to find a balance, in special in hard times. But it is posible. Sometimes de justo need to stop and think about al things in calm.
Agreed. These things need time and a clear mind, so you can focus on who you truly are as a person and what you aspire to be.
Breathe. Enjoy it. Then remember there is no beginning, nor end in a circle...
Namaste, JaiChai
Rightly said! :)
What happens when you find your purpose, then complete it. What happens next. Is there another purpose
Just a thought. But it does happen
I'm not exactly sure what you mean here. Can you please rephrase?
you talk about finding a purpose. That could be many things. A job, project or anything. finding purpose is not a one time thing, it never stops. I don't think its a purpose people need to seek although it is nice to have but will creat ups and downs in life. People need to have a satisfaction in life no matter what they do.
People chase a purpose in life and will never find it because it is not what they want or is right in front of them and they don't see it.
This is just some thoughts on the subject.
Interesting thought.
Agree on that. What counts as a true purpose of living for you personally will always keep changing no matter what, because it's not just the world around you that's changing, it's yourself as well.
I think it is indeed what we all seek. We all want to make our lives worth it in the end. That sense of fulfillment and completeness will only come when you know 'why' you do what you do. As long as there is no reason behind your actions, those actions will feel foul to you. But again, as you said, that 'reason' keeps changing; what remians the same is the need to feel like there's value in your life.
Curious to know your thoughts on this..
I think people seek acknowledgment from others and recognition for their labor. Not to many people go out and look for a purpose. The purpose just seems to fall in their laps
Time plays a major role here. We usually figure it out soon enough in our lives, but it's still not the same for some people. There are people who, even after searching for a long time, are still not able to decide what their purpose should be.
A lot of people.
They just go day to day doing the same thing over and over again.
Good article, but don't forget to document/credit your images. It's easy to do. Put square brackets [ ] around the words you want highlighted as your link. Then put parentheses ( ) around your link for your picture. Make sure you are using free images if they are not your own. (If they are your own, it's a good idea to say that too.)
So, your credit will look something like this:
Image from [ site here ] ( url here )
(Remove the spaces between the elements to make the code work.)
I'm aware of all that, but thanks anyways for the concern :)
Glad you enjoyed the article!
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