A Useful Technique for Finding Your Life Purpose
Many of us who have achieved the lower levels of Maslow's hierarchy of requirements pyramid and are working towards self-actualization are pondering our own existence and attempting to comprehend the reason we are here on this earth.
We want the life that we live to be satisfying, but we don't want to begin each day with the unease of waking up to the same cycle every morning as we get out of bed. This is something that we don't want to experience.
The weight of everything that we have to do in life, on the one hand, and the delusion of believing that we will be happy one day in the future, on the other, are causing us to miss out on the present moment. Ikigai is a Japanese idea that has been imported into the United States.
If you believe that there is a passion and a purpose deep within you that will allow you to live a life that is meaningful and will make you feel alive again, then perhaps the notion of "Ikigai" can be a helpful light on your path.
The island of Okinawa in Japan is where we will need to look for a solution, which will need us to look a bit further afield. Okinawa is the location in the globe that has the average lifespan length that is the longest.
The most wonderful aspect is that not only do these elderly individuals live for a very long time, but they also lead lives that are full of joy and satisfaction.
When the elders of Okinawa are inspected, it has been discovered that they take very good care of their physical bodies. This is something that many of us are aware of, but it is difficult to attain in practice and in real life.
The fact that they pay attention to healthy diet, playing sports outside and in green areas, dancing, sleeping in a balanced manner, getting a reasonable quantity of sun, and drinking little alcohol and caffeine is something that has been noted.
Nevertheless, it is possible that the majority of us do not experience a high level of contentment and a strong connection to life, despite the fact that we take care of our bodies in this manner and implement these practices that will be beneficial to our health.
This leads us to believe that there is something more than this.
Through the interviews, these wise elders have provided us with the following pieces of advice for maintaining a healthy inner world: we should not allow our hearts to age, we should develop healthy habits, we should enjoy working, we should place importance on friendships and other social relationships, we should live our lives without rushing, we should be optimistic, and we should discover the purpose of our lives that will allow us to continue living.