You might have heard the word ikigai being thrown around once or twice and wondered what it meant.
In this video, you’ll learn what it means and why it has become so popular over the years.
Ikigai is a Japanese philosophy that has been in existence for many centuries, and has surrounded
the way the Japanese live. It’s believed to date back to the Heian period, between 794 and 1185.
Some people even believe that it’s the reason why they bask in happiness and live long.
To break it down a bit more, iki in Japanese means life, and gai describes worth or value.
Therefore the term means reason for being. Your ikigai is your bliss,
your life purpose. It’s what brings you joy and motivates you to get out of bed every morning.
The whole concept of ikigai is said to have evolved from the basic health and wellness
principles of traditional Japanese medicine. It holds that physical wellbeing is affected by a
person’s mental and emotional health as well as their sense of purpose in life. Michiko Kumano, a
Japanese psychologist said that, ikigai is a state of well-being that comes about from being devoted
to the activities that one enjoys, basically, whatever brings them a sense of fulfilment.
Have you ever wondered why the Japanese live for so long? Japan is ranked second in the world for
life expectancy, with women expected to live for 88.09 years and the men 81.91 years. A
Japanese island south of the mainland known as Okinawa is known to have the highest proportion
of people over a hundred years in the world, and ikigai plays a huge role in the their culture.
It’s true that diet plays a huge role in these figures, but many Japanese people
believe their happy life and longevity has a lot do with the reason for being. But it
isn’t just something that’s associated with the elderly. It’s also becoming very popular
with the much younger generations both in and out of Japan who want to have meaningful lives.
A longer and happier life aside, knowing your ikigai can help you design your ideal
work lifestyle, create strong social connections at your place of work, create a healthy balance
between work and everyday life, as well as pursue your dreams and enjoy the work you do.
When you find your ikigai, and understand what it means, you’re aligned with the work you’ve always
wanted to, and the work that the world needs you to do. And it comes as no surprise that
westerners have chosen to adopt this philosophy as a way of finding a career that’s meaningful.
Take note that although traditional Japanese philosophy concentrates on finding your bliss,
the western culture has a slightly different interpretation.
They use ikigai as a way of finding their dream career. And according to this western version,
you’ve found your dream career when your career includes these four qualities.
1. What you love
Your ikigai should be something you enjoy doing. It can be anything that makes you feel good,
something you would willingly do any time. Something that excites you when you talk about it
or that you would gladly do in a heartbeat. What is it you really enjoy doing? Do you love
taking pictures, writing, dancing, baking and making videos? Well, that’s what you should do.
2. What you are good at Another thing to think about is what you are,
or what you’d like to be good at. This includes anything that comes naturally to you,
or maybe there’s something that you’re ready and willing to learn,
something you’re working hard to attain. These are skills that you’ve acquired with time
and can turn into something profitable. Which brings us to the next point.
3. What you can get paid or rewarded for You should know what you can get rewarded
for financially. We need money for survival. To support our daily needs and cover our expenses.
Therefore your ikigai should be something you can get paid for. Loving what you do
or being good at it sometimes isn’t enough. It’s important to be properly compensated for it too.
4. What the world needs The fourth component of
finding your ikigai is something that a community or the world as a whole needs.
We get this good feeling knowing that what we’re doing helps make the world a better place.
We feel like we’re playing a huge role in our community. It helps you
get closer to your ikigai knowing your work has the potential to change lives.
There’s a Venn diagram that shows the intersection of these four points.
And from it we get to understand all about our passion, mission, profession and vocation.
Passion If you have something
that you love and are really good at, you’ve found your passion. But to find your purpose, you need
to turn it into something that will earn you an income, and that’ll also benefit other people.
Mission If you have
something that you love and it’s also what the world needs, then you’re someone with a mission.
Such people advocate for what they believe in. You get a sense of fulfilment, knowing you’re
making a difference in people’s lives even though you aren’t being properly compensated for it.
Profession You have a profession if
you’re someone who has something they’re good at, and are getting paid for it. As a professional,
you earn money doing something you’ve mastered. But this doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing
what you love or something that benefits the world. To find your ikigai, you might want
to figure out what you enjoy doing and how it can help make a difference in the world.
Vocation You have something that the
world needs, and you're getting paid for it. But not all people pursuing a vocation like what they
do or are knowledgeable enough to be considered experts. To turn your vocation into your ikigai,
you can sharpen your skills in what you do at work or gain more experience and become
an expert in your field. Once you’ve turned your vocation into something you can do really well,
and eventually feel some enjoyment doing it, you may find your ikigai.
Below are the ten rules that will help you find your reason for being, from the book,
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia.
1. Stay active When we give up doing the things we love,
we easily lose our purpose in life. That’s why it’s important to continue doing the
things of value, make progress and help shape the world around us how-ever we can,
even when officially our professional activity has come to an end. Fun fact about the Japanese
language is that there is no word for retire in the sense of leaving the workforce as
in English. So basically, we shouldn’t stop doing what we were placed on this earth to do.
2. Take it slow Walk slowly and
you’ll go far. When we put urgency behind us, life and time take on a new meaning.
Just take a deep breath and go with the flow. Take one step at a time, and before you know it,
you’re already there. Being in a hurry and trying to rush things only dampens the quality of life.
Focus on making your life better and put the sense of urgency at the back of your mind.
3. Don’t fill your stomach Adopt the concept used by the Japanese,
hara tachi bu, which means eating until you’re eighty percent full.
When it comes to eating for long life, less is more too.
What you eat has an effect on how you feel. If you eat healthy, you think healthy,
and you feel healthy too. But if you overindulge,
you tend to overthink and quite easily feel overwhelmed. That’s why the rule
encourages eating healthy and preferably a little less than what you’re capable of.
4. Smile Always acknowledge the people around you.
Things are not always great, but we should never forget that being in the here and now,
in a world full of endless possibilities is a privilege.
5. Get in shape for your next birthday Water is at its best when it flows fresh
and doesn’t stagnate. Your body needs maintenance. Work out whenever you have the chance. It can be
an activity you like doing like jogging, aerobics or martial arts as long as you’re exercising the
body. Remember that a daily walk is better than a high impact workout once or twice a week.
6. Surround yourself with good friends Friends play a vital role in your life.
You can confide in them, share stories, get advice from them and have a good time.
This rule highlights the importance of interpersonal relationships.
In the absence of friendships and relationships, we can’t know how it feels to connect,
to love, nor can we share our joys, our struggles, our hopes and fears.
The way the society is nowadays, with everyone spending more time glued to their screens
rather than spend time with friends and loved ones, this rule reminds
us why friendships are important and all the benefits that come with them.
Instead of scrolling through social media for hours, why not call an old friend and catch up.
7. Reconnect with nature Although most of us live in the city,
human beings are made to be part of nature. And once in a while, we should take time to be more
in tune with it to recharge our batteries, or if anything to have a change of scenery.
There’s a Japanese word, shinrin-yoku, which translates to forest bathing. And this usually
involves connecting with nature using the five senses, those being sight, hearing, smell,
taste and touch. It’s a kind of mindfulness practice that helps you reconnect with nature
so that you can rejuvenate, revitalise your body and give your mind a moment of peace.
8. Give thanks Remember to give thanks to your ancestors,
to nature which provides you with the air that you breathe and the food you eat.
To your friends and family, and to everything that makes your days brighter
and makes you feel so lucky to be alive. As you take a moment each day to be grateful,
you get to watch as your happiness continues to grow too.
9. Live in the moment We should stop regretting what
happened in the past and fearing what lies ahead in the future. Today is all we have,
and should make the most out of it. We should make it worth remembering.
From the moment we open our eyes in the morning and close them in the night,
we are constantly thinking about ourselves. Our mind conjures one worry and then another,
and we forget to be aware, to be present, to be mindful and alive in each moment.
In his book, The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle wrote that the present moment is all you ever have.
There is never a time when your life is not this moment.
10. Follow your ikigai Inside you there is a passion,
a unique talent that gives meaning to your days and drives you to share the best of
yourself until the very end. And if you’re yet to find out what your ikigai is, your mission,
as Viktor Frankl puts it, is to discover it. Whether consciously or not, searching for one’s
ikigai, a person’s reason for being or waking up in the morning, is what many of us do already.
Even though the meaning of ikigai varies from one person to another, it might be safe to say
that finding this motivating purpose in life is linked to greater fulfilment and happiness.
Well, thank you guys so much for watching. I hope you enjoyed and found value in today's video.
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With that said, have a good one and I'll see you all in the next one.