Applying Ikigai to Everyday Living
Ikigai, the Japanese concept of finding purpose in life (Eatough, 2021), and Stoicism, the Greco/Roman philosophy on applying yourself to a greater purpose (Wikipedia Contributors, 2019), are the two most relevant practices that will help you achieve a fulfilling life. I discuss Stoicism in an upcoming segment.
The idea of Ikigai is hundreds of years old but has found a worldwide resurgence since 2016. Stoicism dates back pre-Christian times and declined in the 3rd century, only to revive in our turbulent world as an answer to a general societal malaise.
Both have “purpose” as a central tenet of their systems. Both were built around the idea of duty to work and society, rather than to the individual, yet both are at the heart of self-improvement.
In a prior piece, I talked about how I focused on simple living as my primary goal in life, but discovered that simple living is a result of living a better life and an objective toward that goal, instead of the end of the journey.
Each of us chooses what type of life we want but, frequently, it is an unfulfilling life of immediate reward. Ikigai wants us to find our purpose in life.
Sure, that seems corny and maybe a little naïve, but it is not.
How many people find complete contentment raising a family, or taking care of a piece of land, or working with youth? Others think that the immediate pleasure of fine food and clothes or even drugs is the ultimate experience but, soon enough, discover how hollow and short-lived these material highs are. Many of us think that we have reached the apex of life when we have career and social success but do not see that we are only living for others’ approvals.
Ikigai is a simple approach to living that requires that we find what we love, find what we are good at, find what benefits the world at large and find something that pays well (“The Japanese Formula for Happiness – Ikigai,” 2019).
The last, in particular, seems to be very material. This is logical, since Japanese culture focuses on work and career. However, what pays well may not require that you seek material wealth but that you find something that you are able to do sustainably, making an adequate living for yourself so that you can continue to focus on that vocation. “Pays well” is relevant.
The second last, “benefitting the world at large,” seems a bit credulous and unattainable, but, again, the world at large may be your community or even a small chunk of your town. The objective is to find something bigger than yourself that improves a small slice (or a big slice) of the world.
The first two need no explanation. Finding both of these means you have found your passion.
When you find both something you are good at and something the world needs, you have uncovered your mission. When you find what you are good at and something that pays well, there is your profession. You discover your vocation (a sense of calling and passion when you identify both your skill set and what the world needs.
Ikigai occurs when you have all four: a passion, mission, profession and vocation.
This may seem like a very complex process, but it is not. I suggest that you download my simple spreadsheet to help you easily determine all four of the tenets of Ikigai.
I also point out that this is not a difficult task, but it not an immediate, quick job, either. It requires that you understand yourself, not as others see you or as you think they should, but how you feel about and understand yourself.
I know of a person who loved mountain biking. But how does that serve the world and how does this leisure activity pay? On its own, it doesn’t.
But Gord started his own eco-tourism business, leading others on back trail excursions. He also became an outfitter. He was good at it, loved it and it paid well.
Then he expanded, offering lessons and tours for school kids from troubled or impoverished backgrounds, with amazing results.
His passion for cycling provided him with a profession that benefitted others: his vocation.
But his achievements did not come overnight. It took work, analysis and commitment. It resulted in a fulfilling life that also provided the immediate reward of happiness (The Government of Japan, 2022).
By identifying his Ikigai, he took full control of his life.
References
Eatough, E. (2021, May 7). What is ikigai and how can it change my life? | BetterUp. Www.betterup.com. https://www.betterup.com/blog/what-is-ikigai
The Government of Japan. (2022, March 18). Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Joyful Life. The Government of Japan – JapanGov -. https://www.japan.go.jp/kizuna/2022/03/ikigai_japanese_secret_to_a_joyful_life.html
The Japanese Formula For Happiness – Ikigai. (2019). [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxj3P0enJNQ
Wikipedia Contributors. (2019, November 17). Stoicism. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoicism