I recently discovered this Japanese concept called IKIGAI (pronounced ee-key-guy) – your “reason for being”.
It suggests that balance is found at the centre where your passion and talents intersect with something the world needs and is willing to pay for.
This Japanese philosophy is said to provide a purpose for waking up in the morning and contributes to overall longevity.
IKI= LIFE – GAI= WORTH. Life’s worth.
Okinawa, where Ikigai is said to have originated, is home to one of the largest populations of centenarians in the world.
…no coincidence there.
Let’s break it down into 2 categories: JOB and WORK. A Job is something you do as a form of employment – something you get paid to do so you can buy things like clothes, food, etc. Work is the mental or physical effort made in order to achieve a result 👈 This is where you find fulfillment.
In today’s western culture, we’ve got it backwards. Instead of exploring what it is we love and want to do – your work, and finding a way to get paid for it (in other words, finding our Ikigai), we list out the jobs that “pay well” and “look good”. We look for money and status first, with the hope that it coincides with our work.
Instead, we ought to be teaching our children (and ourselves for that matter) how to discover what it is we feel happiest doing – what action brings you joy and fulfillment? It can be any of the following, to give you an idea:
- To serve others
- To create for others
- To delight others
- To teach others
- To inspire others
- To heal others
- To connect with others
- To nourish others
We often don’t look at it from that broad perspective, but instead from a narrow view of the kind of jobs and industries that already exist and then try and fit ourselves into them. By doing this, we box ourselves in and don’t allow inspiration to flow through.
Part of this is due to the current educational system and our societal expectations of what the ‘traditional path’ looks like, but the world is opening up and starting to see the opportunities that were once hidden. The idea that we can create a life for ourselves that is fulfilling and serves a purpose, but also pays well and serves others is attainable when you have the belief and practice to attract it.
If you don’t feel you’re living your Ikigai, you might be thinking “okay, but I have a mortgage and family to support, I can’t just quit my job and change careers now”. I totally get it. But it doesn’t mean you have to in order to find your Ikigai. It can be a change in the current organization or company you work for. Or it can be something you start doing on the side and slowly transition yourself over to full time. The beauty of Ikigai lies in its simplicity and adaptability. It doesn’t require grand gestures or drastic life changes. Instead, it encourages us to explore the smaller aspects of our daily lives and find moments of joy and purpose in the simplest of things.
Let me share a story about a man named Stuart:
Stuart worked for a small restaurant as a chef. He loves to cook and is really good at it. It pays well and he had even built a name for himself in the community. Recently, he had been finding the passion he once had for cooking dwindling. It was taking a lot of effort to build up enough energy to make it through a service. But he still enjoyed cooking at home, and thought the same thing a lot of us worry about mid-life: “is this something I thought was a passion, but maybe should just be a hobby?” Fear flooded his mind as he began to have the career crisis he never expected. He started to spiral “What other jobs are out there? What am I even qualified for? Who would hire me?”.
In that moment he remembered a family member discussing the Japanese concept of Ikigai. He decided he was going to find his. He began to write down all of the things he loved. Cooking still made the top of the list. But what he listed below was the clarity he had been seeking. The reason he loved cooking at home was because he was infusing his passion for health with his love for cooking. He was creating all kinds of wonderfully nutritious meals, using incredible locally grown produce and all natural, whole foods. He was seeing and experiencing the effects of eating well in himself and his family. The food he had been cooking at the restaurant was heavy, fatty meals made using unhealthy ingredients.
That was it! His fulfilment didn’t come from just cooking, but rather cooking healthy meals. His Ikigai is to nourish others. Discovering this, he worked with the restaurant owner to create a plant-based section on the menu. In addition, he started documenting his creations at home, and started a vlog to inspire others to cook plant-based at home. Not only is he feeling the most fulfilled he ever has, he is making extra income from his vlog and feels like he is helping people look and feel their best.
Stuart didn’t have to change his career, go back to school, or quit. All he had to do was find the purpose behind the passion. Getting paid to nourish others through his love of cooking was his purpose for getting up in the morning – his reason for being.
So I challenge you with this one question: are you living your Ikigai?
