Ikigai: Happiness through purpose
Ikigai is a Japanese concept of happiness that define your “reason for being,” or the purpose in life that provides a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction. It is a concept that revolves around radical and rudimentary components of passion, vocation, profession and mission. Therefore, to discover happiness with Ikigai, you have to discover what you are most passionate about and then find a medium through which you can express the passion. Other than the passion, there is also the question of vocation, profession and mission, as illustrated below.
- What do I love? (passion)
- What am I good at? (vocation)
- What can I be paid for? (profession)
- What does the world need? (mission)
A perfect example is that of Steve Jobs. One would think that he had a passion for technology, while this was only a medium of expressing his passion for craftsmanship through developing Apple and Pixar.
As the great Howard Thurman would say, “do not ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. The world needs more people who have come alive.”
Therefore, once you have identified the four components, the next step involves working around your compass to answer the questions relative to the components, as illustrated above.
In a sense, Ikigai can be termed as happiness and satisfaction from being busy. It serves as a compass for navigation in both career and core life decisions, which is a craving for most people.
In the following links, we will provide tools to help you find your own purpose, but before we begin, here is a quick exercise:
How will I know when I am fulfilling my purpose?
Try to imagine a moment when you get lost in task and time just flies by without you realizing – this is when you know you are on the right track to living your purpose.
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