“Ikigai is the action we take in pursuit of happiness.”
Yukari Mitsuhashi, Japanese author of “Ikigai: The Japanese art of a meaningful life.
I can’t exactly remember when I first heard about Ikigai (ee-key-guy). I think it must have been around a year ago. Naturally my first response was probably “Icky what?!”, but my curiosity always gets the better of me, and ever since I learnt about Kaizen (continuous improvement) at uni, I’ve loved Japanese concepts. So of course, I dug deeper to find out more. And unsurprisingly I loved what I uncovered.
So what is “Ikigai”?
It’s always going to be hard to directly translate a Japanese word that is made up of so many visual elements or “kanji”, each with a meaning.
Ikigai is our reason for being or living, our “raison d’être”. It’s the purpose we give to our lives. It’s the happiness of always being busy; although as someone with a tendency to take busyness to the extreme of restlessness, I would be careful with how I use the “busy” word…
What does Ikigai look like?
I find it helpful to have a visual to help me understand a concept. So here is a well-used illustration of Ikigai.
Whilst it might be “easy” to get the concept looking at this beautiful Venn diagram, finding our Ikigai is going to be more complex. I strongly believe that some of us are born knowing our Ikigai. Others will spend their lives looking for it, and will need much patience along the way! My friend’s daughter has known that she wants to be a doctor since pre-teenage years; I like to believe this, her ikigai, comes from deep within and that “Grey’s Anatomy” just served as a guide!
What I can say from the work that I have done on my own personal development is that I believe that your Ikigai is deep within you. It’s about finding a way to release and hear / feel it.
Why find our Ikigai?
How healthy is our society today? As I child of the 80s I grew listening to the message that exercise was good for us.
Research by the World Health Organisation (WHO) showed that regular exercise can lower the risk of death by 20%–30%. Regular work outs keep you healthy and fit, improve muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness, and lowers the chances of stroke and diabetes.
Did you know that 74% of Brits have felt so stressed they have been overwhelmed or unable to cope (according to research in 2018 by the UK’s Mental Health Foundation)?
Our lack of focus on our physical and mental health is profoundly impacting both our life expectancy, and more importantly the quality of the lives we lead.
On the Japanese island of Okinawa, the inhabitants, from whom the concept of ikigai is grounded, have a far greater than the world average chance of living into their hundreds.
So, few of us have a regular exercise routine. And with the stigma that is attached to mental health, people are even less equipped to know how to be mentally “fit”, when in fact we are all prone to self-sabotage, judgment, and negative thoughts.
Ikigai certainly seems to me to provide a structure to combat all of this!
How can I find my Ikigai?
This is a journey for most of, and as unsettling as it may be, we may well spend most of our lives on this journey and never really reach the “destination”. I’d argue that should be the case, otherwise what would we do for the rest of our lives if we got there too “early”?
So, I’d suggest that accepting the journey is a good starting point for all of us.
1. What does the world need?
Uncovering what the world needs isn’t as hard as it seems. A 5-minute dose of the news generally paints a pretty grim outlook… pick the one that resonates most with you, poverty, climate change, equality, peace, health, the Arts…
2. What are you good at?
We are all good at something. We are all drawn to certain activities over others. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a Hungarian American psychologist coined the term “Flow”; a highly focused mental state conducive to productivity. We enter a state of flow when we are doing a task that challenges us to the point where we are so engaged that time has no relevance. So have a think about times where you have experienced flow. It’s a good starting point.
3. What do you love doing?
We naturally gravitate towards the things that we love doing. When we combine that with what the world needs is gives us a mission in life. When we combine it with something we love doing it’s a passion.
I love the example of my daughter and her journey with art. At some point she developed a curiosity for drawing. The more she did it the better she got. The better she got the more she loved it and the feeling it gave her, and the more it provides enjoyment to others. She may, or may not, follow in the artistic footsteps of her heroine Frida Kahlo. Time will tell, but the passion is clear!
4. Can I get paid to do it?
The final piece of the Ikigai Venn Diagram. Can I get paid to do the thing the world needs, that I love and am good at? Take the example of the artist spreading a message to the world through their art. If they can get paid for their art, then “Bingo” they have landed on their ikigai. There are some financial extremes in this example, and not all artists will reach the accolades of Van Gogh or Banksy, but can the artist get paid enough to live the life they want to lead? That’s where the focus is.
How can I Reach My “ikigai” Best?
When I started Reaching My Best, I was driven by the desire to help as many women as possible reach the best version of themselves. We all have so much to offer the world, but we can get caught up in the “busyness” of life and the different roles and responsibilities that pull us in so many directions.
I believe that when we give ourselves the time and space, we can find our ikigai and we can really make the world a better place AND at the same time be a great parent, partner, daughter and friend.
Women are naturally drawn to each other with their compassion and kindness. If I can help you on your journey to reach your best, then together there is so much value (social and financial) that we can contribute to the world.
I support, and bring together, women who want to make a difference in the world, through their creativity and entrepreneurial drive. My 5-day What’s Next Challenge is my “Ikigai” exercise. In addition, I offer a mental fitness programme that brings your awareness to how you are holding yourself back and provides you with the tools to literally re-wire your brain to have a more positive, ‘Sage’ mindset. From here, your aspirations become reality. And my personal coaching provides you with the accountability so you can gain confidence and clarity to stay on your path.
My “ikigai” is providing you with the tools to find and live your “ikigai” so that together we can make this world a kind, compassionate, beautiful, safe, prosperous place to live. And most importantly it makes me happy!