Home ›› 18 Oct 2022 ›› Editorial
The global pandemic and the adjustment to a new normal has led to many people taking a moment to self-reflect and question one’s own purpose. Before the crisis if you’d ask someone what gives them a sense of fulfilment, it would more often than not refer back to career goals or building a healthy financial nest for retirement. The uncertainty of the global pandemic has led to many questioning their relationship with work and family, or their sense of belonging and value in the workplace. People have realised that there is more to life than being the most productive at work or punching in long work hours. As we all struggle to adjust to the current reality of the new normal, some of us may find it difficult to gain the motivation to keep going on the career treadmill. More of us want to feel fulfilled; we want to have a purpose and a greater understanding of what our reason for being is. Our motivation is linked to our sense of purpose, and in these circumstances, the reason why we struggle so much can be easily lost in the haze of constant working. If you find yourself feeling directionless and completely unmotivated, try going on a journey to find what the Japanese call your “ikigai.
What is ikigai? It might be a question you’ve never asked yourself. I, like yourself, never imagined that experimenting and dabbling in all sorts of hobbies, crafts, and careers would lead me to find meaning, and even joy, in my work. Ikigai is an ancient Japanese philosophy that has enveloped the way Japanese people live. Some believe it’s even the reason for their happiness and longevity. It’s no wonder western culture has chosen to adopt it as their way of discovering a meaningful career. Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means your ‘reason for being.’ ‘Iki’ in Japanese means ‘life,’ and ‘gai’ describes value or worth. Your ikigai is your life purpose or your bliss. It’s what brings you joy and inspires you to get out of bed every day. A neuroscientist and author of Awakening your Ikigai, Ken Mogi, suggests we focus on the following five pillars each morning when we wake up for a positive start:Starting small, Accepting yourself,Connecting with the world around you, Seeking out small joys, Being in the here and now.
It’s important to mention that while traditional Japanese philosophy focuses on finding your bliss, western interpretation has used ikigai as a method of finding your dream career.The Westernised version of ikigai says you’ve found your dream career when your career includes these four qualities:What you love, What you’re good at,What you can be paid for,What the world needs!
3 steps to discovering your ikigai
Here are our top three steps to help you discover your ikigai:
Step 1. Answer some questions to find your ikigai
1. What do you love?
2. What are you good at?
3. What does the world need?
4. What can you be paid for?
Step 2. Brainstorm to find your ikigai
Spend some time visualizing your ideal day from start to finish. Believe it or not, this is going to help you determine your ikigai and your true meaning.
Step 3. Study to find your ikigai
You now have a picture in your head about what your ideal workday looks like. Now, consider studying, researching, taking classes, or hiring This step can help you discover if your vision meets your real-life expectations.
Finding your Ikigai is a life-long individual exploration journey. If you are committed to making a change in your life, I assure you that you will get there. But you need to put the time and energy in the process.
For today’s leaders, deploying ikigai to maximum effect is about more than just keeping their job; it’s about doing their job. To achieve this, leaders need to empower and engage with people right across their companies, from the middle of the organization – which stands to lose the most from change – right down to individual employees, ensuring they feel seen, supported, and inspired.
And this approach doesn’t stop at employees: it extends to the product level too. For example, leaders who can reconfigure their global supply chains for greater circularity and sustainability around areas like climate-positive products and pricing will be well positioned to capitalize on the elasticity of sustainability, where people are prepared to stump up a premium for climate-positive products, foster deeper loyalty from stakeholders, including investors.
People power: The best renewable source
Crucially, ikigai gives organizations the opportunity to take a step back, reflect, and reassess their true purpose, rather than pursuing progress at any price. Companies are living, growing organisms – and that purpose evolves as they develop. In order to thrive, they need balance and moderation – not the polarization, nativism, tribalism, and nationalism that divide our society today.
Leaders that can help their organizations to achieve this balance will be perfectly placed to tap into the sense of purpose and joy that give them their reason for being in the first place. And once they can successfully harness the energy of their people – the most renewable source of energy in the world – they stand to reap the enduring benefits that come from the power to keep them engaged, motivated, and above all, happy.Pursuing your ikigai, however, is not easy for everyone. Ikigai and Job hunting won’t always go together: many people have passions they love but they may not be good at them, nor can all passions sustain a family or household. It’s one of the main reasons why many don’t pursue their passions as a career.
There is a healthy debate over the interpretation of ikigai itself. Some say that one’s ikigai “does not have to involve something the world needs, or that you can get paid for, or that is a talent.”
It’s important to remember that ikigai isn’t a magical, quick fix solution. Overcoming mental health disorders is an ongoing battle and there will be good days and bad days. But through finding a purpose, you can develop coping mechanisms and get better at dealing with anxious thoughts or depressive moods.
At its core, ikigai is about finding a reason to live. And once you have that mentality, there is always a reason to keep moving forward.
This type of meditation is not a difficult form of mindfulness and it is one you can do literally anywhere. There are two basic types of mindful meditation.
There is internal mindfulness in which you spend a certain amount of time clearing your mind of clutter. Deliberately you dedicate your thoughts inward towards yourself and how you feel at a given moment.
There is external mindfulness in which you spend brief moments taking in your surroundings. Your thoughts focus more on what you are doing and how your actions affect those around you. This type of meditation will help you to fully appreciate the moment surrounding you and the experience you are in.
Be mindful of your health
While fundamentally true, it is easy to argue that ikigai is not just about your passion and desire to change the world around you. It is about living. With that, it is easy to see that ikigai encompasses you entirely. Specifically, your purpose in life is ultimately keeping strong your own mental well-being. Which is why practicing mindful meditation can help.
Be mindful of what you eat
Just as mindfulness improves mental well-being, it is equally important to be mindful of what you put into your body. In other words, you must take care of your physical self, in particular, what you eat and how much you eat.
According to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, there is a direct correlation between healthy diets and life expectancy rates.
Be mindful to see things as they are
Being in the here and now is relaxing. It is an open door to your surroundings without preconception or distraction. Mindfulness allows you to eliminate or see past superficial preoccupations and directs your attention to the smaller, more important things in life that are happening.
The Beginner’s Mind
People who enjoy their ikigai would tell you that one of their secrets to happiness in life is to remain a child and maintain a “Beginner’s Mind.” In other words, you should keep an attitude of eagerness and openness to learning new things even if you have been practicing them for years. Keeping such curiosity will ensure that you are always moving forward, never being stuck.
Indeed, practicing mindfulness at the earliest stages on your journey can be considered one of the most important aspects to finding your ikigai.
When just starting your journey, more likely than not you have few ingrained opinions and therefore may be more receptive to new ideas and possibilities. Your lack of prior experience means that you have no biases or habits to break and are more open to listening to those who went before you. You can create new routines that support you with your ikigai.
Mindfulness towards others
Your ikigai is as unique to you as mine is to me. Yours speaks only to you and provides only you with relevant meaning for a purposeful life. Conversely, my thoughts and feelings towards your purpose are as irrelevant to you as yours are to me. The only audience that needs to understand and relate to your ikigai is you.
Understand, there is no one size fits all approach to ikigai. Providing that you do not cause harm or obstruct the lives of others, there is no correct or incorrect way to drive your passion. Your path and mine are different and we should always be mindful of that.
Mindfulness builds confidence
As you begin your path to finding and following a life of purpose, at some point you may want to expand your circle of influence and grow your ikigai to a level beyond a personal hobby. For example, you may find that you are able to monetize your efforts or volunteer your time and skills to reach more people and impact your community in a bigger way.
Of course, making such a transition is completely up to you and definitely feasible, but expanding your ikigai to benefit people beyond your immediate self takes a concentrated amount effort and dedication.
Know when to take a step back
Just as being mindful allows you to build confidence and trust in yourself, it also helps prepare you for when you get too caught up and are unable to see things clearly anymore.
As you build your passion over time, you innately become more protective of it. This is often a result of investing many hours and in some cases, a lot of money. The tipping point may be when you fail to recognize that your passion is holding you to a certain belief despite what you know is true. In this way, it is difficult to make rational decisions.
Practice patience
Practice mindfulness to develop a profound appreciation for your purpose in life regardless of recognition or rewards.
For better or worse, life is filled with benchmarks, indicators, and targets. It is all too natural to want gratification or a sense of accomplishment. Think about how often you push yourself in everything you do, sports, business, grad school, weight loss and so on. When you achieve the desired results, only then do you permit yourself to bask in the glory.
Take this moment to be mindful
Mindfulness, above all, is a form of meditation that has a variety of positive effects on your life.
It is wise to invest in yourself by paying attention to what is going on around you and within you. Should you make a conscious effort to continue practicing and form a habit of being in the here and now. Undoubtedly it may be difficult to start, but surely you will find it.
The writer is MD and CEO of Community Bank. He can be contacted at masihul1811@gmail.com
