Ikigai is a Japanese concept that may be translated to “a reason for being.”
Some may call this their life’s purpose, their reason for getting out of bed in the morning, or “Raison d’être”.
In short, ikigai is the answer to those four questions that seem to be very important for people throughout life :
For some people, their “reason for being” is very clear and solid. Maybe they had a life-changing experience that helped unveil their true purpose, otherwise it’s something they’ve known since childhood. However, most of people have not a very “delineated” route and they have, and want, to find their ikigai.
As the japanese culture show us, ikigai is represented at the center of four circles interconnected that are :
Mission: What you love
Vocation: What the world needs
Profession: What you can get paid for
Passion: What you’re good at
The “balance” of these elements contribute to your happiness; all are crucial to your “reason for being.” As we all know, your personal happiness is connected on much more than simply your career (Vocation) and getting an economic feedback (Profession). As , Mission and Passion aren’t enough to sustain you financially if you don’t find the way to turn it into a paying job.
In most cases, people know what are their passions, but either think that it’s not possible to transform them into their professional career or don’t know how to go about pursuing it.
He transforms his passion into his professional career : Levi, the International fashion influencer of the year
People often are preventing from finding their Ikigai for many reasons :
They don’t think they can make a career out of their passion, or they can’t risk leaving their stable job to pursue their passion, or may be possible that they become too tied up in the daily “grind” and have lost sight of what makes them happy.
Other causes of people lack of “energy” of changing their life finding their real purpose may be also that someone told in early age that their passion wasn’t a viable career option, or they’re worried because they think they’re not good enough to pursue their passion.
At Absolutely Talented, Thursday 16th September 2021, you will have the chance to do a very interesting “ikigai test”.
That will help you to find your real purpose and hope of life , by improving your self knowledge and leading you to a route that may change your life!
A book about Ikigai : Ikigai: The Japanese secret to a long and happy life
See you on Tuesday 16th September!
Article written by Pietro Serini