Have you ever wondered why you are so trapped in your own world, unable to escape despite putting your best efforts? Have you ever felt like a part of you is still asleep while the other is awake? Don’t you want to know what it truly means to be fully awake and to live up to your highest potential? To live a life without regrets and suffering, where it’s just you and your future self, living the life you both have always dreamt of?
If you have ever felt this way, then you’re not alone. There are millions of people who haven’t awakened their true selves yet. They keep doing what they do without any conscious reason, and end up falling into the same trap they had built for themselves years ago. So, what’s the way? The way is simple: it’s your Ikigai. Ikigai teaches us to wake up every day with a reason, with meaning, with a sense of purpose. It provides us with direction to live a meaningful and purposeful life.
What is the Meaning of Ikigai?
As per Japanese tradition, to uncover the true purpose in life, one must awaken their Ikigai. Ikigai is a wellspring of wisdom that has been deeply ingrained in Japan’s culture for centuries. It serves as a motivating force that provides hope and a reason to keep going. The term ‘Ikigai’ is a combination of two Japanese words: ‘Iki,’ which means life, and ‘Kai,’ which signifies purpose. So, fundamentally, Ikigai means finding a purpose in life.
How do I find my personal ikigai?
Finding your Ikigai is a lifelong process. It requires an extreme amount of patience, an unstoppable urge to become better than yesterday, and discovering what truly makes you happy. It is indeed difficult. However, genuinely pursuing your desired objectives builds the required courage within you and provides the momentum you might lack in achieving your dreams and satisfying your inner hunger. To reach that stage, you must understand and follow the four components of Ikigai, so you can better interpret what it truly means to be free with a reason.
Four Components of Ikigai:
- Do what makes you happy: Your Ikigai should be something you love and enjoy doing. You might love hanging out with your friends, playing the guitar, reading books, writing novels, creating YouTube videos, or simply enjoying your ‘me’ time. Whatever it is, if it genuinely brings a smile to your face, then embrace it with open arms, as it is your Ikigai.
- What you are good at: The second component of Ikigai is discovering what you’re good at. It could be a skill you’ve spent years mastering, such as public speaking, marketing, teaching, video editing, or simply capturing candid moments of people walking down the street. Whatever it may be, if you love doing it every single day without losing your enthusiasm, then congrats, you have now completed the first two steps toward finding your Ikigai.
- Do something you can be paid for: The third component revolves around making money to survive on this planet, becoming financially capable to fulfill your family’s daily needs and expenses. Following your passion is great, but knowing whether it is genuinely helping you achieve financial freedom is also a question you should ask yourself. Thus, it is always better to find something that can generate income for you, and ideally, that would be your Ikigai.
- What the world needs: The last component of discovering your ikigai is something that can put a smile on people’s face, or something that the world, or a community needs. You can pass on whatever you’ve learned to the next generation. You can become a life coach or can even join an NGO with a vision to make the world a better place to live
Benefits of applying Ikigai teachings in your life:
- Seeing the Light in the Dark: Imagine a time when you were lost in the depths of darkness, with no one to guide you. However, you didn’t flee from the challenge; there was an urge to live, an urge to find the light at the end of the tunnel. You persisted in finding a way out and eventually succeeded. Similarly, your Ikigai encourages you to establish a deeper connection with your higher self, the part of you that knows your strengths and what you truly desire in life.
- You accept yourself: In the past, you may have tried to escape from your fears, but now that you know your true strengths, you no longer run from your fears; you face them head-on. You challenge your weaknesses and use them as tools to climb to the top of the tree, to behold the beauty of your own existence.
- Ikigai builds up resilience: When you face real-life challenges, you feel overwhelmed, you look for a way out or simply want to escape. However, if you’re attuned to your feelings and understand that these difficulties are just a tiny portion of your vast being, then you won’t be concerned about those obstacles. Remember, what you think, you become. So, by embracing Ikigai in your life, you can simply conquer your innermost fears and become resilient in the face of the challenges that life throws at you.
- It reduces stress: Pursuing your passion and engaging in activities you love can add more quality years to your life. When you discover your purpose and the reason that drives you every single day, you will experience a profound shift in your identity. This, in turn, can surprisingly boost your confidence and reduce stress simultaneously.
- You become more self-aware: Being in touch with your self-awareness is a pathway to identifying your passions, understanding your likes and dislikes, and determining what you genuinely want in life. Even the best-selling author Hector Garcia, in his famous book “IKIGAI: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life,” mentions that everyone has an Ikigai—a reason for living. So, once you find that single reason, simply by being self-aware, you will understand how blissful it is to experience the gifts of life you have within you.
Conclusion
Discovering your Ikigai isn’t a destination; it’s a definition of life itself. And once you have found it, you’ll realize what it truly means to be fully alive and fulfilled. You become more focussed, organized, and with everything falling into place. Life’s inevitable challenges won’t distract you, but instead, you’ll embrace them with open arms. Deep down, you’ve already conquered yourself and have figured out what makes you tick and unstoppable. So, find your ikigai, and live life the way you’ve already dreamed of, without sacrificing your true self.