Everytime I walk into the crossword store around the corner of my home, there is this pretty blue book judiciously taking the first spot of bestsellers every week. But not till couple of weeks back I got the chance to read it, after a regular at the store,this scholarly looking man turned to me as I was looking at the book contemplating to buy or not, smiled and said "It is deep, and trust me you wont stop at that book." Yes, he was true and once I was done with the book many questions unraveled. And, the quest just didn't stop with that book rather it began. It's "IKIGAI:The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life" by Hector Garcia and Francesc Mirales.
Let me tell you right in the beginning I am not the right person nor have the authentic knowledge to write about this fascinating concept of life. This is my honest naive attempt to throw some light on something which stirred many thoughts in me and hoping someone out there will feel the same. I cant stop myself from sharing the things I heard, read and came across since I started this journey of learning what Ikigai is and how powerful, meaningful it is.
"Ikigai" is a Japanese word which simply translates to reason for living or a reason to jump out of bed every morning. In French it is called 'raison ďêtrè'. It is a combination of words 'iki' meaning life or living and 'kai' (pronounced as gai) meaning value, effect or usefulness.
Author Dan Buetnner researched the regions where people live longer on average than in the rest of the world and dubbed them the 'blue zones'. In Japan, the beautiful island Okinawa is one such place, nicknamed "village of longevity". It is said the largest proportion of centenarians in the world live there and they share a devotion to the concept of ikigai which they believe is a happiness derived from being busy at some activity that holds meaning and purpose for them.
So, what exactly is 'Ikigai'? The concept of ikigai is best illustrated by the overlapping circles of a venn diagram. The combination of mission, vocation,profession and passion.The four circles represent
1. What you love
2. What you are good at
3. What the world needs from you
4. What you are/ could be paid for
Ikigai is the point of intersection of all these four elements and is seen as the source of value or what makes one's life worthwhile. It is said you have or will find your ikigai when you find something that fits in the intersection.
But ofcourse, there is still an ongoing debate over the originality of this venn diagram. Some people say the original word instead of ikigai at the intersection is "purpose".
According to Ken Mogi, in the Japanese language, ikigai is used in various contexts, and can apply to small every day things as well as to big life goals and achievements - a spectrum that reflects the complexity of life itself.
When we look at the bigger end of the spectrum, finding one's ikigai definitely starts with the question of purpose. For most of us, our decisions around life-focus propel us onto educational, professional and life directional paths based more on societal expectations or the so called "practical reality" or to fit in the system that we created to live in and less on deep inner calling or soul-inspired decisions.
Whether we follow Joseph Campbell's view of "Follow your bliss" or Andre Harvey's call of "Following our heartbreak" or Howard Thurman's word " Dont ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and do that", to answer the question of our purpose , we also do have the essential apparent need to follow which pays our bills every month.
So, how do we literally balance all these factors to create a meaningful, purposeful life aligned with our true calling? Is it possible to have it all? Ikigai gives us a basic framework to balance these elements to a cohesive whole but yes, it is definitely not easy.
When you actually think of it, the first person that came to my mind when I read about this concept is Steve Jobs. We all think of him as the titan of technology but first he is a sucker for fine craftsmanship. Some time back I came across this fact that he was obsessed with his collection of handmade Japanese tea cups and his love for this fine detailed designing reflects in his medium of expression , Apple and Pixar. His Ikigai. Ofcourse, not everyone of us can meet the sweet spot of intersection like he did but still no harm in dreaming big and trying out.
When I first read about this concept I worked out a spreadsheet with four columns one for each circle and spitballed as many ideas onto the paper as I can. Then started searching for the overlap areas marking them with stars and was doing this for over a week but didn't really got the answer. The concept as it is , is incredible but I wasn't able to reach the spot though I wanted to desperately. I thought to myself that this is not my cup of tea, my passion and profession are completely different. Or, were they same? I have no idea if they have anything to do with the world. I have no idea how my passion is going to aid me pay my bills and what not. So,I shoved the sheets aside.
On a weekend I ran into this scholarly man again at the book store and when we started talking about the book I asked him, "I know I sound foolish when I ask you this, but is there like a cap on the age when one finds his ikigai". He smiled and said, "Mark Zuckerberg found his at the age of 19 with Facebook and Charles Flint at 61 with IBM." He shared his review, some links to podcasts and said "you will definitely reach there, everyone will, it's just the matter of time and perseverance".I couldnt stop asking him if he had found his ikigai and when he shared his story it lingered on my mind for very long. It goes..."Yes, I did at the age of 52. I worked in finance sector for over 20 years. It was just a profession, it did nothing much to the world nor I was very happy but my pocket was never empty. Few years ago I found my Ikigai. How I did was quite interesting. I survived a train accident, dozens of people died in it. It was a massive one, a very scary one, I was bed ridden for a long time. My son who is a social media addict jokingly said one day it is a miracle that I survived such a massive accident and now I should tell the world about my near death experience, which will make me famous overnight. Something struck me and I wrote about it to a local newspaper. They published it and I started writing on a regular basis which I loved immensely. Now I am editor of a local magazine, I have interns whom I teach, I review books, I published two books with my own travel photography which was just a hobby back those days and I also deliver motivational talks occasionally. So I have found my Ikigai which is to create, teach and explore." He also added that from what he learnt ikigai is not essentially stable, it may change over a course of time but most importantly it is found not when we search for happiness instead we search for purpose. He said many other things which were very deep and frankly, though most of them stuck, few just went over head.
But what helped was the link he shared, the TED talk of Tim Tamashiro whose ikigai is "to delight". His idea of incorporating ikigai into your life , part time was quite interesting. Start with what you love and what you are good at ,i.e your passion, before and after your works hours while doing your regular job daily. You will definitely find ways to incorporate what the world needs and also manage the financial part of it over a period of time. This he says will bring you closer to your ikigai.
Few ways of discovering your ikigai are
- Finding that purpose in life through positive or negative life experiences or deep introspection or by chance or by a strong determination to make change. Never give up on the thought that there is much more to your life than what it seems.
- Connecting with one's self. Loving and accepting ourselves is the first and foremost step in this quest. Also, Ikigai dwells on small things in life which might feel trivial at the moment like enjoying fresh air or the rising sun or a drizzle, a fresh cup of tea or coffee, listening to birds chirping, spending time with your family,friends or pet but sure has significant impact on our daily lives.
- Being mindful. Doing every thing right and slowly, be it a small daily chore like laundry or washing dishes or a difficult task at your job adds to mindfulness. Garcia calls it "Microflow, enjoying mundane tasks". Bill Gates is said to wash dishes every night and claims to enjoy it thoroughly and tries to do it a little better each day following an order like plates first, forks second and glasses last
- Talking to like minded people, people with similar passions and interests. You will definitely be pleasantly taken a back by their complementary ideas. But even if you are on an unknown trail, dont be afraid. You never know the impact you are going to create.
- Start now.There is no better time than now. Quit waiting for the right moment and start your pursuit of looking for what you love. Every step even if it's small will bring you closer to your discovery of ikigai.
- Dont be afraid to fall down. Accepting setbacks is essential, dust yourself off and keep walking.
So, as ken says; "No matter what happens so long as you have ikigai, you can muddle through difficult periods of your life. You can always go back to your safe haven, from where you can start your life's adventures all over again."
Finally, to all those who have already found their Ikigai, great job guys, keep going. To all those struggling souls like me, don't worry you are not alone and hopefully we will reach the intersection soon, till then be on a look out as you never know , how , when and where you will find your IKIGAI. But, we sure will!!