IKIGAI: The Japanese Recipe For Happiness & Success ?

Life can be confusing. While sometimes we hear: "You should go for what you're passionate about", other times we might hear: "You need to find your purpose".

But, what does that even mean honestly? ??♀??? I've got so many things I'm passionate about, and I certainly don't know my "purpose" Yet... and this goes for anyone who asks me my "purpose" next time ?? ??

All I know is, we all want our lives to be filled with meaning and most importantly, happiness. But how can we achieve that?

Should we focus more on our love life and our relationships with friends & family? Or should we pay more attention to our career and financial journey? All these things sound important, so how do we balance all of them?

In today's article, we'll talk about Ikigai - The Japanese recipe for happiness. We’ll talk about what Ikigai is in detail, its principles, and how you can achieve meaning and fulfilment in your life that's unique to you. ??

This is not one of those boring Ikigai articles you'll find online. So, Buckle up! ??

What is Ikigai??

Ikigai is an ancient Japanese philosophy that is centered around finding balance and joy in life. The word translates to ‘A Reason For Being’. Ikigai is based on the idea that to live a fulfilling life, you must discover your "purpose". It encourages us to be mindful of our strengths and weaknesses and to discover our true purpose in life. But what’s the formula behind it?

Well, there are 4 pillars you need to explore to reach the point of Ikigai:

• Things that you love
• Things that the world needs
• Things that you can be paid for
• Things that you’re good at

The Four Pillars of Ikigai?

1- Do something that you love ??

Now this one can be subjective. The definition of love is different for everyone, isn’t it? But what kind of love are we talking about? Is it romantic love? Platonic? Is it related to people or things?

According to Ikigai, doing something you love is anything that makes you focus on the present moment i.e in the here and now. It could be anything from playing a particular sport, going to the gym, reading a book, hanging out with your loved ones, or even painting something.?

For example: For me I love travelling and meeting people, in my teens and early 20s, I volunteered a lot for different programs inside and outside Pakistan, and now when I look back at it, I understand it was because it somehow gave me that sense of community, that now translates to why I love building communities and building people up, it genuinely makes me so happy to see people doing well in their lives! ??

Coming back to the aim of this pillar is for you to know what helps you reconnect with life. There are some basic tricks on how we can explore this more, keep on reading till the end and I’ll try my best to guide you on how to do that!??

2- Do something that the world needs ??

We are all living in extremely testing times. A global recession is stirring the economy in spirals, more social issues than ever before, and the lack of ethical leaders to follow nowadays. But as problematic as it sounds, there is always an opportunity you can avail! The fact is that there are many ways where you can impact the world today.?

Whether it’s a single life or a single problem, there is always a way you can contribute. You don’t need to carry the burden of every single problem in the world, but if there’s anything you feel you can improve then don’t hesitate in taking action!

In this pillar, you must do something in life that has meaning. A goal. A sense of community and betterment for the world. Attach that goal to yourself and make it a mission to solve that problem in every way you can!

For example: For me, starting this series Investing at 25 , is something I feel like the world or at least people in their 20s need at the moment, and the mission is to hopefully help this group of people get more guidance on how to invest in ourselves and different segments of our life: finance, mental health, relationships etc in a better way than how we're doing atm!

3- Do something that you can be paid for ??

Money is a sensitive topic to anyone, but it’s a necessary one! Social media and some motivational speakers may tell you to follow your passion. As great as that idea sounds in theory, how would your passion pay your bills??

The third pillar focuses on finding a skill that companies and clients are ready to pay big bucks for! Having a handsome (and preferably passive) income can help you live a financially independent life and one that can cut out all the stress caused by a lack of money. While of course you can focus on learning one of the high income skillsets, but if you don't enjoy what you do, you'll be burning yourself out at a faster rate, thus compromising your mental health! ??

For example: I knew that volunteering here and there wouldn't pay me for anything, I love meeting and talking to people, I love story-telling, and that's where I found myself slowly diving into the marketing profession, which does allow me to work with different teams, tell stories of different brands to different audiences through different platforms, and I really enjoy what I do, all while getting paid for it!

4- Do something that you are good at ??

But, isn’t this the same as the first pillar? Well, not quite.

You see, there are some things that you may enjoy, but aren’t good at. This could be something technical, like writing, coding, painting, and so on. You may not be an expert in this but you still love doing it regardless.?

The fourth pillar is the complete opposite. This is something that comes naturally to you. You might be an expert at this through deliberate practice or you may be naturally gifted, but it’s not necessary that you enjoy doing it!?

As humans, however, it’s important to push ourselves outside of our comfort zone and continue to grow & upskill ourselves. Make sure you find something that clicks and comes easily to you. Nobody complained about having an extra skill!

For me this pillar is the trickiest of them all, and where I still need to do a lot more exploration on to find out what I'm truly good at. I'm also aware it could be one of those things, where I find it easier to criticise myself than to find something good, for example if you asked me what my best friend's good at, I could easily go on and on! But I probably couldn't do the same for myself ?? But it's a work in progress!

For now all I know is one extra skill I had to learn to get out of my comfort zone was public speaking. I remember enrolling in a program when I was 17 with the School of Leadership in Islamabad, to try to get over my fear of speaking in public, and the rest is history! I now certainly enjoy public speaking a lot more and I never miss a chance to get up on stage even though it scares the sh*t out of me! But I know at the end of it all, I'll love it, because it helps me get to know people, tell stories, listen to theirs, all while connecting with people and building a community of its own that resonate with the same emotion, mission and goal!

How To Find Your Ikigai

At this point, you may have a rough idea of your likes and dislikes after reading about the 4 pillars. So how do you combine it and find your Ikigai once and for all??

Well, you may not realize it, but you’re somewhere closer to finding your Ikigai than you think. You don’t need to start from scratch, you just need to find where you lack. For this, let’s refer to the Ikigai diagram.

If you’re still in the process of finding your Ikigai, you’re probably in the Passion, Mission, Profession, or Vocation stage.

1- Passion

As the name suggests, if you love something and excel at it, it’s your Passion! People in this stage are usually rising artists. You want to make a name for yourself but don’t know how to.

If you’re stuck at this stage, you need to find how you can monetize your passion. Find ways on how you can sell this skill of yours. Learn to market yourself, search for jobs related to what you do, or try selling services & digital products. The opportunities are endless!

2- Mission

If you love talking about a certain issue or topic and you see the world needs it, you have a Mission. You might know how social structures work and want to raise your voice on any wrongdoing in your society, but you’re stuck on where you should start.

If you’re in this stage, learn the skill of persuasion & public speaking. There is a high chance you’ll prosper at what you do, but you need to know how you can convince people to solve that issue. People might not know how grave it is, so it’s your duty to voice it out!?

3- Profession

The majority of employed people in the world are in the Profession stage. You have a simple, corporate job. You clock in daily from 9-5 and come home without any motivation for what you do.?

If you’re stuck in this loop, you need to create a side hustle and slowly grow it into a business. You may not have the time or energy to find something new, so be wary of your time and where you choose to spend it. Putting even 30 minutes to 1 hour a day on your side hustle can prove to be crucial in the future!?

4- Vocation

People in the Vocation stage work in spaces that are heavy on Research & Development. This either could be working on a tech application that solves a global problem, or working as a professor in a large organization. You’re paid well, and you’re doing something that the world needs, but something’s still missing.

If you’re in this stage, you need to continuously upskill yourself in your craft. As I said, it’s easy to stay in your comfort zone and do what you’re good at. But it’s equally as important to push yourself so you can be better, smarter, sharper, and love what you do every day!

Conclusion

This was quite an extensive article! Just to recap, here are a few pointers:

• Ikigai is a Japanese framework for happiness & meaning in life
• There are 4 pillars of Ikigai: Love, Skill, Needs, & Money
• To find your Ikigai, know where you stand: Passion, Mission, Profession, or Vocation.

I hope you liked this week’s article! What was your favourite part? Comment below and share it with your friends! ??

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