The Little I Know About ... Finding Your Purpose

Ikigai, Ayni and Nietzsche's Infinite Loop Principle: if we start with the integration of these three principles in mind, the thread that runs through everything is the depth of understanding each of us has about our “me”. Me in relation to myself, to others, to the work that we do, and to how all of those relationships create the world we live in.

According to Business Ethics notes I found on GitHub , Nietzsche's ‘Infinite Loop Principle', or ‘Eternal Return of the Same’, asks us to imagine that “every decision you make and everything you feel, say, and do will have to be repeated forever—that is, at the end of your life, you die and are immediately reborn right back in the same year and place where everything started the time before, and you do it all again in exactly the same way”.

Remember the 1993 movie ‘Groundhog Day’ where reporter Phil (Bill Murray), goes to Punxutawney, USA to cover the annual Groundhog Day event? (It's worth watching if you haven't seen it.) He ends up repeating the same day over and over. Sort of like that but you don't get to change anything. What are you thinking right now? “No problem, I have no regrets”, or “Heck no! I’d want to edit x, y and/or z situations/decisions/thought patterns.” Well, unfortunately, like Phil, you can't change the past, but you can make changes right now to ensure what comes next is something you would be willing to relive. Remember, life is always going to include challenges - it has to, otherwise we’d never grow. Growth depends on how you respond to those challenges, and therein lies the reason to accept both the joyful and sad moments that will be part of your infinite loop.

In your infinite loop you will encounter others. Life requires us to give and receive. That brings us to the concept of ‘Ayni’ (pronounced Ay-nee). Erin Lucero in her book, Ayni: Finding Love, Balance & Harmony for Ourselves and the World ” explains: “Ayni is an ancient Quechua word from the Andes based on the ideas of giving and reciprocity. It basically means, ‘Today for you, tomorrow for me’. Ayni teaches us that all things are interconnected. If we act today from a place of giving and love for the mutual benefit of all things, then tomorrow the Universe will take care of us.” In my mind, Ayni is similar to the African concept of Ubuntu, which is commonly described as ‘I am what I am because of who we all are’. Whether you follow the principles of Ayni or Ubuntu, building your future (which you need to be willing to repeat in your next return, remember) requires thoughts, decisions and actions based on reciprocity and an understanding of interconnectedness.

Right, so we're now thinking thoughts, making decisions and acting in ways that we won't mind repeating forever and a day, and we're taking others into consideration in our thinking, decisions and actions, but how do we find work that best suits who we are, and how we can offer value to others? That's the? role of ikigai. Jeffrey Gaines in an article on PositivePsychology.com provides this definition: “Ikigai (ee-key-guy) is a Japanese concept that combines the terms iki, meaning ‘alive’ or ‘life’, Gai meaning ‘benefit’ or ‘worth’“. Ikigai requires that you discover what matters to you, and then to live a life aligned with that meaning or purpose. Ikigai brings the intersection of what you're good at, what you love, what the world needs, and, of course, what you can get paid for, together. Sounds like bliss, doesn't it? The sad truth is that, for many, it smacks of privilege.? ‘What you can get paid for’ may well be the sole criteria for choosing work, if it's even available. At risk of sounding like an unrealistic idealist, I believe that it has to be possible for everyone to find their ikigai. I acknowledge that many have more obstacles to navigate than others to do so. Obstacles, however, do not mean it's impossible.

Obstacles force choices. I have had many different roles in many different industries, some of those chosen as a result of challenges. Personally, that has worked for me as the thought of doing the same type of work over and over for years (never mind eternity) isn't very appealing to me. In the process of becoming more self-aware, I have also made mistakes (some larger than others) and these mistakes have taught me a great deal about myself and others. Would I want to repeat all my mistakes? Not really. Especially those that impacted others. Some of the work I've done in my professional life was 100% aligned with my ikigai, some not so much. But, that said, I have learnt to hunt for lessons in almost everything I do.

In my hunt, I discovered these principles and used them to decide upon my next professional journey, which I choose to think of as an adventure. Fortunately, I had the privilege to pause and interrogate my own thoughts, decisions and actions before embarking on anything new.

Here are some of the questions I asked myself to guide my thinking and planning:

Nietzsche's infinite loop

Am I satisfied with my life right now, and would I want to relive my current situation over and over for infinity? If not, what can/should I start changing or doing?

(I enlisted the support of a coach, my friends and family to help me explore this question.)

Ayni

What can I do, right now, to add value to the lives of those around me?

Does that value support my own growth, values and self-regard?

Ikigai?

What are my key demonstrable strengths, honed by knowledge and skills gained through career experiences?

What type of work harnesses my strengths and sparks my joy??

How will this type of work benefit the world??

Can I support myself and my family given what I can expect to be paid for this work? What do I need to adjust to make this possible?

The three principles all come together in the end. Me.We.Work.World. The interconnectedness of the principles summed up in four words.

Let me sign off with just one question: Why do you do what you do?