Why do we get up in the morning and leave our bed?
No answer right away? The Japanese concept of Ikigai could help!
Ikigai is a Japanese philosophy that deals with the overall meaning of life. In times of digitization, the question of one's own sense grows larger. For many of us, the profession is a very big part of one's own sense of life. Maybe the central part of life as we spend most time at work. A lot of people also want to be overwhelming successful in their profession. We strive and live for it and put work results at highest priority. But what exactly means successful to you? Do you want to be successful? And if yes, how (under which conditions and circumstances)?
And:
- Is your profession really your profession or just a job?
- Is your professional success the same as your personal success?
- Do proposed company culture and values really count in your company?
- Are those company values seriously carried out in your company – everyday?
- Are colleagues who follow the proposed company values the successful colleagues in your company?
- Do company culture and values differ to your personal culture and values?
- Do your personal values fit to company values and into the company culture?
- Do you know your personal values?
And with regard to the questions above:
- Do your answers refer to the all-time proposed culture in your company or the actual one that takes place in reality in your company?
So many questions, one solution: The Ikigai concept helps to find the answers. The Ikigai concept looks – at a first glance – similar to a typical company culture concept with its values. Sure, it can easily be compared to what is commonly known as a company value concept but instead of theoretical wordings or a wish list, Ikigai reflects the reality, or rather, the “here and now”.
Ikigai helps to screen the actual company values that are important in your company site, find your own values which are important to you, and compare company and your personal values. You might be surprised about the results.
You do not care much about the company values and culture as your center of life is your free-time, hobby or family? If so, do you know what makes you happy? Did you ever think about making your hobby your profession? Are you coping with digitization or other big changes in life you cannot control? Ikigai will give guidance, help and answers.
What was science fiction once is science facts today
We live in the digital age. Many of us spend a significant amount of time on laptops or smartphones (as right now). We digitize and automatize rapidly and everything. Everyday, augmented and virtual reality as well as artificial intelligence come closer. Having an own 3D printer that produces parts and pieces directly at home will be coming soon. 3D printing is not about normal commodities: The Star Trek replicator is becoming a reality.
Everything will be printable: Foodstuff, clothes, maybe a pet and even much more; really: Everything. Reality-mixing (hence, the blending of the real and virtual world; not to be confused with what today is called mixed reality) will be the next step, e.g. our smart phone might become an implant or we can control implants, devices and robots by our thoughts. Siri and Alexa were just the “analog” beginning of this journey.
Cutting short, not losing ourselves in this digital world is getting increasingly difficult. Therefore, there is an inner yearning to direct the focus away from the digital world, back to the here and now and one's own me and I. This is the philosophy of Ikigai that comes from Japan and literally means: Life value (Japanese iki means life, gai means value).
Ikigai is learning what makes life worth living
To put it simply, Ikigai enables anyone to find the personal reason that makes it worthwhile to get up every morning and start a new day. This individual meaning of life might also be the key to a long, fulfilled life. The Japanese culture is famous for its wisdom. Inhabitants of the Japanese island of Okinawa are known for being one of the happiest people on Earth. Okinawa is also known for people reaching an age of over one hundred years. Reason enough to take a closer look at Ikigai? Yes, indeed.
The graphic is supposed to help us find our life purpose by showing the different elements it consists of.
It displays several overlapping diagrams, thereby distinguishing the elements of mission, vocation, profession, and passion.
The four elements of Ikigai
According to Japanese philosophy, each one of us has his own Ikigai, his individual reason for a life worth living. With Ikigai, you should be able to find out what is really important to you, which will make you happy and successful in the course of your life.
Finding your Ikigai is not easy and requires patience. Ikigai is based on personal questions which, initially, seem to be answered easily. However, you should always pay attention to find the right answers. Right means rather everlasting. Ikigai consists of four different topics. These are the circular elements in the graphic. Where the four circles form an intersection, your personal Ikigai is located.
The four main elements are (I call them "what" answers):
- Something you love (what you like to do)
- Something in which you are good and talented (in what you are good)
- Something the world needs of you (what is needed)
- Something with which you can make money (for what someone would pay you)
At the intersections, these four areas unite and each form an overriding basic need:
- 1) and 3) result in your personal mission
- From 3) and 4) your vocation results
- From 4) and 1) your ideal job results, your profession
- From 1) and 2) your great passion can be read
How to find your personal Ikigai
If you want to find out your very own Ikigai, find a quiet, pleasant place where you are undisturbed. Now it is about filling the above mentioned areas with your individual content. Take your time and do not answer the questions too hastily. Try to really listen to your inner self. Go circle by circle and write down all the answers that (you think) fit. Then you check your answers based on the following questions:
1) Something you like to do
- Do you love doing it?
- Can you do it for a long period of time without getting tired and/or bored?
- How long / since when do you like it?
- Do you like talking about it?
- Do you like improving it further / Are you willing to learn more about it?
- Could you imagine doing it all day long?
2) Something in which you are good and talented
- Is this your "talent"?
- Are you better at it than some others?
- Did you have any training in it or learned it?
- How fast did you learn it / are you improving it?
- Have you heard from others that you are good at it?
- Do you have any special, perhaps unusual skill or trick for it?
3) Something you are supporting/helping others with
- Does it fill you with sense or meaning?
- Does it match your values?
- Would it be left over or remembered when you are gone?
- Would you miss it if you were not there for a while to do it?
- What exactly would be missing if you stay away?
- Who would really miss you?
4) Something with which you can make money
- Is it your job?
- Is it something (special) everyone would pay for?
- Is it something (special) not everyone can offer?
- Is it something in a higher price segment?
- Do you get your income from it?
- Do you have / need any more income?
Step by step, your personal Ikigai will crystallize. This crystallization process is neither completed the first time, nor immediately, nor under time pressure. You have to go through the scheme several times on different days and different moods. Keep highlighting upcoming keywords and give yourself enough time. As you can see, the topic of money plays a minor role in Ikigai. Primarily, this is about you and your values. Also, it can be used to figure out values of others, a company, a group of people etc. if you know the (or at least your observed) answers and keywords for their scheme.
Interests should be replaced by or better grow themselves up to abilities
Tip: Maybe, you find it difficult to answer right away what you love or what you like to do. Do not worry about it. There may be internal blockages or beliefs that prevent you from simply writing down your answer. If you first think that you love lying in the sun all day and reading a book, then write that down. This answer has just as legitimacy as any other. However, such inclinations or interests should be replaced if they are not growing to abilities or happiness after a certain period of time – and must be replaced if they rather become an obstacle.
Also, something that you love does not have to mean that you already know it perfectly. If you relax when singing in the shower, then singing is the answer (not the shower) - even if you do not think you are talented in singing. You should think about how you can further develop and live out what you love (e.g. a school of music and singing). This way, your interest converts into an ability. This is what counts.
Scientific tests and results related to Ikigai
Using the standardized so-called "Strong Interest Inventory" test method, researchers examined 67,000 persons from 211 occupations. The researchers analyzed how important social aspects were for such tested persons, in which style those people worked, and whether they wanted to be entrepreneurial. The amazing result: Only half of the professions had comparable strong interests. In the other half, the interests were completely different. The scientists proved that many people work in an industry or in a job that does not necessarily meet their main interest.
Too many people choose a profession without paying attention to their interests.
However, a study from the University of Graz shows that only one-third of professional success can be explained by interests. Talent is key. In such study, talent is defined as various measurable competences such as emotional intelligence, artistic interest, cognitive performance or spatial orientation – short: Abilities.
Interests should be replaced by or better grow themselves up to abilities.
The study warns against turning the personal hobby or interests into a profession as this might lead to a fun culture. This turns to permanent dissatisfaction in the job. Rather, employees should act according to the principle of so-called job crafting. Interests that cannot be lived in a professional environment should be fulfilled in the sense of a modular principle in the leisure time.
Ikigai helps to establish your abilities and a work-life-sleep balance.
Having found (and living according to) one’s personal Ikigai seems to be associated with greater health and longevity. At least, this was a finding from a large-scale study among Japanese citizens. From the summary:
"In this population-based prospective cohort study in Japan, those who did not find a sense of Ikigai were significantly associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality. The increase in mortality risk was attributed to an increase in the mortality from CVD (mainly stroke) and external causes […].
In our study subjects, those who did not find a sense of Ikigai were likely to have a poorer socioeconomic status and poorer objective health status. However, the mortality risk in those who did not find a sense of Ikigai was consistently increased, irrespective of socioeconomic factors, other psychological factors, physical function, lifestyle habits, and a history of illness."
Other guidelines of Ikigai
The Ikigai philosophy gives you a few more basic guidelines. These can be retrieved from time to time regardless of your personal answers from the above scheme and reflect on their implementation in everyday life:
- Take time for your dreams and enjoy them.
- Always stay active.
- Carefully treat yourself.
- Be grateful, even for small things.
- Avoid stress as much as possible.
- Surround yourself with friends and people you like.
- Spend time in nature.
- Always stay curious.
Ikigai might not help you to be most successful in your job but in your life. It will help you to combine professional and private life and to set up (or recalibrate) priorities.