Image for Monday Musings 35 - Identify your Ikigai

Yayati suffered from premature ageing cursed by guru Sukracharya as a punishment to his misdeeds ie excessive sense gratification. Yayati forgot the purpose of his life and indulged in sense gratification and hence suffered premature ageing. Many of us age prematurely because of modern day curses such as stress, depression, worries, dissatisfaction in work, lack of confidence, etc. We were discussing anti-ageing medicines, rather techniques for the past two weeks.

First medicine is โ€˜Living for a purposeโ€™, doing what your passion directs.

What an Idea, Ikigai?

Ikigaiย (ee-key-guy) is a Japanese concept that combines the termsย iki, meaning โ€œaliveโ€ or โ€œlife,โ€ andย gai, meaning โ€œbenefitโ€ or โ€œworth.โ€ When combined, ikigai means โ€˜living worthy lifeโ€™ which is almost the same as the French term โ€œraison dโ€™etreโ€ or โ€œreason for being.โ€

The concept ofย ikigaiย is said to have evolved from the basic health and wellness principles of traditional Japanese medicine. This medical tradition holds that physical wellbeing is affected by oneโ€™s mentalโ€“emotional health and sense ofย purpose in life.

Japanese psychologist Michiko Kumano says thatย ikigaiย is a state of wellbeing that arises from devotion to activities one enjoys, which also brings a sense of fulfilment.

To state it simply, Ikigai is โ€œa reason to get up in the morningโ€ or, more poetically, โ€œwaking up to joy.โ€ You need to find a reason to wake up in the morning every day.

You would have often heardย  โ€˜How are you doing?โ€™ The question is just for courtesy and the intent is not to hear a long laundry list of issues. Have you heard people commenting โ€œเฎเฎคเฏ‹ เฎ‡เฎฐเฏเฎ•เฏเฎ•เฎฟเฎฑเฏ‡เฎฉเฏโ€ meaning โ€œpulling on in lifeโ€. Your quip might dampen the enthusiasm of the seeker who otherwise would have had a purpose for his/her day. Try saying โ€œOn top of the worldโ€ and you would feel the difference yourself.

Focusing on your Flow

Ikigaiย is related to the concept ofย flow, as described in the work of psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Psychological Flow captures the positive mental state of being completely absorbed, focused, and involved in your activities at a certain point in time, as well as deriving enjoyment from being engaged in that activity. Flow is colloquially referred as โ€˜in the zoneโ€™,

Athletes reach performance levels beyond their limits when they are in a state of flow. Being in a positive state of mind, being focused and also being cheered positively by the supporters in a competition can produce unbelievable results because the performer goes to the state of Flow.

Flowย can be said to occur when you are consistently doing something you love and that you are good at, with the possible added benefit of bringing value to othersโ€™ lives. In such a case,ย flowย might be seen as in tune with yourย ikigai, or activities thatย give your life meaningย and purpose.

ikigaiย has usually been cited asย bothย a personal pursuit and one of benefit to others. In the end,ย ikigaiย brings meaning, purpose, and fulfilment to your life, while also contributing to the good of others.

Why is it that some are able to get the flow while others are โ€˜puling onโ€™ in their life. Everyone has anย ikigaiย โ€“ intersection of passion, talent, paid, and potential to benefit others. Some found their ikigai and the others had not made any effort to find their ikigai.ย  The journey toย ikigaiย might require time, deep self-reflection, and effort, but it is one we can all make, and we should make.

The concept ofย ikigaiย as a purpose in life with both personal and social dimensions is captured by the well-knownย ikigaiย diagram. This diagram includes overlapping spheres covering:

  • What you love
  • What you are good at
  • What the world needs
  • What you can get paid for

Ikigai is that which you love, you are good at it, which the society needs and the added joy if you are getting benefited from it.

Have you made your New Year resolutions? Review if your new year resolutions are aligned to your ikigai. If not, you can still update your new year resolutions. Whatever be your resolutions, remember to be committed to your resolutions.

I wake up on a Sunday morning to the joy of preparing for a โ€˜Monday Musingsโ€™ episode. Hope you wake up to the joy of reading a Monday Musings!



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Disclaimer:ย The views/opinions expressed in this article belong to the author. Bhogya.online is neither responsible nor liable for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information in the article.

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