The vey first time I heard about "ikigai" was the time I was casually talking to my Japanese student last 2013. For almost a decade now, "ikigai" has been a word that I am continuously searching, and trying to live with.
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| "Looking for life's purpose" |
"Ikigai," in its simplest definition means a reason to live. But beyond its extrinsic concept, "ikigai" constitute the fullness of being human.
What do you love? (Passion and Mission)
From conception to death, everyone is bound to fulfill a mission and follow one's passion. Have we asked ourselves - what do we really love? Am I following my passion? What is my life's mission? These questions may seem easy to formulate but their answers lead to a never-ending process of life.
What does the world need? (Mission and Vocation)
Does waking up early morning for work brings a lot of excitement within? Are we at a life's curveball, and just trying to pass through every day's routine? Or, are we sick of sticking with the mundane reality and following the status quo? True enough, how do we motivate ourselves and finally saying, "I have a great day ahead of me!"
What can you be paid for? (Profession and Vocation)
Most of the time, we are trapped with our Filipino mindset and tradition that if we practice our profession and work hard, we are successful. But, if we are looking for our raison d'etre, we are more than our profession and our vocation. These two may give us a comfortable life, however, in a certain point, we can feel empty within.
What are you good at? (Passion and Profession)
Living your passion on your chosen profession. As they say, "find what you love and love what you find." Fine tune your skills, and turn them into something you can live for the rest of your life. Develop and master your talents make it part of your ikigai.
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| "What's your next step?" |
Infusing the four components of Ikigai (Passion, Mission, Vocation, Profession)
Taking small steps in this holistic approach requires effort and less procrastination. Of course, there are roadblocks along the way, and dissatisfaction along with discouragement but these things will lead you to understand yourself better.
I hope you will find your "ikigai" as I am continuously searching for mine.
My search is ongoing and I don't think I'll find it anytime sooner. I'll just enjoy the journey and I hope I'll eventually get there one day.
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting! All I can say is the essence of passion is really healthy because we allow ourselves to find love, not just for a specific person, but also for our needs and wants in life. I am passionate to collect plants because I can feel peace when I'm with my green babies. I think passion is just a universal feeling that everyone should embrace and be proud of.
ReplyDeleteWowww it's nice to see different cultures and tradition from other countries. Hopefully I can visit there soon.
ReplyDeleteOhhh, just heard this word now that I saw your blog! New word learned napud 😍
ReplyDeleteJapan is one of my favorite place. Every time I hear the word Japan ang always jud mo pop up sa akung mind is "relaxation" How I wish I can visit the country soon.
ReplyDeleteJust last night, I shared with my fiancé how most people nowadays are finding it difficult to find the road to a long and happy life - Ikigai. Our ikigai, just like our "self", is just right there, buried under cultural conditioning and self-limiting beliefs we were brainwashed as a kid. The journey to embracing our ikigai starts with returning to ourselves and remembering who we were before the world got its hands on us. I hope you will one day wake up remembering what your ikigai is, Anj. <3 Stop searching and keep remembering. Love, Armie
ReplyDeleteI am continuously searching for mine ikigai as well. I am enjoying my journey and I believe I have still a lot of steps to take to figure out what it means to be truly alive and enjoy the full potential of life! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not certain whether I have found my purpose, but one thing I'm sure with is that I'm intrinsically motivated to what I do. It makes me happy to do things that interest me. It's a long way, but sooner or later, I'll be certain about my passion, mission, vocation, and profession.
ReplyDeleteIkigai. I think I'm still in this endless quest in finding that even though that there are really times that I want to stop because I'm tired thinking on what am I doing here. But, one thing I learned while finding it, is to keep moving forward. There may be stops, and sometimes it is a bumpy ride, and I know I'll get there.
ReplyDeleteLisud jud ni iachieve ang ikigai and that it takes a lot of effort planning and persistence I believe in order to achieve it!
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