Ikigai is a great state to be in and it is the intersection of our passion, profession, vocation and mission.
What is passion, profession, vocation and mission?
- When, what you love and what you are good at, meet, it is your passion.
- When, what you are good at and what you get paid for, meet, it is your profession.
- When, what you get paid for and what the world needs, meet, it is your vocation.
- When, what the world needs and what you love, meet, it is your mission.
An Ikigai is in the middle of all these.
According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai. An ikigai is essentially ‘a reason to get up in the morning’, a reason to enjoy life.
A balance between –
(1) What you love (2) What you are good at (3) What you get paid for (4) What the world needs – leads to a long, healthy and happy life.
Ikigai is about realizing how your work makes a difference in people’s lives.
Today, we have more comforts than what our parents had, just 50 years ago. Our parents used to walk or at the maximum, use a bicycle. We use two wheelers and cars. They used to write letters, whereas we use WhatsApp and Instagram to connect and communicate. They used wood to cook and we use electricity for air conditioning. Life has changed a lot. But are we happier than they were? If we feel that they were happier, it means, they had found their Ikigai.
To find happiness, we need to find balance. We need to find our own Ikigai.
Ikigai is not outside. It is inside. It is in our minds and in our thoughts. Examine them daily, at work and at home and see if you can find your Ikigai or balance.
To find our Ikigai – let us think about what we love, what we are good at, what we get paid for and what the world needs – and find a via media, a middle path and a balance, without going to one of the four extremes!
You will find that balancing is actually fun!
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