IKIGAI, A Japanese Philosophy of… HOW TO FIND YOUR PURPOSE
The Quest for Purpose Continues.
We who are born English speakers, have claimed at varying times greater prowess in various subjects because we write the books that we read. From Physics to Medicine, Architecture to Engineering, Philosophy and of course literature. Afterall, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Fantastic Mr. Fox were written in English, so we have the receipts of our greatness.
But, if we don’t investigate further, we won’t realize that the vision that became a human created garden, “paradis” or paradise (as named in Persian), was a gift to us from ancient Persia, BC. While many of us were still wondering around naked, or painting our bum’s blue.
Aqueducts, geometry, and astronomy are ancient concepts in the middle east, well before the idea of a city, or a citizen of Rome was ever thought of. And Ice cream, oh that world turning delight (especially since New York Super Fudge Chunk was magicked up), we owe to the continent of Asia.
No, what we English speakers are really good at is “borrowing”, “remixing”, simplifying. Some might cry out, at my blunt assessment. But I don’t want my treatment for cancer “simplified’, nor do I want the plans, for a plane, train, or automobile “simplified”.
Nor should we, on a quest looking for a map with an X that marks the spot, accept a map with only a ¼ of the information we need. We want to steal the pirate’s gold and make for home. Where we will set up our chateau, complete with a machine that doles out Ben and Jerry’s ALL THE TIME, a dark blue vintage jag in the parking bay, with an all wooden and leather interior (I’ve just seen one in person, I almost fainted) … Ok, I digress but ICE CREAM, the smell of leather.
Ikigai, was made famous by a book of the same title authored by 2 Americans who lived in Japan and came back to the west (a hero’s journey in one little blue book with a cherry blossom tree), with what I’m sure they believed was the elixir. The Alchemic formula turning a Lead life, into PURE Gold. They presented their “findings”, and it was later reduced to a Venn diagram to further simplify the simple.
Apparently, our purpose can be found at the center (if you’ve never seen the diagram, I will re-simplify the finding for you here), of; What you love? What the world needs? And, what you are good at?
At the intersection of those questions lies IKIGAI, the Blessed isles where our life’s purpose is revealed, where we live happily ever after, to a grand old age of 120, healthy and content. The end.
I remember reading the book and even then, having a HUGE all caps, question mark hanging over my head…
Too simple, I thought, as I sat with it for months (a habit of mine). Though I stared at that Venn diagram as I’m sure many of you have, I could not answer the questions to find the “X”, as many of you haven’t, or that book would be on every parent’s bedside table, teen’s table, and guidance counselor’s desk.
Ikigai is a ‘philosophy’. Philosophy from the Greek, a “Love of Wisdom”, Sophia. Philosophy is where we turn to when we seek to understand fundamental truths about ourselves, the world in which we live in, and our relationships to the world and to each other. And thus, the wisdom we all were seeking were the answers to the perennial questions of:
Why am I here? What do I want out of life? What does life want from me?
Could we, or should we really think that those plaguing questions might be at the center of a Venn diagram?
As much as we may wish to reduce the secret sauce, over the coals of our modern impatience.
Ikigai, much like LOVE, is a verb.
That means we must think ACTION, when we approach this map. Much like when Elrond in the Hobbit, holds the dwarf’s map up and realizes that they must go to a certain place, at a certain time, and wait for the thrush to bang on the door.
Yes, just like that.
In essence Ikigai is made up of 9 action verbs, which are the recipe of a great purpose and a fulfilling life. So long as you keep ALL 9 plates SPINNING, at various velocities, at the same time.
Ikigai is:
1. TO SERVE ~ Whatever we purpose we choose to pursue must serve someone other than ourselves.
2. TO CREATE ~ Humans have been described as “Homo faber”, meaning that we are born to create. That is in essence our purpose, our core need is to create something big or small.
3. TO DELIGHT ~ What we create should delight. So, bombs and new Coke don’t apply. As a woman I would like to say, nor do stockings, and I’m sure men would like to add ties.
4. TO NOURISH ~ Feed someone’s soul, our work should feed us at a deep level. Even as it feeds others, with ideas, inspiration, or hope for the future.
5. TO PROVIDE ~ What we create should sustain us. The idea of a starving poet, artist, scientist, should be done away with. Our work should provide for us and create opportunities for others to provide for themselves.
6. TO TEACH ~ He who learns teaches, is an African proverb, and we too must learn and teach. Share your growth with others. It can be on social media, but there are too many people lacking a mentor in their lives, and you can be that. Don’t be the greedy child huddling over the bowl away from others.
7. TO HEAL ~ Our work should heal us. It should heal by answering the question; Why am I here? It also heals others as we share and teach, as we make connections, people realize that they are not alone. I love being a subscriber on a new YouTube channel that resonates with me, because someone just like me, made me a gift. I am not alone in that moment. It heals in another way, as you shine your light you give others permission to do the same and the relay of light will continue, a festival of light.
8. TO CONNECT ~ Our work should connect us to others in our field, AND outside our field. New ideas are born from the synthesis of disparate ideas. As we make more connections, we grow, and we are meant to grow, which is to THRIVE.
9. TO BUILD ~ We are meant to build something that will last beyond our expiration date. LEGACY, all caps. It doesn’t have to be intimidating to think of legacy. Many of the people who did great things we now admire did not set out to create a “LEGACY”, but they valued their NAME, their reputation. Whatever you do, do it with ALL YOUR HEART, and you won’t be far off legacy.
Do something as the Spartans were told; ‘to bring glory to yourself, your people, city, and the gods”.
So now we hold a truer quest map.
A map that could potentially lead us to our very own Blessed Isles, a life of meaning and purpose.
When we are thinking of what we want to do next, or how we can tweak what we are currently doing so that we feel better. More fulfilled. More ALIVE. We should check our plans against this ancient list.
Service. Creation. Delight. Nourish. Provide. Teach. Heal. Connect and BUILD.
Life Coach is what I am.
If you are interested in a private 1:1 session to discover how we can work together, please feel free to DM me, or email me at designedwarrior@outlook.com to book your session.
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