Understanding Ikigai

Ick-ee-guy? What slang is that? If you were a curious cat like I was when I first heard that word, you might have spontaneously googled it and been directed to either a book or a colourful Venn diagram or many “Japanese-secret” articles.

Origins of the word

Ikigai is a Japanese concept made up of two words: iki, which means life and gai, which means value or worth. Put these words together and there you have it — “value of life” or as described, “a reason for being”. If you are still clueless, you can start by asking yourself some of these questions to get going. What gets you pumped up every morning? What motivates you to strive for the best? What are some dreams of yours that makes life worth living for?

What represents Ikigai?

Image: www.jeremyagnew.com

In a nutshell, Ikigai is an intersection between these 4 pillars:

1) Passion: What you love to do
2) Mission: What the world needs
3) Vocation: What you can be paid for
4) Profession: What you are good at

You might be thinking, “Ah all the buzz around living one’s passion. What’s new?” Pause right there.

While it may be true that passion is represented as a pillar, Ikigai will not be complete without the other dimensions. This is because each of these elements serves an important purpose in your cause for living.

You can be doing something you are good at, being paid for the knowledge/skills you have and serving a community that needs your help. However, if you are not truly passionate about the life you are living, you will still be feeling inadequate or be in a continuous quest for “my purpose in life”.

How and Where do I start?

Adapted: https://www.jnto.org.au

Begin by looking at these 4 areas.

1) Values

Questions to ponder:

• What are your life principles?
• If you have to force ranked all the values you have, what are the top 3 values you hold dearly?
• Why are each of these values important to you? What needs do they serve?
• How have these values served you throughout your life?
• If someone you love (e.g: a family member) does not respect your values, what would you do?
• In what situations would these values not hold?

2) Personality

Questions to ponder:

• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• What do people like/dislike me for?
• How do you behave around people you do not like?
• How do you know you are motivated?
• What drives you to want to do more?
• Which part(s) of you needs improvement? What can you do about it?
• If you know yourself better, what can you do with the information?

3) Purpose

Questions to ponder:

• If there are no limitations in this world, how would you spend your days to feel most alive?
• Which dreams, vision, mission of yours that are worth dedicating your life to?
• What do you want to spend your energy on?
• What would you do for a living without receiving anything in return?

4) Fulfilment

Questions to ponder:

• What makes you happy?
• What activities inspire (or energize?) you?
• What do you want to start doing more of and less of?
• What decision you could make today that your future self would thank you for?
• What do you look forward to when you need an escape from the everyday world?

These questions could serve as a starting point for a change towards a better you. Here are some resources you can tap on.

Free resources

1) MBTI Test

2) Personality values assessment

How can we help?

1) Discover your Enneagram type

What is Enneagram? How is it different from DISC/MBTI?

Enneagram is a comprehensive tool that helps you understand the way people think, feel and act in relation to the world, others and themselves. It goes beyond strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes (which is covered in DISC/MBTI). Enneagram discovers one’s motivations, fears, tendencies, defense mechanisms and areas of development.

Read on each type here.

Want to do the test and receive a full report from an Enneagram expert? Contact us today!

2) Personal life coaching

Heard about “life coaching”? Coaching is a professional relationship that helps you produce extraordinary results in your life, career and/or business. Coaches provide clarity, focus, accountability and unbiased inputs to partner you on your transformation journey .

Whether you are looking to understand more about your blind spots, accelerate performance, grow out of your comfort zone or discover your Ikigai, life coaching could help a great deal.

We have an extensive network of certified life coaches, ready to hear you out. Contact us today!

Author:
Fatin Khan, Consultant of IKIGAI Consultancy Services Pte Ltd