Find Your Happiest Reason To Be On This Planet| ‘Ikigai’
Having found your purpose in life is an achievement in itself. For most of us, a significant portion of our life goes into finding our purpose.
People like you and I, confuse performing daily tasks as our purpose in life such as going to 9–5, providing for the family, staying home and taking care of our children etc etc. However, a more appropriate word for this would be your ‘daily routine’.
What Is Purpose?
Let’s define purpose for your clear understanding of it, ‘a purpose is what gives you the happiest reason to be on this planet’. You can be doing a 9–5 and not be happy despite earning a decent amount from it. Your mind keeps consumed into thinking this is not what I was made for! I’m destined for something and somewhere else! You perhaps can be true and haven’t found your IKIGAI yet.
Concept of Ikigai:
Héctor García and Francesc Miralles wrote a book that gained wide attention namely, Ikigai ( ‘Iki’ means ‘Life’ & ‘Gai’ means ‘Worth’), a Japanese concept of living a long, happy and prosperous life.
The concept of Ikigai focuses on 4 things:
1 What do you love doing?
2-What the world needs?
3-What can you get paid for?
4-What are you good at?
For example, you love to sing, are also good at it and can make money out of it. But does the world need songs? No. We can spend days, months or even years without listening to a song.
Now, there’s someone who loves to write, and is good at it, world is in constant need of knowledge and good food for thought and can easily sell this skill to make money out of it. It’s a win-win situation. Congrats, you just found your Ikigai a.k.a your purpose/your destiny.
Now you have an idea of how it works. You have to unwrap the hidden talent out there which checks the 4 boxes above.
Why Is Finding Your Ikigai Important?
Without finding your Ikigai you can have a ‘daily routine’ as said earlier but you might not necessarily be happy in life. You can experience the feeling of emptiness, frequently. You’re just passing those days of 9–5 and waiting for your retirement. The wait for retirement is not so fulfilling.
As mentioned in the book ‘Ikigai’, the residents of Ogimi village, Japan lived long and happy lives as almost everyone found what they were destined for(their Ikigai). This made them excited about their work-life. They wake up desperate to go to work not only because of money but the happiness they drive from doing it. The residents never think of retiring, even after 65. And when they are forced to retire, they would continue to pursue their work as hobbies.
Where the average life span of human beings is decreasing, the locals of this village live up to 100 years of life.
Being aware of your purpose can transform your daily life. It can bring immense happiness, satisfaction, health and wealth.
#Happypurposefullivingpals
