Ikigai- a reason for living!!

Today when I woke up, it was not one of the best mornings I have had in some time. I felt exhausted with the continuous churning of my body and mind with the mad rush going around me. Again a set routine waited for me, get up, get ready, go to office, come back home and then sleep hoping for a better tomorrow.  

Somehow I was not in that blessed mood when I woke up unlike other days when it feels grateful to see another day in my life.

I pushed myself out of my bed, opened laptop to have my daily dose of motivation to start off my day and bang on I came across an article on this wonderful Japanese concept called ‘Ikigai’.

Ikigai in simple terms means ‘a reason for being’ or ‘a reason for living’ or if I can say in the simplest terms it is the reason to get up in the morning.

People in Japan seem to have idea of what their life should be, they have a goal for their lives and that is the core of this concept called Ikigai.

Secret to health and happiness is one thing which almost each one of is searching for in spite of being in the most technological advanced era ever in the history of this planet.

There are various answers for same in different countries and in different cultures. Ikigai is one such concept which seem to have found out the answer for what is the magical answer for this generation.

According to Japanese culture, your reason, your why lies at the centre of four interconnecting circles:

1) Mission: What you love

2) Vocation: What the world needs

3) Profession: What you can get paid for

4) Passion: What you’re good at

If somebody is able to find clear answer for these four questions and is able to follow them, he can attain what is called a blessed state of being.

For most of us, we would have clear answers to few of them but not all of them; at least I can say that for myself. In most of the cases the issue would be like I know what do I want to do but would I am not sure whether I would be able to make good money from it.

For Japanese people, Ikigai is not related to money alone. It can be any small thing which brings them happiness, makes their body and mind free, add value to their lives as well the people around them and most importantly helps them to have a vision for their lives.

This one thing is the single most reason which is contributing in the more number of Centenarians in Japan. People live a long life there because they have health and happiness at the center of it by virtue of practicing Ikigai.

Most of them might have come from small villages or small towns and might not have attained the kind of heights which are considered benchmark for success in today’s competitive world but they have impacted the lives of the people around them in their own unique way.

Ikigai is the concept which has made the Japanese society a closed knit one where people tend to help each other more often as service to others is the utmost form of fulfilment.

This one small word ‘Ikigai’ has today opened a new window to the world for me, a new way of looking at the life and things around me and I am going to make sure I find my Ikigai.

What is your Ikigai?