In an increasingly fast-paced and demanding world, the pursuit of happiness and purpose has become a fundamental concern for many people. Japan, a country known for its longevity and quality of life, has offered the world a fascinating perspective on how to find deep meaning in life through the concept of “ikigai”.
In this article, we will explore what ikigai is, its origin, how it is applied in everyday life, and its benefits. Discover everything you need to know about the Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to Happiness and Purpose.
What is ikigai?
The term "ikigai" comes from Japanese culture and is derived from two words: "iki" which means "life" and "gai" which means "value" or "merit." In essenceikigai is a concept that roughly translates as "the reason for being" or "the meaning of life." It is a philosophy that seeks to discover deep satisfaction and fulfillment in life through identifying and following what we are passionate about, what we are good at doing, what the world needs and what we can be rewarded for doing.
Origin of ikigai
The concept of ikigai has its roots in the island of Okinawa, Japan, one of the areas with the greatest longevity in the world. Okinawans are noted for their quality of life, health and emotional well-being, and ikigai is believed to have been one of the key factors in their longevity.
While ikigai has existed for centuries in Japanese culture, it only has recently gained international attention. In part, this is due to growing global concern for well-being and personal satisfaction, as well as interest in adopting practices from other cultures to improve quality of life.
The components of ikigai
Ikigai is based on the intersection of four fundamental components:
- What you love: This is the element of passion. It's about finding activities and experiences that fill you with joy and enthusiasm. Ask yourself: What activities make you feel excited and alive?
- What you are good at doing: This component refers to your natural talents and abilities. Discover where you stand out and where you can improve. What are your unique strengths and abilities?
- What the world needs: Here, it's about identifying how you can positively contribute to the world around you. What problems or needs of society can you address with your skills and passions?
- For what they can reward you: Finally, this aspect relates to the need to find a way of livelihood through your ikigai. How can you turn your passion and skills into a source of income or tangible rewards?
The intersection of ikigai
Ikigai resides at the center of the intersection of these four components. When you find an activity or purpose that encompasses all of these areas, you are on the right path to discovering your ikigai. We show you some examples that can help you visualize it. They are important guidelines because not everything we are passionate about is necessarily our ikigai and this is a very common confusion. To define what your ikigai can really be, you have to distinguish the following:
- If you do what you love and you are good at it, but you can't make money, you are in a passion.
- If you do what you love, you make money from it, but you are not contributing to the world, you are in a calling.
- If you do what you love, make money from it, and contribute to the world, but you're not particularly good at it, you're in for a delusion.
As you can see, ikigai is a very specific and deep concept that needs to be polished very well to find it with certainty and not confuse it with other aspects. The goal is to find that perfect point where all these areas converge., and that is where your ikigai is found.
How to find your ikigai?
Discovering your ikigai is a process that takes time and reflection. It involves an exercise in introspection that requires concentration and time. Therefore, it is a process with a certain complexity. For some people it is easy to find it, they even see themselves irrevocably destined for it. For others, however, it is a hard process that can plunge them into existential crises. All options are valid and The discovery of ikigai can occur at any stage of life and from any dynamic, simpler or more complex. There is no need to compare yourself, each person has their own path in life.
Here are some guidelines that can serve as a guide to help you discover your ikigai:
- Self appraisal: Start by knowing yourself. You can make a list of your passions, talents and skills. Reflect on what makes you happy and what you excel at. You can also choose to simply reflect mentally without writing anything on a list, since many times the stillness of the mind is where the most creative ideas emerge. Apply the option that best suits you. Self-awareness is a complex process that cannot be visualized in a simple list of skills, so take your time.
- Explore possibilities: Research different areas of interest that may align with your passions and skills. Keep an open mind and be willing to experience new things. This point is important because many times we have “hidden talents” that we did not even know and vice versa: sometimes we believe that we are good at something and it may be, but it is perhaps not what we are best at. That is why trial and error is so important, practicing new things, making mistakes or getting things right. Only in this way can we discover our most genuine abilities. Don't be afraid to make mistakes.
- Define your purpose: Consider how your interests and skills can positively contribute to the world. In what ways can you make a difference? Our contribution can be unique in the world and that is where our creativity resides in its purest state.
- Set goals: Once you have a clear or more or less clear idea of your ikigai, set specific goals that allow you to work towards it. These objectives must be measurable and achievable. And it is important that it be so. We cannot get lost in our dreams without defining clear goals how to orient ourselves towards it.
- Persistence and adjustments: The path to your ikigai is a process that can be relatively complex and full of challenges. Persistence and adaptation are key. As you grow and change, your ikigai may evolve as well. Therefore, do not cling to your ikigai as if it were the “holy grail”. Human beings are dynamic and can experience many changes throughout life. We can change interests, tastes, passions, develop new skills, etc., so our ikigai should not be understood as something static and immovable. It's a “Self” (as they say in English to refer to the concept of “I”) that can experience fluctuations.
Benefits of Ikigai
Discovering and living according to your ikigai can have a number of significant benefits for your life:
- Greater happiness: By doing what you love and feeling in harmony with your purpose, you will experience greater satisfaction and joy in your daily life.
- Less stress: Finding your ikigai can reduce stress and anxiety as you feel more connected and satisfied with what you do.
- Greater longevity: It has been observed that people who live according to their ikigai tend to live longer and healthier lives.
- Sense of belonging: Contributing to the world and doing what the world needs connects you with others and gives you a strong sense of belonging.
- Increased creativity: Ikigai can stimulate creativity, since you are working on something that you are passionate about and inspires you.
Viktor Frankl's meaning of life: how does it relate to ikigai?
Viktor Frankl was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who survived the Holocaust and from that harrowing experience developed his theory known as logotherapy.. Furthermore, from his memories during that experience emerged what would later become one of the most popular books in history: "Man's Search for Meaning".
In his works, Frankl argues that the meaning of life is found in the search for a purpose, a reason to exist. In other words, When people find a “why” in their lives, they can cope with any “how”, and this is the essence of logotherapy. Frankl suggests that this sense of purpose is fundamental to a person's mental and emotional health as it allows them to go through all the vicissitudes of life having found a reason to live.
This perspective is directly related to ikigai since it focuses on finding a deep reason to live, combining what you love, what you are good at doing, what the world needs and what rewards you. Both ikigai and logotherapy seek to discover purpose and fulfillment in life. And in both cases, it's about identifying and pursuing what gives meaning and direction to our lives.
Ikigai and mental health
Ikigai is a concept that began as a philosophical entity in Japan but that contains a universal scientific truth regarding people's mental health. And, unfortunately, the numbers of mental disorders such as depression or anxiety are increasing every year. There are many reasons that can trigger them, but one of them is closely related to the lack of purpose in life.
That is to say, People can often fall into a kind of existential abyss when they do not find a reason to live and this, if it continues over time, can lead to depression.: the person sinks into a dark well of hopelessness and emptiness where he does not find meaning in life because he does not know what to do with it and feels useless because he does not know what it is for.
These cases are very serious and of course require professional help. This article is purely informative and If you really feel like you have a serious problem with your life, consult a mental health professional because this is an issue that goes beyond finding your ikigai.
Our reason for being in the world
As we have seen, ikigai is a Japanese concept that teaches us to find our purpose and meaning in life by discovering what we love, what we are also good at, and what we can contribute to the world by obtaining a reward for it.
By living according to our ikigai, we can experience greater happiness, reduce stress, and find a deep sense of fulfillment in our lives. Therefore, it is a powerful protector of mental health and prevents us from falling into mood or other disorders.
It is a reminder that, ultimately, Life is about finding what makes us feel most alive and sharing it with the world. Therefore, ikigai, the Japanese secret of happiness and purpose, is now also the international “secret” to finding mental health, since without purpose you cannot live and it is desirable that we all have a reason to do so. .