What is Your Ikigai?
Kate Wildrick, April 10, 2024
Words. Every single letter and syllable affects how we see and interact with the world. The very nature of language defines what we think, how we feel, what we perceive and even what believe to be the truth. In saying that, language can also shape what we value. For example, in the West, particularly in the United States, there is a great deal of emphasis on your value and worth being tied to what you do as a profession. However, in other cultures and different parts of the world, the value and emphasis on what kind of person you are is defined by honor, family status, relationships and contributions one is making in the world.
When we think about what your purpose or passion is, for many it is hard to identify or connect with because it can conflict with what is valued and revered in our culture. Purpose is often associated with work or profession. Passion is tied things that are not exactly valued by others and can be marginalized as not having much significance or importance. These compartmentalized ways of thinking and engaging with the world can affect how we see ourselves in relation to a bigger picture.
Ikigai is a Japanese concept that refers to something that gives a person a sense of purpose and/or a reason for living. Instead of looking at a specific word or concept, it goes into the exploration of the interdependencies that exist between areas of one’s life and the spark that makes one come alive. In examining where aspects of one’s life overlap and relate, it opens up the mind to becoming more aware of the values, relationships, activities and emotions that are present when things are aligned and misaligned.
Below are a couple of different illustrations that highlight the how Ikigai invites the mind to look for the associations and connections that contribute to one living life in a more whole and meaningful way. Instead of focusing on a few attributes, this word naturally invites one to reflect on where there is balance, joy, peace and harmony in life.
When you look at your life through this lens, you open your awareness to reflect on how other relationships, fulfilling activities, investments of time and energy and values contribute to your overall well-being. Understanding your Ikigai can be very illuminating and helpful when it comes to:
- Learning what matters to you.
- Exploring where things are in or out of balance.
- Revealing what kind of energy and synergy is present when certain aspects of your life are present and connected.
- Highlighting where your energy, contributions and support are most aligned to create and live from an elevated state of balance and joy.
The Value of Ikigai
As our world continues to shift and change around us, it is important to us to develop a understanding of who we are beyond the systems, institutions and even value structures that define one’s success around productivity, efficiency, busyness or tangible outcomes or results. We are so much more than these measures and metrics. Ikigai invites us to look beyond what and who we think we are and explore the less discussed or talked about qualties and attributes that naturally enrich our lives and affect the others we love and connect with around us. In taking some time to thoughtfully engage with idea and model, you will learn how to develop you own language that reinforces the importance around your values and choices. In doing so, you will create and participate in a much more mindful way with yourself and the world.
Find Your Ikigai Challenge
Given what has been shared here, take some time to journal or do art work to explore what your Ikigai is. You can start by using the charts provided above. In contemplating what may be included in each circle, take time to reflect where there is common ground by looking at what is there in the overlaps.
As you make note of this, then pay attention to how you feel when you are in certain situations, with different people, doing different activities. Look at what is present when you can see where your overlaps are happening real time in your life. Make note of what you notice and how being there affects you and others.
As you become more aware of what your Ikigai is, you can make choices and take action that opens you up for more positive and meaningful engagement and exchanges to flow into your life.