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We have been told to think practically. Passion always takes a backseat. Get a high paying and stable job. Work hard at it almost your entire life so that you are able to enjoy the fruits of our labor when we retire. Faced with peer pressure and societal expectations, we take up roles simply for the prestige and high salary, while our hearts yearn for something else. Work is simply a means to an end. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
It is interesting to me that there is no equivalent of the word retire in the Japanese language. Many Japanese take great pride in their work, going to great lengths to seek perfection in their craft. Just take a walk into a store in Japan and you’ll see what I mean. Impeccable customer service, pristine packaging and intricate craftmanship are what you would be greeted with. Many Japanese never really retire. They remain active and continue to do what they love. They have found their purpose in life or their Ikigai.
What is Ikigai?
Just watch the video about the Tokyo sushi master, Chef Saito. It is part biography, part review and 110% foodgasm. You would be able to understand what drives Chef Saito to continually pursue perfection in sushi making.
Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means reason for being. It is about finding that perfect balance between your passions, your talents, what the world needs and what you can be paid for. Work ceases to be a means to an end, but an end in itself.
Chef Saito’s Ikigai is making quality sushi for his customers. It makes him incredibly happy to hear that he had made someone’s day with his food and being able to make the customer appreciate the effort and passions of everyone who made the piece of sushi possible (fishermen, fishmongers and his fellow chefs).
- What Chef Saito is good at: Sushi preparation, Hand-eye co-ordination, Knife skills
- What Chef Saito enjoys doing: Making the customer’s day with his food
- What the world needs: Food for the soul
- What Chef Saito can be paid for: Quality food
In finding his Ikigai, Chef Saito feels fulfilled at work( notice the number of times he smiles while prepping the sushi) That sense of purpose drives Chef Saito goes to great lengths to hone his craft. For example, he is very particular with sushi rice preparation and oversees a very stringent tuna aging process. It is no wonder Sushi Saito has been awarded three Michelin stars and established itself as one of the heavyweights of the food industry.
There are many other people who have found their Ikigai. David Attenborough, now 95 years of age, continues to make nature accessible to all through his documentaries with the BBC. Moshe Safdie, a world-famous architect credited with conceptualizing Marina Bay Sands, believes in designing architecture that serves as a natural extension of its surroundings, contributing richly to its setting and enduringly to its community. Malala Yousafzai continues her activism to fight for women rights and speak up about the importance of education after experiencing the oppression of women under Taliban rule.
5 benefits of following your Ikigai
“Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how’.”
Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl
- Resilience
Viktor Frankl, who survived living in a concentration camp, noted that what separated the survivors from those who perished was a sense of purpose. It enabled them to bear with any suffering that came their way. With a deep sense of purpose, you are able to bear with any adversity you face and overcome any challenge.
- Navigate through complexity
Without a purpose, we are prone to wandering aimlessly through life and going with the flow. Instead of deciding for ourselves, we let others decide for us. A strong of purpose would make us clearer about our values and principles, which serves as a firm foundation for making difficult decisions.
- Increased satisfaction over the long term
Without a goal in mind, we tend to act on our whims and desires, seeking instant gratification. Despite those needs being met instantly, we feel empty and desire more. When we find our Ikigai, we are trained to seek delayed gratification. We work hard today and take satisfaction in our growth knowing we are closer to fulfilling our life’s purpose each and every single day. We are happier over the long term knowing we are fulfilling our potential.
- Higher life expectancy
In September 2017, the Japanese TV program Takeshi no Katei no igaku partnered with a group of scientists to conduct research in the small town of Kyotango in Kyoto, a place which has 3 times more residents over the age of 100 than the rest of the country. Determined to find the secret to longevity, the scientists followed the elderly folks from dusk till dawn and ran all sorts of tests on them. They found that the elderly folks had extremely high figures of DHEA, a hormone many believe to be the steroid hormone. And what common behavior did the elderly folks exhibit? They each practiced a hobby they loved for a few hours each day. It suggests that doing an activity that gives meaning your life and keeps you preoccupied could result in higher levels of DHEA.
- Increased productivity
Flow or being in the zone is when a person is completely immersed in an activity. The person would experience better performance as well as increased happiness , fulfilment and creativity. One of the factors that induces the flow state is that the activity has to be intrinsically rewarding, meaning it has to be something you enjoy doing. For tips on tackling procrastination when it matters, click here.
How to discover your Ikigai
Discovering your Ikigai is long process of self-discovery and reflection.
It is about asking yourself these 4 questions:
- What are you good at? Your talents and gifts.
- What do you enjoy doing? Your passions.
- What does the world need? A gap in the community.
- What can you be paid for? Value creation.
If you are unable to answer those questions right away, understand that it is completely normal. Venture outside your comfort zone and immerse yourself in more life experiences. In the process, you find out more about yourself as well as the world around you. What is essential here is to continually reflect upon your experiences.
I myself underwent the same process. In having many opportunities to present at science fairs, I discovered my passion for educating others. During my stint as a piano tutor, my students have told me that I have a knack for teaching. Through various unfortunate incidents that I have read about and witnessed, I learnt that there is a need for more mental health support and it is a big market that can be capitalized on. This is what led me to discover my own Ikigai: to help others develop a resilient mind capable of tackling life’s challenges and led me to create this very blog you see today.
In pursuing a purposeful life
If you discovered your Ikigai, congratulations! But it doesn’t mean you single-mindedly pursue your purpose and forget about the world around you. Remember, Ikigai is not just about yourself but also about the world around you. Be always present in the moment and enjoy the tiny pleasures life offers, surround yourself with a tight knit community comprising of friends and family that support you as you pursue your life’s work. It will be a life worth living.