What Is Ikigai?

What Is Ikigai?

Ikigai is a profound philosophical, cultural, and psychological concept with a rich history of real-life applications.

The word Ikigai is composed of two parts: “Iki” (生き), meaning “life” or “to live,” and “Gai” (甲斐), which translates to “worth” or “value.” Together, Ikigai represents the idea of finding value in life and emphasises the rewards of living with purpose.

  • Iki (life): This refers to the everyday actions and experiences that form the essence of life, including work, relationships, hobbies, and health.
  • Gai (worth): This represents the value, satisfaction, and sense of fulfilment that come from pursuing meaningful goals and contributions.

Combined, Ikigai reflects the intersection of what gives life meaning and what motivates individuals to wake up every day, going beyond material success to embrace personal fulfilment.

There are four parts to Ikigai:

  • What you love
  • What you are good at
  • What the world needs
  • What you can be paid for

Why Make A Change?

There is a theory that suggests each person will encounter five pivotal moments in their life – moments that alter their path significantly, such as choosing a career or getting married.

These pivotal moments can come from turning into something, but they can also come from turning away from something. These moments drive you to make changes, to live a life that you really want to be present in.

I’ve had a good life so far, but I’m not sure that the working part of it really amounts to contributing.

Which change comes first?

The first transformation will come from yourself. Why? Because you have to change from within to realise real change. In the same way that a pivotal moment can be running towards or away from something, you’ll discover what it is in you that you want to embrace or you want to discard.

If you have a habit of snacking in the evening after eating your meal, you may wish to stop this. If you have benefited from an early morning walk a couple of times, you may wish to increase the frequency of these to set you up in the right way for the day.

It doesn’t have to immediately resonate with others. Primarily, you’re changing for you, but the benefits will be reaped by those around you.

When? How?

Whenever you are ready.

It may take some time to discover your Ikigai. You may be able to pull this all together quite quickly if you realise the unrest you’ve been feeling is driving you to make a change. It may take you a while if you’re only just becoming aware of the unrest you’re feeling.

It is a process of layering in many aspects that you’ll need to reflect on honestly and openly with yourself.

You need to determine the key pivotal moments and then identify key challenges or experiences. After that, you can start to decipher how these key moments, challenges and experiences make you relatable to others and who those others are.

I’m just starting this process after realising that my purpose was to share what I’ve got from my karate journey and everything that has subconsciously led to this. I’ve got lots to reflect on as I embark on an Ikigai Coaching Certification. Lots to unpick from the moments over the last 30 years when things seemed aligned and firing on all cylinders. Lots of questions to ask myself.

I’ll post more as I work my way through the course, uncovering my Ikigai. I think I have a good idea where this is heading, but I’ll let the process do its thing and see where I end up.

I’ll be documenting this along the way, so I have something to look back on and celebrate.

Please do follow along as I find out more about myself and get to the true WHY of why I am here and where I do the most good.

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