"IKIGAI" — REASON FOR BEING
Dear Unorthodox Thinker,
Here's another philosophy that nobody asked for. Something that can guide you even closer to your purpose.
Not that you need it. I blame the early morning earthquake for this.
Following up on my newsletter about recognizing meaning in your life, I bring you Ikigai (生きがい). To start, let me pull up a quote from that issue:
"In the entwining of your discoveries, strengths, weaknesses, and relationships, there will be something that speaks to you." – Jopaz Baquirin, Crack the Code
I broke it down into exploration, comfort zone, (dis)comfort zone, and introspection. This is essentially my version of it. Ikigai (Jopaz's Version). Except, the Japanese one is more straightforward.
It would be nice to teach you what these words mean first. "Iki" (生き) is life or living and "gai" (がい) is worth. Just saying 'life worth' makes it clear. And it can loosely be translated into "reason for being".
Ikigai has four fundamentals:
- What you love (your passion)
- What you are good at (your vocation)
- What the world needs (your mission)
- What you can be paid for (your profession)
Think of an intersection. Your life purpose is at the nexus where your passions, talents, values, dreams, and what you can offer the world entwine.
It is where you strike a balance between personal fulfillment and societal consideration, which then leads to a sense of meaning.
Why does it matter anyway? Why do you keep writing about finding one's purpose and handing out templates, ffs?
I'm annoyingly convinced that the majority of people today feel extremely disconnected, dissatisfied, and existentially frustrated. Human beings are more lost than ever. There's this pain of being stuck in a never-ending routine with no direction.
Timeless philosophies like this can push us to the path of finally gaining clarity about what we truly want to do with our lives. It serves as a framework for self-discovery, self-alignment, and self-actualization.
Again, why? Why does it matter?
When we begin to understand ourselves, the clarity will urge us to do more of the things that truly reflect who we are. Choices that serve us, goals that hold meaning, and relationships that uplift us.
All of which can work wonders for our mental health.
How do you discover your Ikigai, then? You're gonna get sick of me saying this, but the journey is all about self-exploration and introspection. But instead of making another template, I want to keep this simple.
You can even do this whenever you want, so long as you can look inwards with no distractions. Think of these four things:
- passions – what brings you joy?
- strengths – what are you naturally good at?
- society - what can you do for others?
- values - what are the principles you live by?
Notice the intersection? Can you spot overlaps? This is where your Ikigai lies.
What now?
Honestly? I don't know.
This only makes sense if you allow it to. Change only happens if you allow it to. Your reason for being only serves its purpose if you allow it to.
You already know this, your life is up to you.
But you will have a happier, more peaceful, and more fulfilling time on this earth when you know the driving force of why you exist.
Let that sink in.
Talk to you next week,
Jopaz