Let's face it, finding meaning in our globalized world is hard. So many
perspectives and opportunities are open to us now that it's tempting to be a
vagabond. Not only in matters of education but especially in choosing a
profession.
In the past centuries, choosing a profession is generally not a complicated
question. Young people just embark on their father's work. It made the best
sense: if a career worked for one's father, then it should also be the task
that their children should do.
While practically sound, we now understand that
this is not that simple. There are other things that needs to be taken into
consideration like personal strengths, values, passion, and one's preferred
way of contributing to society. These are additional parameters that if
fulfilled, I personally believe, will make for a more satisfying and stable
occupation.
As someone who is in search of balance between these parameters myself, I know
firsthand how hard and time consuming it is to figure it out.
But, I also know
that it is all worth my time, because if I accomplish it, I'll have a lasting
foundation for the rest of my life. A bedrock where my deepest passion and
contribution to the world are imbedded, and expressed through my life's work.
Now, I am not the only one posed with this question. It is a question for all
of us. How will we be able to know and live our ideal careers?
We can turn to
a lot of modern books that talks about this topic but for this blogpost,
I would like turn to eastern wisdom for help.
Let us talk about the Japanese concept called Ikigai.
* * *
Ikigai is a Japanese word that translates to "reason for being." It is a philosophy that presents purpose as the source of our well-being. The
Japanese believe purpose is crucial to our lives because it ensures that we
are living with intent, love, and mission.
There are empirical studies done to observe the impact of this Philosophy in society, specifically in Okinawa, Japan. The studies show that Okinawans tend to live long lives because they live with intent and purpose. They deliberately live according to their Ikigai.
They observed that most Okinawans have what they consider to be their life's
work. A thing that they're pursuing mastery at, while at the same time, it is
something that they also love and is aligned with their personal values. Their
work are grounded in principles that enables them to be proactive even in old age.
This is not a surprise. We know that the Japanese are resilient people. Discipline is a key component of their culture that abiding
by it comes natural to them. We can look at samurais, martial artists, or
even their traditional office workers, and we will be able to see this
discipline in action. This is what having an Ikigai allows, and we are
fortunate that we needn't be Japanese to practice it.
The recent rise of the Self-help culture has allowed us to incorporate this
Philosophy in our contemporary world. The concept of Ikigai has opened up for
everyone and it has undergone refinements that allows us to use it, amidst
differences in our cultures.
In the west, Ikigai had a pragmatic
transformation in the form of a Venn-diagram.
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Diagram from Japan.go.jp
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Though remaining Japanese in essence, western culture gave it nuances that altogether make up a
formula we can follow to identify our own reason for being.
These concepts serves as criteria we can use to determine our Ikigai. The criteria are:
1. The work must be something we love.
2. The work must be something we're good at.
3. The work must be something that the world needs.
4. The work must be something that we can be paid for.
Let's discuss each of them in detail.
* * *
The work must be something we love
Each of us have unique values. Things where we derive
happiness from and gives meaning to our life. It could be things, people,
memories or places. In finding out our ideal careers, the same love must also
be present.
The work that we dedicate our time, energy, and attention to, must be
something personally meaningful to us. It must be something that
serves as a medium where we can express our joys and passions.
Doing a work that we chose to immerse ourselves in because we love it, allows
us to have the enthusiasm and resilience to keep working even if we are faced
with challenges. When inevitable tough times come, we can remain focused
because we will not be doing our work just for the results. It will be about
love for the work itself, and doing it already serves as a reward.
This love for work is present within all of us. But it can sometimes be
drowned in the noise of the world. To center ourselves, we must reconnect,
rediscover, and clarify our authentic values and find time for
self-reflection. We can revisit our childhoods, write our thoughts down a journal, or just investigate our present experience and ask:
what are the things that give me personal satisfaction?
Going through
this process of self-evaluation reveal to as clues on what we're
naturally drawn to. It can reveal to us passions that we have forgotten or
even new ones that we don't know about.
The key to this task is listening to our authentic voices. We must put it back
at the forefront of our lives and let it lead us to things that gives us love,
satisfaction, and passion for life through a work that we are willing to bleed
for.
The work must be something we're good at
The next component of identifying our ikigai is finding a work that we are
good at. Something we can do great that produces value to other people.
Like how each of us have different things we love, we also have different
capabilities and talents. Ikigai suggests that these natural aptitudes are
also clues as to what our ideal career might be. There are those among us who
are good in humanities, some in science, and some in art. The lead here is
finding a field of work that fits our skillsets.
Our time in school and university should be about identifying and honing these natural skills. But unfortunately, our present education curriculum still
doesn't encompass the variety of all human talents. So, ultimately, it is up
to us individuals to build infrastructures and make decisions that will hone
and make use of our unique strengths.
The key to identifying this component of our ikigai is training. After we find
something that we love, we must pour time into it to achieve mastery. We must
cultivate our skills so that we can accomplish our tasks and give world-class
value to the world.
It's like sharpening a sword. We won't be able to cut down
the world's problems if our blade can't slice through them. Choosing a career
then is like choosing our own sword, a sword that we must sharpen
through our own forms of training.
The work must be something that the world needs
The next component of Ikigai is service to the world. It is providing something that people are in dire need of.
Human flourishing is all about satisfying needs. We have physical ones (food, water, air), security ones (shelter, employment, financial stability), and other needs as diverse as emotional, psychological, and spiritual. The question for us is which of these needs are we willing to provide.
This component of Ikigai adds another layer to a work we love and a work that
we're good at, in a way that it takes into account the actual
impact of our work to other people. It answers the question: "How is our work
contributing to society?" It puts our work into a right context, one that is
not only about what we can get through our work but also what our work gives
to other people.
The key to
aligning our work with something the world needs is to connect ourselves
to our society. We must observe what people wants and needs. Then, after
taking into consideration our personal strengths and values, commit ourselves
to a specific field that gives society a specific contribution.
The work must be something that we can be paid for
I have talked about helping other people win a way that we
must put them first. But it is also a
truth that we also have needs of our own. We also need resources that can
help us lead a happy life.
The last component of
Ikigai is finding a work that gives us fair rewards back.
We can think of human careers as a medium for exchanging of values. One solves
a problem, one gives a reward in return. If we look through history, this
has been the theme of the human workforce. It is, and will always be about
giving value.
This is the reason why scams and shortcuts don't work. They will always be short-lived
because they are about taking value without providing value back. Such acts are damaging not only to society but to the person who chose to do
them in the first place. The rewards that one get through these acts are rescinded by society.
The amiable way then for us to go is by abiding to the law of value. We don't
need to think about getting value back if we're providing enormous value in
return. Society will naturally reward us. But this is only possible if
our work is something that we're good at, something we love, and something
that fulfills the world's needs. The key to identifying this part of the Ikigai equation is to make sure that we can provide the best
value through our chosen work.
It must be something that has tangible impact
to people and to the world at large. If we're able to do this, financial
rewards will naturally come to us in return.
The nuances of Ikigai
The Ikigai diagram has rich possibilities for us but it requires completion.
We must carefully fill out each of its parts to derive our ideal career.
Ikigai is simply a combination of the four components that we discussed
above. But it can take on other forms if we only have 2 of each
components figured out.
The following are our Ikigai's incomplete semblances:
Passion
If we are only clear with a work that we love and
a work that we're good at, what we have is a Passion. It does
not necessarily give specific value to the world nor are we getting paid for it. These are our hobbies. We do them because they
makes us happy but they don't serve other people's purposes.
Profession
If we only have a work that we're good at and
a work that we are getting paid for, what we have is
Profession. These are what we call day jobs. Something that
we do to pay our bills and rents. While we can do our tasks efficiently and we
are getting paid for it, the work may not be in alignment with our personal
values. It is also neither something that brings great value to society.
Vocation
If our work fulfills what the world needs and it
is something that we get paid for, what we have is a
vocation.
Traditional careers in our society falls into this category:
lawyers, doctors, teachers, and public leaders. These are vocations because
they are works that are based on a sense of duty. I agree that it is as
honorable as a career can be but it isn't enough to be called an Ikigai. A
career that can be considered a vocation can also be something that we don't love
doing or something that doesn't fit our abilities.
Mission
Lastly, If our work is something that we love and also
something that the world needs, what we have is a mission.
These are works that are personally important to us and fulfills people's needs but it
does not necessarily give us fair rewards back. It could also be something
that we're not good at, thereby reducing our capacity to bring our sense of
mission to fruition. Volunteer works falls into this category.
Ikigai requires a synthesis of all the criteria I have mentioned. It can be complicated to take all of them into account but such is the price to pay for identifying a work we love. This is also the beauty of the concept. It's not entirely about one person, it also considers the impact of our actions to the world. It's a well-rounded concept that ensures a balance giving of value in our society.
* * *
Conclusion
Finding our Ikigai is a personal quest. It is a journey towards
self-knowledge. Our path differs from one another but in the big picture,
they all converge into a common goal: helping society flourish.
Through the concept of Ikigai, we can have occupations that are meaningful and
impactful. So, let us put this Japanese wisdom to good use, and develop careers that brings positive change to other people, to ourselves, and to
the world at large.
Suggested further readings:
References:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/uncover-the-secrets-of-longevity-in-this-japanese-village
https://www.japan.go.jp/kizuna/2022/03/ikigai_japanese_secret_to_a_joyful_life.html
Eizengalnger: Ikigai: A Japanese formula for finding purpose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LE5bel_GvU
Improvement pill: The Japanese formula for happiness: Ikigai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LE5bel_GvU
James Stuber: The problem with
Ikigai https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeX6kNbaF0w
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