Why Knowing Your IKIGAI is Important?
Most of us run behind the wind in the name of happiness without knowing the true meaning of the word “happiness.”
Every individual has a different desire and definition for happiness; some find it by achieving enormous wealth, and while a few get it by finding their peace in something else.
All of us have different levels and stages of gaining happiness; for most of us, that quest never dies.
Most people’s joy starts fading when they reach their target goal, and once again, they fire their shotgun to run for another one.
And just like the wind, our chase for the word happiness never ends, it keeps ongoing, and we are unable to understand the true meaning of real joy and the purpose of our life.
Japanese have a concept called Ikigai, which defines the true meaning of your life.
This concept is now clear and not hidden behind the curtain—Ikigai, which means to live for a reason. The Japanese island of Okinawa, where IKIGAI has its origins, is home to the largest population of centenarians in the world. These people have a fulfilling and contained life. Because people of these Islands know what they like to do, and they engage themselves in it for a lifetime.
Now, we are running randomly in every direction without knowing which path to follow to reach our destination because most of us don’t know what the purpose of our life is.
Without knowing the purpose, we keep on baffling our life. Looking at the celebrities, we often try our best to get a six-pack body or zero size without knowing why we want that; many try harsh bleaching chemicals on their face to get fair skin.
Many of us are acting on the script of others dealing with our fake happiness.
We all must know the reasons for our action, what is the purpose behind doing that action. Whoever successfully finds the answers to these questions finds its IKIGAI.
So, how to find the IKIGAI?
Although it’s not easy if you can follow these five steps, you may get your Ikigai.
1.Be honest with yourself: Self-awareness is essential to know the thin sheet between your need and want. You cannot remain joyful if your mind is full of chaos. Don’t confuse your mind with getting stuck in the opinion of others. We usually do things that others’ views and opinions want us to do. When you fall into such traps, you can never find out your Ikigai because you give your life threads on others’ hands.
2.Start small: We want to have many things in our lives, from a desire to have plenty of money to get a big house, from gaining a successful career to travel abroad. Our dreams and desire keep on rolling, and there is no endpoint. In pursuit of getting these things, we have surrendered ourselves, became the slave of money, and sacrificed our true happiness. So, first, concentrate on small parts of your life. The area of life you want to improve and live rather than running behind fake happiness.
3.Seek harmony and sustainability: Work on the things that you get the connection. If you are getting any satisfaction in your work, ask a few questions to yourself, why you are into this job, whether you can survive in this job for a long time. If you are getting a positive reply from your subconscious mind, you are in the right place, but if your answers are baffling and against your harmony, you must make this a serious note. Many people have diverted their careers as photographers, fashion designers, writers after having a degree in other fields because they enjoy these works.
4.Have joy in little things: Don’t kill yourself for larger items. Be joyful and celebrate small moments. We usually ignore all small things surrounding us for a larger goal. Ignoring things that play a more significant role in our lives, for instance, playing with your kids, pets spending time in nature. We often keep on ignoring these things, which plays an essential role in our life.
5.Learn to live in the present: Keep a hold on your thoughts from wandering in the past or running into the future. Stay in the present and think about how you can use it to the fullest. Those who keep on clenching on their past never know how to move on, and they tangle themselves in the sorrow. Some people also keep on procrastinating about their future. Setting a goal and dreaming about the future is not bad, but you should always do this by analyzing and enjoying your present; otherwise, it will steal all your happiness.
Finding your Ikigai is difficult but not impossible. Keep working on it to have a good quality life.
