I was introduced to the concept of Ikigai a few years ago by the founder of a local consultancy firm who believed that this Japanese teaching transcends into one’s reason for being. It provides a roadmap to a long and happy life by providing steps to help an individual unlock and discover his purpose in life.
In a recent LinkedIn posting, someone kindly distilled the 5 lessons of Ikigai from the 2017 book which I found very enlightening and struck a chord with me. The book being referenced is a short 200+ page book that is highly readable.
Below are the 5 lessons of life to achieve Ikigai from the LinkedIn post: (The colourful chart image at the end of this blog perfectly summarizes it).
- Find your passion: One of the main principles of Ikigai is to find what you love to do. The authors suggest taking time to reflect on your interests, hobbies, and things that make you happy. This can help you identify your passion and what drives you.
- Pursue something that has meaning: Ikigai is not just about doing what you love; it’s about doing what you love with purpose. The authors recommend identifying something that positively impacts the world or others. This can help give your life meaning and create a sense of fulfilment.
- Take care of your health: According to the authors, health is a critical component of Ikigai. They suggest prioritizing self-care, such as eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly. Taking care of your physical and mental health can help you pursue your passions and purpose with more energy and enthusiasm.
- Connect with others: Another aspect of Ikigai is the importance of social connections. The authors suggest building relationships with others who share your interests and values. This can help you feel supported and connected, and may even lead to new opportunities or collaborations.
- Embrace lifelong learning: Finally, the authors emphasize the value of continuous learning and growth. They suggest seeking new experiences, challenging yourself to try new things, and staying curious. This can help you stay engaged and passionate about life, and may even lead to new personal and professional development opportunities.
I have shared the above summary with many of my close friends this week and it does ring a bell to some. One sometimes questions the meaning of life at the junction of the many stages of our human journey. These instructions can help us to refocus and realign ourselves to get out of a depressive episode while assisting to map out a proactive future strategy.
Points 1 and 2 can be mutually inclusive as many may find it in religion as a passion and meaning to life. It can also be of hobbies or new interests that excite you, like my discovery of new technology like Artificial Intelligence.
Point 3 speaks out to me as my motto in life is to stay happy and healthy always. I am a social animal and Point 4 is what I have been practising to avoid getting into a cocoon of isolation and bitterness as I age. Point 5 about lifelong learning has been one of my top goals since 2018 when I decided that I did not know much and needed to pick up new knowledge to stay relevant.
I will treasure these 5 rules/meanings of life and will constantly reread them to remind myself when I need to stay focused. My halftime journey will have its ups and downs and proactive planning using this roadmap as a guide will result in my happiness of being. I truly believe in that.
On the opposite spectrum of Ikigai will be the sense of negativity leading to anger management issues which we see a lot of in the world this week. It seems that humankind is attracted to anger as it energizes the individual. Social media concentrates anger effectively as it is a proven clickbait strategy. Anger and fear sell more effectively than the spread of boring good and positive news. A company get more followers, likes and profits when you can stir up the volcanic energy of hate, anger and fear.
A few days ago, the American Fox News network has decided to settle the Dominion lawsuit for almost $800 Million rather than going to trial. The untruths about fraud in the Jan 06 US elections had enabled them to maintain their captive viewers while they privately acknowledged that it is all made up. Lies have consequences and many lives have been destroyed.
While some are upset that this case did not go all the way to trial to help protect democracy and transparency, Fox is not out of the woods yet. There is another Smartmatic election fraud lawsuit against them for $2.7 Billion which is similar to the Dominion one. There is an overlap between the 2 cases as evidence revealed to date from Dominion can be reused again. It could prove to be interesting if this goes to trial.
The divisive nature of spreading fear has also resulted in the multiple shooting of innocent people in America this week. Too many guns protected by the 2nd Amendment have created situations where defenceless people are being gunned down and killed at the slightest provocation.
A young boy was shot at for ringing the doorbell of the wrong house. Young girls were shot and one was killed for jumping into the wrong car. Another lady was killed for driving into the wrong driveway of a house.
Why are there so many trigger-happy men committing these senseless crimes? Should they even have possession of guns in the first place? Have they been conditioned by the media into a heightened state of fear, to reach out for their killing weapons at the first sight of anger? What happened to “trying to understand the situation first” and de-escalation of a tense situation before pumping bullets into another human being? Shooting first and asking why later is the norm now.
Americans are crazy. There are more guns than people in the USA https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-25/how-many-guns-in-the-us-buying-spree-bolsters-lead-as-most-armed-country?sref=TCJIUe33. There are more mass shootings year to date than the number of days we have had this year. Every time it happens, it is “thoughts and prayers” to the families of the innocent victims and nothing is done to prevent the next one.
The often-cited solution by the pro-gun lobby is to have more guns. Arm the teachers. Re-enforce the school doors. Why not ban assault rifles like the AR15 which is mostly used in these mass shootings? No way! American companies even made and advertise smaller AR15s made for younger kids now. The sole purpose of these guns is to kill people quickly and effectively. It is not for shooting squirrels and wild hogs as some claim as excuses to buy them.
Many American states also now allow concealed and/or open carry of firearms everywhere, including in areas like malls and supermarkets. I predict that there will be a wake-up call soon when an “OK Corral” wild west cowboy shootout happens. Imagine when you have a mass shooter in a mall. Multiple vigilante civilians will whip out their guns and clamour over each other to want to participate to shoot the suspect. The police will come in and assume that anyone with a gun could be the shooter. A mass shooting orgy will happen where the body count will be horrendous and everyone kills each other in the confusion.
Apologies for the outburst. I cannot comprehend the violence and the madness of what is happening in America. It is really descending into chaos. We outsiders who look in from overseas only see a broken system where democracy has truly been broken with all the infighting. The rest of the world understands that guns are deadly except for Americans.
I will continue to use Ikigai as a roadmap to find meaning in life and hopefully subdue and push away negativity and anger proactively. I aim to count my blessings every day and choose to stay happy. Wish me luck! 😉
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