The concept of ikigai is believed to have roots in the health and wellness principles of traditional Japanese medicine. This traditional approach claims that physical well-being and mental-emotional health are tied together to form each individual’s life purpose. Japanese psychologist Michiko Kumano explains that ikigai is a state of well-being that arises from devotion to one’s enjoyable activities, those that bring a sense of fulfillment. In other words, pursue what you love and are passionate about. And if you happen to be adept at what you pursue and are passionate about, you’ll have achieved the three basic tenets of ikigai, which lead to joy.
Ikigai has been likened to the French concept of raison d’être—reason for being, or the purpose of existence.
Ikigai translated poetically can mean “waking up to joy” or “a reason to get up in the morning.” Engrained in Japanese culture is the concept that everyone has an ikigai—a combination of passion, talent and potential to help others—but each individual has to find it. Finding one’s ikigai can take a lot of time and effort, and everyone’s path varies.
Just as the ancient Japanese concept of ikigai is now trending in the western world, recent positive psychology research has suggested an approach to happiness that is similar. It introduces passion as a way of life, or more specifically, “the passionate way of being.” This passionate way of being creates positive emotions and happiness, high energy levels, a sense of freedom and the feeling of flexibility in life choices.
Research suggests that there are five key behaviors to living life with passion:
1. Live according to your values and beliefs. Be true to yourself. Make time for things that are important to you.
2. Think positive and think about the difference you want to make. Focus on your purpose and approach what you do with it in mind.
3. Consciously make an effort to evolve and grow. Learn, improve and expand your knowledge and skills. Constant learning will light the passion within you. Learning is associated with fulfillment and happiness, linked together by passion.
4. Find people who think similarly to you. They are most likely to encourage and motivate you, just as you will inspire them. When it comes to passion, there is strength in numbers.
5. Identify your natural skills. Nature gave you certain gifts—if you can be passionate about them and take action—whether it’s music, mathematics, art or ecology, etc.—happiness will follow.
It’s human nature to want to feel happy and to seek happiness. You learn from infancy that no one can be happy 24/7. And with any emotion, you can’t truly experience the up side unless you also know the down side. So, happiness requires some amount of unhappiness. Since unhappiness cannot be avoided, as mere humans are only partially in control of their emotions, perhaps the best way to cope is to see what you can learn from the down side and how it can help you evolve into a more passionate person, living with purpose and joy.
The Nikken Summer Challenge may be the ideal time to find your ikigai!
Sources:
Active Wellness Blog 