Ikigai (pronounced eye-ka-guy) is a Japanese concept that literally translates to “the realization of what one hopes for” but as a lifestyle guide really means “a reason for living”. This concept isn’t a call to quit your job here and now but rather to reevaluate what brings a sense of urgency into your life and to center your work around that instead. Here’s how to employ ikigai in your daily routine for a sense of fulfillment you’ve rarely experienced before.
By Sophia (YiRui) Liao
We often hear our colleagues complain about their corporate jobs or 9-to-5 routines and sometimes, we commiserate with them. There was the backpacking trip across South America that we wished we had taken. Maybe there was a teaching opportunity in China that might have crossed your mind. These are the moments that we would cherish and would last a lifetime in our memories. Those memories guide our actions and thoughts to this day and we’d easily relive them if it weren’t for the routine jobs we have to show up to. If you work a corporate job and don’t recognize passion in what you do, Ikigai is the perfect concept for you to follow in the quest for happiness.
Ikigai helps you find a reason to wake up every morning. It helps you find a balance between spiritual and practical ideals. That balance lies in the intersection of your passions and talents with the skills the world will compensate you for. Today, people want to fulfill their passions and live a moneyed lifestyle. To discover your personal ikigai, you have to first define those passions then find the right medium to express those interests. The ultimate result is personal happiness and fulfillment which you will hopefully spread to everyone around you and to those less fortunate than you are.
Ideas to get you started:
Passion: Gardening
Medium: Starting a community garden initiative with harvest going to the local food pantry
Passion: Fashion
Medium: Engaging poor villages to create sustainable, locally-sourced clothing with fair wages and craftsmanship lessons for all who participate
Passion: Playing an Instrument
Medium: Performing at small gatherings for younger students and the elderly with profits from the bake sale going to a charity of choice
Passion: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)
Medium: Teaching coding classes to local students who don’t have access to those lessons in school
Passion: Hiking
Medium: Leading tours and explaining why preservation ought to be a wide-scale effort
Passion: Writing
Medium: Starting a blog to pen your own ideas
Passion: Running
Medium: Leading group runs through local parks which is a good way to get everyone off their phones for a bit
Passion: Working with animals
Medium: Volunteering with animal shelters to scout out good homes for the animals
Passion: Cooking
Medium: Using leftover groceries to cook meals for the homeless and hosting baking lessons for your neighbors and their kids
Passion: Sustainable traveling
Medium: Building your own eco-resort with a minimal carbon footprint
Passion: Reading
Medium: Starting an afterschool program at your local library for students who don’t have supervision while their parents are at work
-SL
