Moments Of Pleasure: Ikigai

"Your Ikigai is the thread that connects the moments of your life." - Hector Garcia Puigcerver

^^

Ikigai is a Japanese philosophical concept originating from the Heian period of Japan , dating from 794 to 1185.

Heian translates to Peace in Japanese.

This period was known as The Golden Age of Japanese cultural history, producing some of Japan's finest art, poetry, and literature.

Ikigai is made up of two words: 

Iki means Alive/Life, and Gai comes from the word Kai, meaning Shell.

Fingerprint for Success writes, "During the Heian period, shells were extremely valuable. They were often hand-decorated by artists and used as part of a shell-matching game called 'kai-awase'(貝合わせ). Only the rich could afford these beautiful and valuable shells. This is how the word kai literally became synonymous with worth, value, and benefit."

Ikigai translates as close as possible to "life's worth, meaning, or purpose" and is comparable to the Yogi's "Dharma" - life purpose and the French "Raison d'être" - the reason for being.

This equates to something that provides a passion, a joy and value to your life - and fundamentally, makes you look forward to your day.

Mozart's love and passion for creating music was his ikigai, and Einstein's ikigai was his intense passion for philosophy, history, and mathematics.

Ikigai's ancient concept has been globally brought to the forefront through authors Héctor García and Francesc Miralles, who, in 2016 , co-wrote: "Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life.

JapanGov quoted:

"For this book, Garcia interviewed more than 100 elderly residents of Ogimi Village, Okinawa Prefecture, renowned for being a "village of longevity." One thing that these healthy and active seniors have in common is that each has an ikigai, or something worth living for. "When we asked what their ikigai was, they gave us explicit answers, such as their friends, gardening, and art. Everyone knows what the source of their zest for life is, and is busily engaged in it every day," says Garcia. Another distinguishing feature of this community is that the elders have strong social links with their peers and frequently get together to enjoy karaoke, birthday parties, and more. "Avoiding social isolation is linked to the motivation and confidence to lead active lives."

As fascinating and successful as the book has proven to be, unfortunately, people of the West have confused Ikigai with the Venn diagram about "finding your purpose."

Japan Up Close quoted:

It's worth noting that, while traditional Japanese philosophy focuses on achieving your bliss, western interpretations have used ikigai to locate your dream job which includes the following:

・ What you love: is there any activity you love or can't seem to get enough of?

・ What you are good at: What is your passion?

・ What you can be paid for: Do you make enough for a living?

・ What the world needs: Is your field of work desirable or in high demand?

Neuroscientist Ken Mogi authored The Little Book of Ikigai in 2018. He derived the true Japanese essence of this embedded philosophy and determined its concept into five pillars.

He said that ikigai - a word with no equivalent translation - is an ingrained consciousness  of  simple actions we can take in our daily lives to experience its vital life-giving energy.

To the Japanese, it is as important as diet and exercise.

It starts with the small things in life, rather than the grand Westernised perspective of having to always aim big in our goals and dreams.

It can be anything from enjoying your first cup of coffee of the morning with something sweet to increase your dopamine, to a meditative run in the warm rain or beautiful sunrise, or even simply a good conversation with a friend.

The five pillars of The Little Book of Ikigai - (Americanised Title: Awakening your Ikigai)

Starting small

Releasing yourself

Harmony and sustainability 

The joy of little things

Being in the here and now

Starting small

Ken connects this pillar with the concept of kodawari, which is a fierce discipline for the pursuit of perfection. Although the Japanese are aware that perfection isn't attainable, they value the process of that journey: the attention to detail that is accompanied by the discipline, passion, and persistence that drives them.

The exceptional care they take in the fine details of their work. These are the small steps they make to achieve their goals.

Releasing yourself

Ken determined pillar two highlights the importance of self-acceptance. He believes we will find happiness through acceptance, and that means accepting ourselves for our individuality and unique talents, as well as our views and perspectives about our life and future.

We may not be perfect, but we can grow through experience. We should stop comparing ourselves to others and be comfortable pursuing our own way of engaging with life.

Harmony and sustainability

According to Ken, harmony and sustainability are two of the best-preserved principles of Japanese society. It is important to have a healthy consideration for other people and be mindful of how our actions may have an impact on society as a whole.

"If people could think beyond their selfish needs, it would create harmony and sustainability. Japanese people are known for not speaking out and not taking any different positions. However, although they don't speak out, people do often have different opinions - they just don't feel that being outspoken solves any social issues or makes progress."

The joy of little things

Ken feels that making a habit out of beginning each day with your ikigai is an important way to create enjoyable and rewarding experiences that add happiness to your day. Implementing these pleasurable habits will uplift your soul.

Being in the here and now

Ken believes that when we are more in the present, it is easier to connect to our inner child. He equates this to the notion that children significantly value the present, being that they aren't able to fully understand the concept of the past or future.

Being present with our inner child helps us to not be confined by social constraints, but to continue to stay curious to keep learning, allow creativity to flow , plus an ability to give happiness to our loved ones as well as ourselves.

^^

I feel Ken wraps this up perfectly with a quote from his book:

"At a certain point, a casual observer might feel that these pursuers of perfection are going over the top, and that the effort is too much. Just at that moment, something miraculous happens. You realise that there is actually further depth to the quality you are pursuing. There is a breakthrough, or the production of something completely different. With the creation of a new genre of products, a brand new market emerges, in which people are prepared to pay premium prices for qualities previously unimagined."

Becoming precision-focused and openly conscious of all that we do ,  taking our time and full attention , will lead to deeper depths of fulfilment and create new and innovative breakthroughs.

Chantal 💜

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