Ikigai: The Art That Will Lead You To Discover Your Vital Purposes

Ikigai is a Japanese word that translates as “the reason for being” or “those vital purposes that make us wake up every morning.” For the Japanese we all carry our own ikigai inside and it is essential to discover it, make it our own, carry it as a flag. Because only in this way will we commit ourselves better to ourselves to face any difficulties.

Beyond what we can think of, few psychological and existential principles can be as basic in our day to day life as the one represented by this term, this concept. Finding a meaning to one’s being, having a series of vital purposes is key to deter hopelessness and is, above all, a therapeutic substrate with which to deal with one of the most devastating diseases of today: depression.

Much of our psychological problems could be dealt with by finding that sometimes hidden, repressed and even silenced ikigai with which to regain breath, desire, motivation. It is known, for example, that a good part of our affective disorders find a clear improvement when the person begins to commit to himself, simply doing what he likes, what identifies him.

Before long, all that set of positive thoughts and beliefs act as true buffers for suicidal ideas, limiting beliefs, and even fears. However, and we also know this, it is not easy to commit ourselves to our ikigai, to our vital purposes. Hence, the Japanese remind us that we must be like a loyal and energetic warrior who fulfills a very specific goal: to maintain our integrity and that affinity with our own essences.

Your ikigai only wants one thing: to “shake” your passivity

Sebastian Marshall is a well-known writer who gave us a book a few years ago with a very simple title: Ikigai. It should be said that among all the publications that we can find on this same topic, the one that this author brings us is undoubtedly one of those that have had the most impact and perhaps the one that departs the most from those sometimes sweet and easy principles associated with growth. personal.

The first lesson we must learn is not to aspire to the same happiness that others “supposedly” have. Most of the time it is not real. If we become obsessed with having and doing the same as those around us, we will be like 99% of the population. On the other hand, if we dare to act according to our dreams, desires and vital purposes, we will be unique, we will be that 1% that will aspire to authentic satisfaction.

We will only achieve something like this in one way, getting out of our passivity, finding the ikigai itself. Once we have clarified and defined it, several things will happen. The first is that we will be more nonconformist, and that is good. The second is that we will finally be aware of our own potential to turn it into “explosive material” and  thus finally get out of those barren environments where only one thing grows: discomfort.

How to discover my vital purposes?

It may seem like an ironic question to many of our readers. Who is not going to know what its vital purposes are? Well, curious as it may seem, not everyone is clear about them, what’s more, sometimes we have goals, ideals and objectives somewhat distorted or impregnated by values ​​that are not ours. The weight of our education, family and social environment determines us in a way that we are not always fully aware of.

We must definitively stop postponing those purposes that calm our soul, those needs, pleasures and passions that identify us and that, after all, could define our way of life. Achieving it is not easy but we must achieve it, we now explain how to define your ikigai.

7 keys to shaping your ikigai

The ikigai is made up of the intersection of four basic dimensions: your passion, your vocation, your profession and your mission in life. To clarify each of these key aspects, it will be useful to carry out the following strategies:

• Stop acting on autopilot: ask yourself every day if what you do brings you happiness.

• Do not compare yourself with anyone, do not aspire to have the same as others. You are your own reference.
• We all have talent, we all have some type of exceptional ability that differentiates us from others and that we must take advantage of, make our own and enjoy.
• The ikigai is not just a vital purpose or an aspiration, it is a way of life that must be seen, perceived and felt in the here and now.
• It is a dimension that gives us energy every morning and that translates into a series of activities that we do every day and in which we want to continue investing time to improve.
• Sometimes living according to our ikigai also means putting aside much of what surrounds us. .
• Ikigai is the opposite of passivity or conformity. It demands everything from you and makes you feel alive, free and full of energy, regardless of your age or your physical state because above all, it is a state of mind …

To conclude, if we have not found our ikigai today, it can be said that nothing happens. Sometimes, and throughout our daily journey, this awakening occurs in such an intense and resounding way that there is no turning back. It will be the moment when there will be no choice but to follow it, to make it our own.