Work, values and success – Lessons from the Japanese (2)  

Last week, Thursday, May 16, 2024, I had one of the scariest experiences of my life when a tornado travelling with a wind-speed of 100 miles per hour ripped through Cypress in the Harris County of Houston where I currently stay. It was a rainy day and I had gone to the Post Office to send out some of my books to someone who requested them. I had barely returned home and settled down for dinner when the Meteorological department’s warning came in on the phone that a tornado was about to hit our area. Barely three minutes thereafter, the skies darkened and the first gale of winds, accompanied by a heavy downpour, hit. This was promptly followed by a gusty, sweeping rush that whistled so loudly and moved with such velocity that it made you feel like it was going to carry along anything that dared to stand in its way. And it literally did. The nightmare lasted for 15 minutes. By the time it was over, trees had been uprooted, power lines destroyed with the attendant blackout covering three adjoining cities and some house roofs already gone, especially where trees fell on them. Moreover, about seven fatalities were reported. Those were the longest 15 minutes of my life! However, I am very grateful to God that my family and I are unhurt and safe.

Today, we continue from where we stopped on our discourse about the values that anchor the Japanese work ethics.

Picture yourself waking up with a spring in your steps every morning, eager to face the day. Or going to bed every night with a smile on your lips, feeling satisfied that, even if you don’t have a dime in your bank account, you have spent the day in a meaningful, productive way. Exciting proposition, right?

The Japanese concept of defining purpose for living, popularised by the Okinawa tribe in Japan, is known as “Ikigai.” The Okinawa people have an uncanny reputation for longevity and living a fulfilled life that centres around community rather than individuals. Research has shown that this is the secret of longevity, strong bonds and a strong sense of achievement among this tribe where it is not uncommon to find 90-year-olds still going to their farms unaided.

Derived from two words “iki,” which means “life” and “gai,” which means, “benefit” “essence,” or “meaning,” ikigai signifies the meaning or essence of living. The contemporary parlance for it is the “WHY” of life. Ken Mogi, a neurologist describes ikigai as “a reason to get up in the morning” or, “waking up to joy.”

Ikigai is rooted in Japanese traditional medical practice where great emphasis is placed on the interconnectedness of mental, emotional, physiological wellbeing as well as a grand purpose for the individual to fulfil in life. Ikigai, therefore, connotes total commitment to the pursuit of activities that one loves and enjoys most. It is about finding great fulfillment in what one is doing, rather than being indulged in fantasy or mere passing fancies.

Ikigai is akin to the Greek philosophy of “a well-lived, rounded life.” It is not given to frivolous pleasures and seeks none. The emphasis of “ikigai” is on happiness and pleasure being outcomes of finding and embracing a higher purpose, an essence found in one’s daily activities and developed through the discipline of routine.

Ikigai is found at the intersection between one’s passion and one’s proficiency.

If one were to view it in the form of a Venn diagram, “ikigai” would be the congruence of four circles. The first would contain what you love to do in a way that brings colour to your countenance and makes you overcome drudgery. When involved in such activity, you don’t feel tired or exhausted. It is the discovery and embracing of a vocation. The word “vocation” originates from the Latin “vocare” which means, a “calling,” an “assignment.” It is the same root word for “vocal” or “voice.” Your vocation is the Creator’s voice in you and your voice to the rest of the world.

The second circle would be about what you have acquired significant competence in doing. This circle would encapsulate your expertise, skills and areas of mastery.

In the third circle would be the impact that your competence and passion would have on others who are served by them. What are the critical needs of people around you? How do you deploy your capacity and talents to serve others and help them solve problems? In the words of Howard Thurman, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

Inside the fourth circle would be the things you can do for a fee. What kind of skill, service, product, or value proposition do you have that people are willing to pay for without feeling a sense of loss? If nobody was going to pay you a salary, what can you conveniently charge a fee for that could sustain you comfortably if properly marketed and connected to people?

Your ikigai is found at the point where these circles overlap.

In golfing, every player knows the importance of the “sweet spot.” It is that point that your ball touches when you take a swing and hear a click rather than a thud. When your ball touches the sweet spot on a full swing, especially at teeing off, your ball travels very far and usually in a straight direction on the fairway with the potential of reducing the number of pars you require to make a hole and of course, your handicap.

To discover your own ikigai, take some time to reflect on your life thus far. You may even need to revisit your childhood and growing years. What are the things you love to do even if nobody was willing to give you a dime for doing them? What special skills do you have? What have you identified as the pain point of the world around you that you feel sufficiently capable of bringing a solution to by your passion and your proficiency? What would anybody give you money for even if you weren’t directly placing a demand on them? What capacity do you have that you can conveniently charge a fee for?

You may not get it right at the first try, (in fact, you will not) but start experimenting by considering all options available to you. You may be multi-talented. That is not a crime. But take time to assess the degree of satisfaction that each of your desired activities or pursuits bring to you. Then prioritise them on your satisfaction and activity index. Never put the monetary reward first. People have made money from activities they never for one moment enjoyed doing! The downside of that is that it is the shortest path to frustration and a life of drudgery.

Constantly check the circles until you find the overlapping point where, like Archimedes, you can shout, “Eurekka!,” translated, “I found it!” … continued.

Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!

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