Find Your IKIGAI [In Life]

Find Your IKIGAI [In Life]

Heard someone who admitted his perpetual struggle of feeling STUCK in a place that's NOT quite up to par.  BUT here's something I learned just of late.  THAT our brain's default mode network, WHICH is responsible for introspection and self-reflection, tends to be more active WHEN you're feeling stuck OR bored.  Probably, this explains WHY daydreaming and mind-wandering become increasingly appealing WHEN you're feeling mentally stagnant.  How about we Find Your IKIGAI [In Life]📗📙📘

One recent study even showed that a whopping 47% of our WAKING HOURS are spent on such mental meanderings, whew!  That concept of IKIGAI, a Japanese term that roughly translates to 'REASON FOR BEING' might hold some answers for us all.  Essentially, it is that 'SWEET SPOT'  WHERE your passions, skills and values intersect with WHAT the world needs.  FINDING YOUR IKIGAI can possibly bring that SENSE of PURPOSE!!!

And that SENSE of PURPOSE can even extend to that SENSE of FULFILLMENT WHICH, in turn may possibly help alleviate those feelings of depression and stagnation.  And there's another intriguing phenomenon called by psychologists as that 'HEDONIC ADAPTATION' where, essentially, it suggests that humans have a remarkable capacity to adapt to both POSITIVE and NEGATIVE circumstances, WHICH might explain WHY that initial excitement of moving to a new country eventually wears off.  I can attest to that.  WHEN I migrated to Singapore, my excitement was overflowing and ceaseless but after about less than a year, it was like BAU [business as usual] for me, that excitement eventually did wear off💥💥💥

For about almost a decade, WHENEVER I heard across IKIGAI, I [wrongly] thought that, hey that's another mandate for compliance, that's the way to go [as our boss says].  BUT alas, I was grossly wrong because WHEN I dug deeper, I learnt that IKIGAI is more than just a part of Japanese culture because it boils down to giving our life's worth and meaning, and in one word, PURPOSE😌😌😌

Our takeaway:  If the Japanese have the most well known secret, it is all about IKIGAI.  And there's nothing wrong, regardless of our culture, to consider embracing IKIGAI and even embedding it within our own life.  Talk about giving value and purpose to our life.  Those are the very core and foundational variables in our life even as IKIGAI may continue to evolve to further heights as a universal term expressing a rich and fulfilling life.  So, dude, would you consider to FIND YOUR IKIGAI [in life]💚💛💜