Ikigai: the Japanese way of life, promising happiness
We are in a hurry to succeed, in a hurry to get more, in a hurry to get rich, because there is always someone to tell us that life is short.
And as much as that is true, the other thing is also true - that life is actually long and there are many days when we should be willing to open our eyes and be kind, committed and helpful to ourselves and others.
And if we are living at a fast pace, how will we have fuel for all the long days that stretch out before us?
Ikigai. This is the fuel for long-lasting happiness for the Japanese. It, unlike consumerist Western culture, emphasizes inner satisfaction with the way you live and the things you do.
Not possessions, not titles and not success, but the quiet contentment that only a person on a mission experiences.
And it's not about grandiose deeds, it's about the little inner peace we can reach if we follow the Japanese way called "ikigai".
Ikigai is a Japanese concept that combines "iki" - life and "gai" - value. "We can translate it as 'the reason for being' - what makes you get out of bed every morning," explains Hector Garcia, co-author of the book "Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life."
You can discover your ikigai if you answer the following questions honestly:
What do you like to do? What are you good at? What do you do well? What can you make money from?
When you find the intersection of all four answers, that is where you will find your ikigai.
This is the value of your own life. And its meaning, of course.
Once you discover ikigai, the Japanese believe, you will live at peace with yourself every day of our long and wonderful lives.