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| Understanding the Concept of IKIGAI: The Reason for Living |
Have you ever wondered about your life's purpose? Have you felt confused, lacking a clear direction, and walking without a definite purpose? This sense of life's aimlessness can lead to uncertainty and insecurity.
Of course, many of us desire a meaningful and happy life, but sometimes we don't know how to achieve it. Can our likes and interests become something meaningful? Or is passion truly important in our lives?
If you've ever felt this way, you can introduce yourself to the concept of Ikigai, a Japanese philosophy that can help you find a reason for living.
Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means "a reason for being."
Literally, "iki" means life and "gai" means value or meaning. This concept states that when someone finds their ikigai, they have a sense of satisfaction and purpose in their life.
Ikigai is a concept that shapes the way we think about the kind of person we want to be (being).
Ikigai is not just about finding a job but can also be the fundamental principle by which a person lives their life.
Table of Content
The IKIGAI Concept: The Reason for Living
The IKIGAI diagram consists of four interconnected circles that help us find a meaningful purpose in life:
What you love: What do you enjoy doing?
Starting with passion, something we love, we feel joy when doing it, and we continue to develop it with enthusiasm until it becomes a skill.
For example: If you enjoy writing opinions, stories, or tips and tricks, when you're typing, you feel energized. You enjoy the activity even if you don't get paid for it. You're happy when doing it and keep improving until your writing becomes meaningful. Therefore, writing can be your passion.
What the world needs: What can be useful to many people?
This part focuses on the needs or problems in the world that can be addressed. It can be about family, the environment, society, or the world as a whole.
For example: When you have a passion for writing articles, you notice that many people need information. If you realize that many people need information, writing articles on topics that are beneficial to readers can become your mission.
What you can be paid for: What can earn you income?
The answer is a profession. By having a profession and contributing to something, we can earn money or receive financial rewards for what we do. Having expertise in that profession can fulfill the needs or problems in the world (world needs).
For example: When your writing is loved by many, you can try to become a professional article writer or freelancer.
What you are good at: What are you skilled at?
From the examples above, passion and profession are abilities or skills that you have mastered and can be used to help others.
For example: Writing articles is something you're skilled at, so it becomes an opportunity to expand what you're good at to influence others. You can use that skill to provide article writing training or participate in webinars about writing.
When these four circles overlap and connect, that is where ikigai is found. It indicates that someone has found something they love, have expertise in, can fulfill the world's needs, and can earn money or receive financial rewards from it.
Ikigai teaches us that when we find the intersection of passion, expertise, the world's needs, and a profession that brings financial income, we will feel a sense of purpose and satisfaction in life.
Discover your passion, pay attention to the world's needs, improve your skills, and turn it into a profession that generates financial income, so you can find your ikigai in life.
Referensi: Kompasiana