On the island of Okinawa in southern Japan, there’s a little village called Ogimi – known as the village of longevity. The village boasts a population of about 3,000 people and it is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest number of centenarians in a village. In fact, Okinawa has the highest life expectancy in the world. Is it the magic of the moringa tea or the tofu and fresh vegetable-based diet or the tropical pleasant weather that creates the right balance and conditions for higher life expectancy? When scientists and researchers studied the island and interviewed the centenarians, the one common answer they found was finding fulfilment through their purpose – their ikigai as a reason for their long life. And, it’s not just the long life, it’s the quality of life that they live, they cherish gives them the reason to live.
We’ve been talking about this concept of ikigai, but how do we comprehend this? What does it, in a real-life situation, mean? What is ikigai?
Image Source: becomingbetter.org
To know what it means – well, this will only inform you of the meaning conceptually – but to know what Ikigai means, even if it is conceptually, visualise 4 circles. Like in a Venn diagram which has two circles overlapping, imagine these four circles overlapping with a part of a circle barely overlapping the other three. That tiny little patch where all the circles coincide and meet is where the ikigai lies. Each circle in this diagram represents something – the first circle represents what you love, the second represents what you’re good at, the third circle represents what you can be paid for and the last one what the world needs. And the area where they all meet is where you find your ikigai. Ikigai is a simple yet complex phenomenon that has layers of purpose, aim, objective, intent, motive and cause. An intersection of all these facets in your life may allow you to find your ikigai. Ikigai's pursuit is also a life long search, and one can never settle on this.
To know more, listen to our podcast "Ikigai" here. You may also listen to the podcast on your preferred streaming platforms - Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Google Podcast
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