Ikigai

Japanese. Iki=Life Gai=Values

You’re at your mid twenty or even more. Thinking back of what have you done in 2020. So many problems. So many issues. Did you enjoy your life recently? Was your job too difficult? Is it how you are gonna spend the rest of your age? Did you ever think on what you do, can change other people’s life ?

I was so lucky to receive sharing session from Tokopedia AVP of Sales, Operation & Product, I Ketut Adi Putra (https://www.linkedin.com/in/iketutadiputra/) about Ikigai.

Finding correct purpose of our life

People are born in this world differently. Each of us has a role to fulfill. Not all can become farmer. Not everybody can become doctors or lawyers. But if you became a doctor, or any prestigious job, is that how you define a successful life ? Or you define it by having huge source of income ?

In Ikigai definition, you are doing successful life if you have found your life purpose, by fulfilling these four elements:

Are you helpful to the world or society ?

Have you ever thought about this — is there any chance that what you do for living is actually bringing impact to other people? Or it only brings impact for the company, to your spouse and children 🙏

Are you good at your job ?

Do you have talent for it? Did people recognize and appraise your skills and achievements ? Will you able to grow your career path easily in the future?

Is your job making you enough money for living ?

I repeat. Enough. To acquire what we need. Not what we want. But if you are after the being rich, that’s okay, just please do not forget how your richness can be meaningful for the people.

Lastly, do you LOVE your job ?

I congratulate you if you do. But if you don’t — perhaps it is still not too late to be after different route. Loving your job is an extreme factor for your growth.

Some slices of these elements will form new interesting terms:

• Profession: you are skilled at your job, and it pays good. But do you love it and does it bring positive impact to the world ?
• Vocation: your job actually is what needed by many people and it brings enough paycheck. But do you enjoy your job and are you actually good at it?
• Passion: you are talented in singing, and you love singing everywhere, especially in bathroom. However people don’t find them interesting to buy your albums. And moreover, how you can make use your beautiful voice to help the world ? — of course there are ways, please think this through 😃
• Mission: your humanity calls brings you to job that helps many people, and you love it. Unfortunately social works often are not inline with economy.

Q: That’s difficult. I love what I do. I am good at it and it pays well. Isn’t it enough to define that I am successful ?

Well unfortunately not enough, according to Ikigai. Remember that I wrote previously, that we all have each role to fill. Means, each one of us can be helpful to people other than ourselves and our family.

Q: it’s too theoretical. Can you give real example ?

Ooo — kay, because I work in information technology field, then I will use this as example. You are a programmer. You do love programming and you are very good at it. Each code you produced has good quality with less bugs. And because it is easy for you, you have lot of free time to help your team mates and also to think through on innovations. And because of your dedication, you are acknowledged by the company and it opens your career path. With your monthly paycheck it is enough to buy you foods, clothes, groceries and if you are good at savings and money management, it must be enough to make installment of small house or apartment, somewhere. Your own very house. And the company you are working for — has a noble visions, that is to empower the nation’s micro, small and medium sized enterprises economy, throughout the country via digital marketplace and digital transformations. This way, everybody can be given chance to have their own successful business online and can be reachable by any buyers. Your piece of codes, directly or indirectly gives impact to the whole country. Got what I mean ?

Q: … wait… that sounds like Tokopedia ?

I am not sure what you are talking about 😄 perhaps just a coincidence, haha!

Q: Do I actually have to setup way of life according to Ikigai ?

Not have to. This is just one of the reference for us to be going to the right direction. Of course there are many other philosophies that we can choose, like way of life based on religion or other culture. This article only introduces the concept of Ikigai, does not mean that it is all correct. No no, nothing created by human is perfect. For example, how can you map Ikigai for a wife who works in household, focusing in growing her children to be great and responsible adult? We can’t say house wife does not have life purpose (i.e. she does not earn money)— instead they are actually doing the most noble cause. The future of our country and earth really depends on how mother raises her children.

I think what is the most important message that Ikigai wants to tell us is the life balance, and one thing that most people often forgot: thinking the life of others.

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Thank you for reading 🍻