Continuing the Ikiquest
In the Ikiquest announcement, I shared an idea from Mark Twain…
The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.
While I’m not Mark Twain, I added a third day.
The day you remove everything that distracts you from that purpose.
That’s the day you live your life into your Ikigai.
Ikigai is about experiencing your essence and purpose in harmony with whatever you do.
The WHO, WHAT and WHY of Ikigai
What does that mean?
How do I connect to my purpose?
Let’s explore what that means and how you can activate it in your life.
Audio narration by David Marlow
The three circles of The Who, What, and Why of Ikigai are arranged with purpose on top on purpose.
I'm going to go into that in more detail later on.
For now, take my word for it; purpose needs to be on top.
If you don’t know your purpose or even if you do the quest to live, our Ikigai is an ever-deepening understanding. Be open to developing a deeper understanding of your purpose.
Here’s a quick approach you can use in the upcoming week to uncover a deeper understanding of your purpose.
Think about what activities or hobbies bring you joy and fulfillment. Pursuing your interests and passions can lead to a sense of purpose.
Helping others can be a powerful way to find meaning in your life. Look for volunteer opportunities that align with your interests and values.
Reflect on your strengths and values: Consider your unique strengths and values.
📌 What are you naturally good at?
📌 What matters most to you?
📌 Use this information to guide your search for purpose.
When building practices and habits, choose harmony over content.
🌱 The best book is the one you can’t put down.
🌱 The best fitness activity is the one you relish doing every day.
🌱 The best healthy food is the one you find delicious.
🌱 The best work is work that creates flow, which is most like play.
By aligning things, you enjoy with the things you do, you find harmony and connect with your Ikigai.
One final note:
Begin the habit of journaling.
Writing down your thoughts, feelings, and observations around the aforementioned topics can help you better understand yourself and identify what brings you joy and meaning.
Which, of course, leads to understanding your purpose.
And it is not "waiting for that day". As you point out, David, it is work. It is building. It is writing. Digging to uncover. We will know it when we get there.
I agree with you David and I like the added component to the Mark Twain quote. One of my favorites from an authentic American author with a fictional name ;) measuring actually of the depth of so-called safe water. Serving as a young pilot on a steam boat Samuel Clemens came up with the pen name > from "mark twain", the leadsman's cry for a measured river depth of two fathoms (12 feet), which was safe water for a steamboat. "Safe Water Mark"...um. How do we plot our "Safe Waters"? And...Who is the Who of the Why, What and Who of the circles. Is it simply us or is there another with us in the WHO? I will defer to the Rock Group the WHO. Interesting song and story> Who Are You, the last album released by the group before Keith Moon's death in September 1978. It was written by Pete Townshend when he literally hit rock bottom. He had it all and like most...had nothing worth it left. Lesson may be> if we only depend on our selves we are never totally free and the Essence (Who) defined as> The intrinsic or indispensable quality or qualities that serve to characterize or identify something. Well is never wholly complete without Divine interaction allowed by us! Pax, Lux et Amor! Veritas IHS Enjoy this Week leading up to the Easter Sunday and Season of true Joy and that purpose we are all looking for :)