Disintegrated Man
The importance of living into your Ikigai in everything you do.
Audio narration by David Marlow
We are put on this Earth not to fashion ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be but to uncover who we already are and become that person fully, living into it in harmony with every aspect of our lives.
📌 What happens when we aren’t living in harmony with our essence and purpose in the things we do?
Exhaustion comes from persistently pushing ourselves to conform to external expectations rather than aligning with our innermost dreams and values.
This conformity robs us of our vitality, enthusiasm, and capacity to thrive, and it often feels like a trap that is difficult to escape.
Burnout happens when you live outside of your place of harmony for too long.
Ikigai is about experiencing your essence and purpose in harmony with whatever you do.
When we live out our essence and purpose in that state of harmony, we are living as an integrated self.
Channeling our energy into cultivating practices that support our well-being and infuse meaning into every facet of our lives is an act of integrity.
Operating outside of that, we dis-integrate a bit and eventually, that dis-integration manifests, often as burnout.
I thought about the sculpture pictured above (Spillover II) several times in the past few weeks.
It would have been easy to justify pushing myself to do things when I was ill and needed rest. I could list a hundred reasons why I needed to write and post, send emails, winterize my home, and so on.
“Suck it up and make it happen,” said the voice in my head more than once.
I imagine that’s what the man in the sculpture did time after time, day after day, year after year. Until one day, he couldn’t anymore, and the remaining pieces and parts of him sat disintegrating on that piece of concrete looking out at Lake Michigan.
And there they stay.
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Excellent observation and relatable to the sculpture in facets of true importance and what happens when we do not focus on them! If we think of ourselves to be in the image and likeness of our Creator why would we tend to focus on our physical selves when our spiritual connection with the Divine is the most important element to ones growth and fulfillment? Glad you are better David and know that you have been blessed....yes blessed to slow down a bit and have a chance to see more clearly of whence I am speaking. If we do not place God (The Triune One of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) within and over the center where there currently resides Ikigai we are limited to growth in the most excellent way. We then start the climb to the highest peak on earth to seemingly only reach the mid way point of the mountain top! We are built for greatness not just on a path but on The Path to IHS. Praying for you and others and most grateful for your insights and wisdom! Semper ad maiora! Always to greater things! Pax, Lux et Amor! Veritas IHS