Out of the Mouth of Babes
An Ikigai observation.
Kids are way ahead of adults in understanding their Ikigai. I will share a glimpse into an insight my great-niece Lydia shared a while back.
Though not as long as Henry Nouwen’s observation about the duality of life it is certainly as profound.
“Our life is a short time in expectation, a time in which sadness and joy kiss each other at every moment. There is a quality of sadness that pervades all the moments of our lives.
It seems that there is no such thing as a clear-cut pure joy, but that even in the most happy moments of our existence we sense a tinge of sadness.
In every satisfaction, there is an awareness of limitations. In every success, there is the fear of jealousy.
Behind every smile, there is a tear. In every embrace, there is loneliness. In every friendship, distance.
And in all forms of light, there is the knowledge of surrounding darkness . . .
But this intimate experience in which every bit of life is touched by a bit of death can point us beyond the limits of our existence. It can do so by making us look forward in expectation to the day when our hearts will be filled with perfect joy, a joy that no one shall take away from us.”
Lydia
The teacher asked Lydia and her class a wonderfully Ikigai kind of question.
“Imagine if you did your best in school, practiced challenging skills often, learned from your mistakes, and had a growth mindset that kept you motivated to continue trying and learning, what career would you want to be successful when you grow up?”
Not what you want to ‘be’ when you grow up. Rather a focus on trying, learning, growing, and developing.
My niece’s answer touches on both that and the paradox of life that Nouwen also speaks to; she was 7 when she wrote this.
“I want to be a teacher when I grow up because I love math and science. And I like kids to. I think it will be fun to. It will be hard to learn so much in one life. I hope it will last long.”
What would you answer if asked this question? Let’s rephrase it a bit.
Imagine if you tried new things and challenged yourself often. While trying new things, you learn from your mistakes, embracing a growth mindset that keeps you motivated to continue trying and learning.
What would you want to do, try or learn now that you are ‘grown up?’
Love this for so many reasons as honesty and authenticity is key with little children and actually dogs...and why we love that so much! It's not that adults cannot become kids again but as adults to allow that unfiltered ramifications that hampers our actions is helpful when peeling away the scars of life to think like kids again and have trust with those that are trustworthy!
Love the insight! We should always ask (never stop asking) ourselves what we want to be “when we grow up” regardless of our age. We need to realize we are in a constant journey of growth..up to us to seize every moment in our journey and grow!