Happy without retirement?
Do you know the concept of IKIGAI?
Definition: IKI = Life, GAI = Value → Worth of life; meaning of life
The inhabitants of the island of Okinawa, Japan, live by this concept and are considered the happiest and longest-living population group.
They work their entire lives and don’t even think about retirement! Even when they can no longer pursue their profession, they remain active, try to be useful in the community as much as possible, and engage in their hobbies.
For them, the principle of true happiness in life is to find their personal Ikigai.
Sounds wonderful, right? What lies behind this concept?
It includes many things, but the most important elements are the following four:
To find your IKIGAI, you should define and align these four areas.
Here are the questions listed again:
What do you love to do?
What does the world need? (Your community, your family)
What can you be paid for?
What are you good at? (or can become really good at)
For me, it makes a lot of sense that the question "What are you good at?" should be answered last. Often, we find it very difficult to acknowledge this because we haven’t fully expressed or rediscovered our talent due to past negative experiences. (Has anyone ever told you that you’re not a good dancer, even though you always loved it, and then you stopped? Maybe you still have a hidden talent.) So, write down what you’re already good at, what you were once good at, or what you could be good at if you practiced.
Next comes the hardest and most beautiful part: TAKE ACTION!
Do something with this realization! Start a course, create a workshop, buy a canvas! Whatever it is you need to do, just do it! Only by doing so can you truly know what your life’s purpose is.
Because: it doesn’t just come to you – you have to discover it!
Good luck applying the concept.
All the best,
Claudia :)