There’s a Word for That? The Life Changing Practice of IKIGAI
What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning? (No, not that pesky alarm clock!) I mean the focus and joy in your life that makes you look forward to getting up each day.
It could be:
Family: your partner, your children, your pets.
Getting out in nature.
Doing something you love as a career.
A hobby, a practice. A special morning ritual.
Or, simply just the joy of being here on this Earth at this time and looking forward with curiosity to all the things you will learn and discover each day.
Whatever your personal and unique reason for sustained joy in your life, the concept itself is universal. And one culture has a name for it: IKIGAI.
IKIGAI is What Joyfully Gets You Moving in the Morning!
It’s a Japanese word that means the art of doing something with supreme focus and joy. Many have learned about the principles of IKIGAI thanks to renowned Japanese neuroscientist Ken Mogi. I stumbled across the fascinating and exciting IKIGAI and Ken Mogi some time ago.
Mogi is not just a neuroscientist. He is also known as one of the top intellectual thinkers of today and has written almost 100 books in Japanese, including one on the IKIGAI philosophy. He is not just knowledgeable in science, but in philosophy, history, art, law, and other areas.
Mogi believes you can live happy with your own IKIGAI. Since our upcoming Kaleidoscope Retreat is focused on “The JOY of Being You,” the concept of IKIGAI is a perfect fit, and a wonderful tool to use in your own life.
According to Mogi, there are 5 Pillars of IKIGAI:
1. Starting small
2. Releasing yourself
3. Harmony and sustainability
4. The joy of small things
5. Being in the here and now
Everyone has an IKIGAI! Something that makes it worthwhile to get up in the morning. Your pleasures, meaning and sense in life. Yet, the IKIGAI is often hidden, and it takes a life’s journey to find and unveil it.
But if we find it, we have the chance to live a long, happy and healthy life. In fact, if you search for the oldest people in the world, you might notice that Japan seems to be a hotspot! The Japanese Island of Okinawa has the largest population of 100-year-olds in the world! Coincidence? Or IKIGAI?
Find Your IKIGAI at Kaleidoscope Retreats
In our Kaleidoscope Retreats, we strive to use this essence and combine it with our powerful tools and methods to find the true happy joyful YOU. In fact, we can find IKIGAI in Kaleidoscope!
IKIGAI
I In
K Kaleidoscope
I I
G Gain
A Amazing
I Insights!
Just turn the Kaleidoscope and view your life through different lenses. This is what we do!
Our Retreats are about a new orientation: realignment, repurposing, refocusing, readjustment.
We help you redefine your strategies, your priorities, your philosophy – and set you on your own personal path to happiness and fulfillment.
To do this you need to take some time off: to really be instead of always busy doing – (to learn more about the importance of being rather than doing, read my blog post More Being, Less Doing). What better way than to do this together with like-minded people?
If you are in a transition phase (something that naturally happens throughout your life while you are getting older and wiser) – or if you’ve had dramatic changes to cope with – this work is right for you!
I invite you to check out the IKIGAI philosophy and see if it can help you in your life! If you need support, guidance, or simply want to explore these ideas within a focused, passionate group of people, contact me or visit the Kaleidoscope website today!