One of our favorite things about what we do in NEARSOL is the fact that we get great opportunities to learn from amazing people every day.
We’re a motley crew of professionals, artists, intellectuals, people from all walks of life, as well as all colors of the rainbow. Because we welcome a wide age gamut, we get the best of everything – wisdom from those who have lived many summers, and lightheartedness from the younger set.
In a recent huddle, one of ours brought up a concept that many of us were familiar with but hardly discussed… IKIGAI.
Ikigai is a Japanese term that roughly translates to “reason for being”. Pronounced ee-key-guy, this concept strives to balance the practical with the spiritual. It is a combination of the Japanese words ikiru (to live) and kai (the sensation of what one hopes for). Put together, it means “a reason to live” or HAVING A LIFE PURPOSE.
The ongoing pandemic had us moving away from the idea that
economic success, wealth, property, and
material possessions are signs of achievement.
Now more than ever, we have realized that what matters really is
happiness, connection, belonging, health… togetherness.
Covid-19, in a huge way, has reconstructed how we define happiness. It has also made so many of us take a long hard look at our life’s purpose.
Your ikigai is your reason for jumping out of bed
That proverbial coffee commercial (Para kanino ka bumabangon? Which translates to Who do you get out of bed for?) hit a chord in all of us because it forces us to rethink how we view our reason for being. With that in mind, how do you answer that question? How do we find our IKIGAI?
No matter how lost you may feel at the moment, Japanese culture believes that everyone has ikigai. Finding our strengths, however, isn’t always easy. Here are four questions that usually get thrown around to help you. Ask yourself.
- What do I love?
- What am I good at?
- What can I be paid for?
- What does the world need?
The first question is your passion. The second, your vocation. The third, your profession. The last, your mission.
Ikigai is the union of those four fundamental concepts – your PASSION, VOCATION, PROFESSION, AND MISSION.
Simply put, it’s where what you love and what you’re good at, meets what you can be paid for that the world needs.
Many spend a lifetime finding that golden overlap. Ikigai becomes complete only when the goal also implies service to the company. This is because after we fulfill our personal needs, our need for satisfaction will now include giving gifts than receiving.
This isn’t, of course, to say, that work is the only thing that matters. There’s a subtle difference between your life’s work and the things that are important in your life. Ikigai is about finding balance, joy, and fulfillment in your daily grind.
It can be easy to fall into the thinking that our families, jobs, and passions are separate and unrelated. But the central truth of Ikigai is that nothing is isolated. Everything is connected and the key here is to find that balance.
If you’re in that extraordinary journey of finding that equilibrium in your life, allow yourself opportunities to try things. Perhaps it’s a different job or function. It could be a hobby or advocacy. The possibilities are endless.
Join the NEARSOL family. Work with us!
Many have found their ikigai here. Yours awaits.
NEARSOL is a US-based BPO and service company that offers clients custom-design solutions. It began operations in 2006 and has since gained a strong presence in the Latin American regions, the Caribbean, and the Asia Pacific, winning numerous awards for quality and service along the way. Most recent of which is its Great Place to Work-Certified™ Recognition.
The Great Place to Work-Certified™ Recognition is a global accreditation that tells stakeholders what employees think of the company culture. In brief, it says a lot about the happiness and productivity index in NEARSOL. Certification means people are happy working here and that leadership trust is palpable and real.
Come and discover why our employees and clients think we’re a great place to work!
We want you! Visit nearsol.us and fill out your details through NIA, (NEARSOL Intelligence Automation), our personalized platform for the application process.
… before we end this short article, here are a few practical tidbits we’ve learned in the course of finding our IKIGAI as NEARSOL team members… Finding balance doesn’t require you to perform grandiose acts. It can simply involve staying active both physically and mentally. Don’t fill your stomach. Take it slow. Baby steps help! Smile and reconnect with nature. Surround yourself with great friends. Last but not least, maintain an attitude of gratitude. Nothing beats giving thanks.
May we all find our IKIGAI!
