it was like this in ancient greece or rome. in imperial china or japan, the merchant kingdoms of south asia and south east asia. industrialization and modernization brought many benefits but changed our educational system to do one and one thing only: prepare for employment, not for a mentally and physically healthy life.
I teach a freshman "career exploration" class and ikigai is the culmination of every lesson. Not every school, but at least every kid in my school has heard it...
if only schools taught us this valuable information rather then robbing us of our creativity. our world today would be in much more harmony and synchronicity with eachother and the universe
I had a job that I absolutely hated for years; I was good at it, I was helping people that sometimes really needed it, and I made decent money. I was working 6 days a week with no holidays but Christmas and Thanksgiving, worked my birthdays, no overtime, no sick time, one vacation in six years (I got called every day asking when I would be back and why I left), and basically on call for everything the alcoholic, drug addicted, womanizing, gambling owner wanted (not limited to beer runs, grocery shopping, escorting his women to and from hotels, and covering his tracks from other women) and when I wouldn't be his personal slave, I would be guilt tripped, gas lighted, or reminded that HE was "the f*cking boss, called the shots, and I do what he says"... I convinced myself that it was normal, justified his actions because he was my step dad at the time, treated the business as my own because it was willed to me, and hid the looming reality of misery behind shiny new toys and alcohol. I remember thinking 'If I got into a really bad car accident, I could probably get a week or two off of work', and finally realized how out of hand things have gotten. I luckily ended up getting fired (over the phone, because I had plans and couldn't come in two hours after closing) and taking the next few years off. I met someone, bought a van, we live in it and travel together now. I've been working at a local grocery store, in one of my most favorite small towns, as a meat cutter. I make 25% less money, work almost half as many hours, and enjoy my job exponentially more; The work environment is peaceful, my coworkers are kind, the customers are almost all friendly, and most of the people I meet are like minded. The job is easy, I get a lot of satisfaction from some of my tasks, and my current supervisor is extremely supportive, kind, and always makes me feel valued. Even on my days off, I usually go into work just to hang out and talk with people, because I like it there. To some people, I am just a butcher in the middle of nowhere making minimum wage, but I genuinely love my job and the people I work with, and that is good enough for me. Keep your heads up, folks, and don't let any situation or any person make you feel trapped or less valuable than you really are. Sometimes a means to an end is the means to a new beginning better than you ever thought possible.
@ChandanSharma-tl2db no problem! Glad it resonated with you. A word of advice; don't let the education system, your parents, grandparents, partner, or even societal expectations make you feel like you HAVE to pursue a college education immediately after you graduate. That is an excellent way to end up in massive debt (as soon as your adult life begins) for a degree that you might never use. Take some time, really put your head and heart into it and think about what truly makes you happy, and pursue that.
Well written brother currently feel trapped in a situation too, the abuse that comes with working for someone who expects you to not have a social life cause they pay you it's fucked up in so many levels I just figured out what IKIGAI is yesterday and I'm happy to have come across your post health and happiness is better than anything man it's all we got...... love and blessings to you all the way from South Africa
It's amazing to being able to connect with people from all across the world. Social media can be really toxic and dangerous, but these are things that make me appreciate it. Keep your head up, you're never trapped. Do good and it will come around full circle, you'll be living a better life soon. Just always remember to put yourself, health, friends and family first!
Something we're good at = Stoic Something we love to do = Taoist Something the world needs = Buddhist Something we can get paid for = Realist Japanese philosophy is some of the most holistic and genuine in the world.
@@Shrouded_reaper same with stoicism... u can't be a part of a whole without contributing to it and you cant contribute to it if u can't sustain yourself and you cant sustain urself if what you do isnt fulfilling or meant for you
One of the problems I’ve had in life is that I allowed myself to be told my society to do things I wasn’t meant to do in order to succeed. It took me 7 months of stress, anxiety, borderline depression to finally realize and accept who I am. I’m different from others, and their methods are not in alignment with who I am and that’s ok! I know what I’m meant to do, finally, and I won’t settle for anything else, now my current goal is getting myself out of the situation I carelessly put myself in. Stay blessed brothers and sisters!🙏
I feel like i could have written this. i literally found what i want to do this afternoon after years of seeking and trying to please other. After health scares and pain, i decided that was it - i have to do what i want. This video couldn't be better timed.
Not to immediately feel like attacking you but: In what way(s) are you/do you feel different from others? I also feel different as I have opinions (actually facts, objective reality to back me up) that makes others furious if they hear it. And I only have 2 'goals' in life - not that life has a goal or purpose, besides procreation biologically speaking, life is just an intricate play of chemical reactions, influenced by abiotic factors that started about 3.8 billion years ago on Earth, some even hypothesize outside Earth before that; if we weren't the result of billions of years of evolution in a stable universe with consistent laws of physics, we wouldn't be here to think about it in the first place - ° Become a shihan, which is licensed master, a term also used in Japanese martial arts, above senpai & sensei, although in most shakuhachi ryu (schools/styles/lineages) there are only 3 major grades: jun shihan, shihan & dai shihan. In shakuhachi (Japanese flute with a tradition of mendicant Rinzai zen monks and also ronin - ex samurai - that dates back to the Edo period, but as an instrument has its origins in China, tracing back to Fuke, a Chan monk legend), preferably Kinpu Ryu or something like that. ° Get a natural ginger girlfriend (not colored, the actual mutation, the complete picture with the complexion like pale skin, heck maybe even freckles and all, imho the most beautiful beings on Earth, at least the girls, I don't feel attracted to the boys haha) or have sex with a ginger girl at least once. ° Moving to Iceland might be a third goal, although I still don't know about that. I live on a day to day basis. Even though it won't help me in the long term. So big plans never come into existence really. I have basically no internal motivation. I have a serious tea (primarily caffeine, due to it being a stimulant drug) addiction as a result. Amounts that make me kind of worried it will seriously harm my liver, maybe kidneys in the long term. Sometimes I drink 50 grams in a day, even on almost empty stomaches. Amounts that would make most other people puke in a mere minutes. I have puked several times from drinking too strong tea though. I have that nausea more with tea bags then loose tea. Probably because loose leaf tea has bigger pieces, while bags primarily contain dusty particles, hence they infuse faster & differently or something... Interestingly I never got addicted to coca tea, but coca tea is waaaay lighter then regular caffeine containing tea though. I also have an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and am a vegan. The latter being great in several ways and my own choice; the first being a complete burden I was born with - you don't want to be sensitive, life is a hell, especially when you start comparing yourself to others, I can't even go for a walk in my own town, knowing dogs will start shouting like they always do, the smell of tobacco immediately sucks away over 90% of the fun I might have been having beforehand. Others cannot even comprehend what it's like to have dysfunctional hippocampus & amygdala, and whatever else is influenced by autistic/asperger genes. - No real friends, even though I crave human contact everyday. I lost my virginity to a Romanian prostitute, that's how desperate I am for contact. Not that I regret it, I actually went a second time, but quit after that because it's so expensive for so little. You can't even kiss, no real love of course, and every extra thing will cost you. Half and half, with both halves covered in a thick rubber so to speak, so you barely feel a thing, touching their legs with your hands is more intense then actually 'being in'. I've also battled with depression numerous times. And it I'll probably never go away for good. Apparently, if you had 3 major depressive episodes so far, the chance of suffering again is over 99%. Depression is usually a lifelong illness. Another weakness alongside ASD. It takes away your life, you don't 'become stronger because it doesn't kill you'. In fact, I've tried overdosing on my 15, planned the (apparently not) last day of my 'life' with caffeine/theanine, eaten & vaped cannabis, I believe bupropion and escitalopram antidepressants at the time, and magic mushrooms in my body. Trying to hang myself after crying for half of the trip. I remember talking with my then psychiatrist in his office only a mere moments before taking my belt off (for hanging that is) , following him while the floor consisted of flashy geometric fish shapes. He didn't seem to notice I was under the influence of something... Maybe my lack of life and pain was bigger then any psychoactives effect that day. Funny thing, we actually had a concert that day in a psychiatric center, I played the bass and some shakuhachi parts for effects. We were the live music for a kind of play with figures. He (psychiatrist) told me I played pretty good, but I don't think so, especially when relistening to the recording. I have to admit that I am mentally weak. That overdose on my 15 was because my (only) ex broke up with me at the time. She even already had another for a while when we were still together. Killing myself for girls, common, what a weakness. Yet I still prefer my teenage years though. The 2 years of boarding school were probably the best 2 of my school life, even though with hardships and being the victim of a sociopathic girl, which I fell in love with as well. I fall in love pretty easily, cried a lot due to girls being unachievable. That hanging during that trip was for a big part because I fell in love with an intern at the psychiatric center I followed therapy at the time. I rationally knew it would never become something, yet I fell in love for months. So I guess I kind of understand your pain. Although yours, and your story will probably be wildly different from mine. (not that I told everything of course, that would be too long for a youtube comment I guess)
@@mitthrawnuruodo1730Yes I know that one. :) I did that test once, I showed up as an INTP. But that wasn't kind of the thing I was expecting to be honest. :) You don't have to tell more of course. You peeked my interest I guess, that's all.
A girl in a motivation video once said "Having purpose is when you're able to do what's meaningful to you". It kinda got me thinking when I heard it, maybe it helps someone else.
serendipidus1 Strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet. Could you find enjoyment/fulfillment in making these things and sharing your talent with others even if you do not know them? People pay for things that are meaningful to them. Perhaps what you make would also be meaningful to someone else? I do see what you’re saying and have had the same thoughts but maybe we can look at it from a different perspective. ???
-The same reason I brush my teeth in the morning or wipe after a dump. It isn't exciting or an adventure, it's just work. Some people are okay with going to work and some would rather die.
One of the most important things you mention is at the end, where this state changes with time. I find time and again that a common flaw in Western thinking is that we believe that things will always continue pretty much as they are, when the reality is that circumstances are constantly changing, and we are constantly changing. What compounds it is that the rate of change is not constant over time, and is not constant across the 4 areas you mention. Coming to grips with change is one of the most challenging things for Westerners.
I decided to read Ikigai after seeing the Venn diagram being widely circulated. After all, I felt that if I could get a tool kit for happier, longer life, why not grab it? But as I delved into the book, especially the interviews conducted by the author with the centenarians in Okinawa, I felt the Japanese experience of Ikigai was unnecessarily complicated to create a Venn diagram out of it. I read that the people in the island where the study was conducted had different things that kept them going, for example: Taking care of one’s vegetable garden, going to the market, talking to people, waving to school kids, chatting with best friend over a cup of tea, participating in games and communal activities and so on. It is these activities that gave their life a purpose, not anything too complicated to comprehend. I genuinely felt, as it was with my own case, that the Venn diagram is unattainable for a large majority. This may itself lead to the feelings of lack of purpose in life. A better way is to find the small joys in life which you may be ignoring in the pursuit of larger stuff. Reading the book may open up more perspectives of understanding the concept of Ikigai.
I definitely agree where you said that the diagram itself can give feelings of lack of purpose in life. The constant demand of the world for you to “find your passion and find it fast or else...” is just exhausting
I was just about to post that I've found it very difficult to check all 4 boxes of this Venn diagram. 3 is doable, and I've been there, but all 4? I'll keep trying I guess.
I agree with the notion that this will be unattainable for majority of societies, but only due to the brainwashing of societies that give people their purposes. Most believe they need more and more. The more we want want, the more we need to create, but who say that you need all of these things whether they are materialistic, knowledge, or even idealism? Most people are lying to themselves thus will never fulfill the simple rules of Ikigai.
Really? I would think the problem would be finding something we love to do, I can't think of a single thing. If I could figure that part out I'm sure I could twist the rest of it in there somehow. It's not like the world really needs anything from us, what they're really talking about is human society, not the world, and you can make people "need" whatever you want, our circuits are not very complicated. And once you've made people think they need it then making money of it is easy. If they're not talking about what society thinks it needs, but rather what you think it needs, well then you just have to make other people agree with you and then you can make money of that to. And being good at something is just practice, so that part is super easy if you love doing it anyway. So it seems to me like the problem is finding something you consistently love doing that are not breathing, eating or sex which I'm assuming don't count.
@@daniel4647 in that case why don't you come and help me with my brand. I have found a thing that's awesome to create but does not bring in any dime. If you say you can sell things, I can use someone like you.
There all problematic. What am I good at? Nothing. What doI enjoy? Nothing. What does the world need from me? Nothing. Cani get paid for doing nothing and being good at nothing? No.
This is one of the channels that gave me the courage to start my TH-cam channel 2 months ago about self development. Now I have 164 subs and almost 80 hours of watch time. I know it’s not comparable with others but I’m still proud I started because I’ve been learning so many lessons that I couldn’t have learned without getting started in the 1st place.
@@Liliarthan Whoever you are, I don't know you personally but I can say that you're one of the non-judgmental and open-minded people who is not fixated on tangible or external factors in order to learn from someone like me. Just because someone doesn't have a piece of paper as a credential, doesn't mean that person is not entitled to share personal experiences with the hope & intention to inspire others. Keep up with whatever it is that you're doing to improve mankind or improving your life even to a slight degree each day. This is just one part of a bigger puzzle for creating my TH-cam channel about holistic health. I literally could have died back when I was 14 years old due to major depression but here I am right now replying to you, a TH-camr, who's full of fulfillment and dedication to help others to be a better version of themselves. I ain't better than anyone else but my old self. That's all that really makes this TH-cam thing more meaningful and enjoyable. Thanks so much for your support! I am hoping that you can join me with this endless personal development journey! :)
after so many trial and error, and trying different things, I found my ikigai. I fell in love with coding, I'm some what good at it, I once was paid for it (freelance gigs), and the world definitely needs it. So I decided to pursue the developer/software engineering path.
Yesterday one of my friends asked me to get him a book about ikigai and I was like what cinnamon toast is this and today you came up with this topic. What a coincidence. Now I'm gonna share this video with him.
At 43, I have realised that it is far more important how one is, rather than what particular path you should take. In the long run, if someone is conscientious, hard-working, honest, trust-worthy, cooperative, eventually you will find people who will recognise and reciprocate those values. Unfortunately, you will also cross paths with people who will, given the chance, abuse your qualities, and act in bad faith. Marcus Aurelius had some thoughts on how to deal with this.
@@immortalserito774 can you share some research data regarding this ? would like to read about this in detail as i thought people are doing charity for the sake of doing good
This is very good. I am mid 50s and going through some very tough life transitions including having to start again career-wise. I had not heard of Ikigai before. I like that it is so multidimensional. You explained it very well. Thank You.
My wife and I love your videos. We find this stuff very practical and your videos are Not boring and they get straight to the point and are very practical. Keep up the great work! You definitely found your purpose.
Needed this today... I’m currently working in a pharmacy and with the current pandemic, basic work tasks are dreadful to even think about, but it’s all about perspective!
3:30 Doing what you’re good at 4:35 Doing what you love to do 5:58 Doing what the world needs 6:50 Doing what generates money 7:30 *PASSION* 9:00 *IKIGAI*
One of the greatest channels on YT. I am trying to evaluate insurance sales to businesses through the lens of Ikigai...I just started so I'll give it a chance before making any rash decisions based on a YT video. I'm an effective communicator, usually good at explaining, and enjoy getting regular people the money they need in times of crisis but I must admit, I don't like the cold calling to hear "no" all day lol. To be honest, I don't "love" doing anything most days but I'm here so I must do something rather than fall into depression and anxiety. However, I do really like all of your content @Einzelgänger. It is special to me: It's getting me back into philosophy and self-reflection at a time when I really need it. It reminds me that I am not alone in the existential fears and sadness I feel so often.
I only want to spend my time on quality material and people. I have been weeding out my TH-cam subscription list. Einzelgänger is some of the best material I will keep and revisit. Keep up the fantastic work!
Watch the movie Soul. One of the Jerry’s says “You mentors and your purposes. So basic.” I think the point for 22 was enjoying life itself can be a soul’s reason to exist. She appreciated just being alive (jazzing) the way Joe loved and appreciated playing the piano. It’s like Vincent Van Gogh said, “A person who truly loves nature can find beauty anywhere.” A person who loves life can similarly find meaning in very simple things as well. The sun shining on newly planted grass seeds spouting from the ground made my day. Felt productive that seeds I planted and watered were now growing, adding oxygen to the air, glowed bright green in the sunlight, and added life to the Earth. Seeing little birds eat the extra grass seeds was beautiful too. They seemed so happy for the food. Or my dog enjoying the daily walk in the park. She loves it like it is a trip to Disneyland. It’s also things like this we appreciate after being very sick or not seeing a loved one for a long time. Being able to feel healthy and appreciate it or be in the moment to feel the hug a loved one. Even sad moments can be special if we are present to be there for a friend in their heartache.
That movie real made me realise, how amazing and good it is to feel all the human emotions, be it getting afraid, anxious, happy all of it ! It really did make me fall in love with life again... :")
I've been feeling down lately and I feel like my mental state is hanging in a balance. After watching this, I miss those times I had IKIGAI (I didn't know it was a thing). Recently, I felt alone, lost my sense of purpose, and after losing my dad a few months ago. Seeing this video made me realize I need to get back on my feet because I think I still have a chance of turning this around for myself and people love me and need me. Thank you, Einzelgänger!
This is such a nice approach. This type of thinking does not have extremes like your old school Dad telling you to get an office 9 to 5 job;or your friends saying " don't worry about money, just do what you want." It's a balanced way to look at things, taking both sides, practical and emotional sides into consideration.
I'm a musician. The world doesn't need my work, and it's very likely that I'll never get paid for it, but that's not my problem. I do it because that's what I do. If the world doesn’t value what I do I'm not going to do something else. I'm just going to be in poverty. Ikigai is an impossible ideal for the majority of people. I'd rather be doing what I want, than wasting my time working for money that won't make my life any happier. I also have ADHD and PDA, so I'd rather be homeless than trapped in a job that didn't work for me, which almost all of them do not. This culture and what it values can sit on a pile of plutonium. You'd have to really extensively believe in an afterlife to waste that much time getting used by people that want you to stay stuck forever because the only thing that would make that worthwhile is an imaginary place that will justify all of that absolute squandering. 🤣
You should check out agencies that send musicians on cruises and to hotels around the world. Those guys are not multimillionaire but they earn good money.
Hi mate, I play music too, mostly guitar. IMO I think music is needed because people need entertainment to make life enjoyable and creative. Also enough dedication and getting yourself out there could get you paid. Whether its because your performing, or teaching, if its something you love, you definitely can have music as your purpose. 🤑😎
i have mine ! after 5 decades it happened i get paid well to do what i love and it is fulfilling i make more income than i did doing what i hated ! i also have job security that i never had before i don't think i will fire myself any time soon ! the gratitude i receive from the people i help gives me a sense of making the world a better place i am complete
Spending your time on master what you are already good at rather than what you cant do just so you could do it a bit better. Great thought that i am taking from this video. Big thanks.
Amazing as always!! 🔥🔥The rhythm of your life is your choice... to go with or against, your flow is not one of resistance but one of higher purpose...your TRUE BEING
Thank you for putting this on. As a mid-lifer, I definitely needed to speak to someone about the purpose of my life. I see myself as relatively successful, but these past few days I was seeking people out just to speak about my purpose. I came across your video this morning, and it put a smile on my face and puts me in the right direction. I was feeling depressed. Thank you!
I first learned of Ikigai last year, and I've been thinking about it a lot, and I think I found it. Sometimes I doubt myself, especially now during the pandemic, but videos like this one are very reassuring.
After discovering the term Ikigai, I googled it to get a better description. After skimming about five vague articles I decided that I wasn't going to find anything useful. Then I searched in TH-cam and because I've watched so many Einzelganger videos in the past, this was the first one on the list and it was exactly what I needed. Einzelganger, I feel like you have found your ikigai. Thank you.
Not sure how or when ikigai developed into such an expansive philosophy. The average Japanese would take the word to mean "something that makes life worth living" and that definitely includes trivial pursuits.
Lately I’ve been feeling very low, unmotivated, stuck. I’m 26 now, I don’t know if I will ever find my ikigai, but this video lifted my mood or whatever this is that I am going through, maybe this is temporary but thanks
@@snakeeyesraw I don’t remember commenting on this video but your reply brought me back to the time when I was feeling that certain way. 4years have gone by and now I can say that I might have found my ikigai. I’m in a much better place 😇
@@snakeeyesraw I hope you find yours soon too…or atleast be in the track of that direction of fulfilment. Sooner or later you will be there, keep going and stay strong.
Well it is certainly a good video, mister, that you have brought upon us. Thank you for revealing one of my favorite concept! And keep up doing what you like... Or should I say, follow your Ikigai!
I love this channel. Its always good to listen to when my mind is all over the place and I can usually use this pages videos to ground myself. This and Jocko are my go to for some stability.
Ikigai is definitely an expanded look at the Taoist principal of wei wu wei… doing without doing. When mastering a skill through wei wu wei, you learn and practice it till you can do it without conscious thought. It becomes effortless, and you lose yourself in the flow of the action; just as a river flows freely without thought or restriction. 🙏
Easy, to know each of our meanings in life, it's time to ask what's the source of all life? I really thought this long and hard when I was deciding on a college major. It was so stressful because if I wanted a college major I wanted one that put meaning in my life. I didn't want to just enter into the world of accounting just because my parents told me it was easier to gain money. What's the point of living when you're enslaved with material things in life? Where's the meaning in that, materials things don't make me grow as a human being. Sure basic needs are fulfilled through material things but it's not the essence of life. Then I asked myself what do I even like and what's passionate to me. I got even more stressful because I have no idea. I don't know myself. Then I asked who the hell would know, surely when I asked my friends I didn't trust their judgement. I went through a psyche test from school that resulted in a more suitable college major based on a set of psychological questions. But then I thought, 'Isn't that judgement based on who I am today, and what if I'm not good today as a person from what I'm supposed to be? What if I change through time and it turns out to not be my passion?' Since arguably, judgement based on my psychology doesn't reflect on what actually gets me through life. So I suddenly thought, who would know me better than I do, would know the purpose of my life, and would give me an absolute answer? Well the answer was God, turns out. That stressful night I actually sat down and prayed for the first time in so long, meaningfully. The next day I got a sign, I was in a restaurant and God used other people to talk to me. It's a very likely option that other than an audible voice, inner voice, situations, The Bible, etc, God used other people to speak to me. There was this cop, a police officer talking to me, he was in his free time. Before entering the police force he was a law major. He was in his free time and for some reason he brought up a conversation with me, it was really rare for a stranger to sprung up a conversation like that to me in life. But I found that when I was talking about law with this person I was so sure for some reason that I wanted to go to law. So I got up my college forms and only chose law as the option for me getting in and I'm in now. I have no regrets, even if I end up feeling tired of law school i know that He promised me a meaningful life in this field and it's the only reason to keep going. I'm passionate about law and I'm grateful God has a plan for me.
My Ikigai is music ❤ I've been playing and writing music for 23 years now, and feel I have developed my skills a lot as a musician and producer. I've loved my journey so far though at times it hasn't been easy to keep faith in myself but I'm finally feeling free to do what I love without compromise. If my music can even make just one person happy, or help them in some way then it is worth it. I am working hard that one day I may be fortunate enough to earn money from my music. I must be patient and focused, and keep faith in myself that this can be my Ikigai. I hope everyone here finds and realizes theirs too
Byt then its not your Ikigai yet!!!.. when you start Making money then its your Ikigai!!!... I Wonder how many People WHO thinks them playing music and they Call it their ikigai.. if you dont make money on it its just your hobby!!! According to this philosofhy
Very good. But it seems in music today in order to make money you have to sell out and be a corporate tool. Hopefully your not in it just for money cause what the world needs now is another pop singer like I need a hole in my head.
00:00 Discover your Ikigai to find your purpose 01:33 Unhappy jobs can lead to serious health problems 02:53 Ikigai helps identify the right thing to do for an individual 04:12 Manifesting our true potential by mastering skills and doing what we love 05:34 Find something you enjoy that benefits the world 06:47 To make our efforts sustainable, they must generate income. 07:57 Ikigai is the intersection of passion, mission, vocation, and profession. 09:03 Ikigai is the combination of passion, mission, vocation, and profession.
Thank you for this explanation of Ikigai, we should all be pursuing this and if we did the world would be a far better place! I just gave up my profession of 13+ years because it was killing my spirit - I got paid, I was good at it, the world kind of needed it but I hated it every minute! So, as you articulate very clearly, you do need all 4 dimensions for something to be your reason for being.
Even in things you love, there's struggle. Embrace the struggle, the hard work, the difficulty. No greatness can be found with love alone. And greatness is not material success, it's personal success. You decide how far you want to go.
Its better to become first version of yourself than second version of someone else.. 👍 We all are born with specific talent but we try to acquire new skills throughout our life in order to competet with other. Most of people fail to achieve their goal because they are chasing behind something in which they are not good. Find the real talent within you which will define your true identity.
I’m very glad and thankful for this channel. I’ve always been a rather stoic person in philosophy, but never really could define what it was until I started watching these videos and some other channels of the like. This video really nails down a lot of things on how one should take control of their life. I’ve watched it several times and shared it with friends. Interestingly, not this video, but this channel has partially inspired me to stop being lazy and begin my own TH-cam channel, as I had been putting it off for a long time, based on various fears which took a long time to overcome. We should want to, and give ourselves permission to share our passions with the world, so long as they are a force for good. Cheers.
work from home because of the virus made me feel so much better. I enjoy my job, but the socializing is one thing i have to endure, but now.. i feel at peace, i even don't need that much sleep.
"oftentimes, people focus on improving the things they're bad at. they spend their whole lives repairing themselves while rejecting the things they're naturally good at. so we might want to focus on the latter, and improve those skills se we become masters at it. because why put so much energy into becoming mediocre at best when we have the opportunity to become great? not to mention how the world benefits from us manifesting our true potential." someone should have told this to me when i was a teenager and choosing what to study in college.
Firstly, I suspect that it is quite challenging for most people to find what they love to do. Secondly, it is equally hard for most people to figure out what they are good at. Perhaps after many failures. Third: most jobs that make money are actually quite boring. This is due to increasing specialisation of work. Finally: let’s say for the luck few who knows exactly what they love to do and what they are good at, how likely is it, to have all these things aligned? It feels like it is a matter of how fortunate you are in having all the stars aligned for you
Jayson T According to Merriam Webster Dictionary: Some writers objected to the use of firstly instead of first for the oldest reason in the book: they thought it was new to the language (the 19th-century equivalent of saying: “That’s not a word!”). We know today that they were incorrect, but since firstly hadn’t been entered in dictionaries until then, they could be forgiven for thinking it was a neologism. Others objected with a double correction: they said that those who used firstly created an adverb from first because the firstly-users believed that first wasn’t an adverb-all a waste of time, since first was and is used as an adverb (as are fast, slow, tight, etc.). The new objection was that firstly amounted to a pedantic hypercorrection of a word that was just fine in the first place, and therefore unnecessary. This is clearly the rationale behind the stigmatization found in the entry in the 1847 Webster’s Dictionary. More recent objections have been more about style than substance: these commentators don’t like firstly because it’s longer than first. Even though they are both adverbs, first and firstly are hardly interchangeable in all situations: we never say “firstly of all” or “I firstly noticed it yesterday,” but these differences amount to idiomatic usage-the habits of centuries-and not grammar. In writing, first is much more common than firstly and is probably the best bet for most situations, even if the only reason is that a reader may wonder if firstly is proper and be distracted by this word choice. You might say that the conspiracy has succeeded by maintaining this word's slightly disrespectable reputation.
A Great Guide towards a Great Life!, Thank you so much for making this type of video. It is very motivational, educational and inspirational! Keep up the great work sharing something like this Thumbs up!
You don't have to be passionate about something to achieve the flow state. I wash windows professionally. Do I love it? No. Do I like it? Not particularly, it a source of income and nothing more. That said I've truly mastered the craft. I can enter a state of flow while doing it to the point people regularly stop and just stair at me working. It's a good feeling of both personal accomplishment and social approval from others. It's not my life but an enjoyable moment in it. You can find meaning in anything you do, no matter how small.
To get great pleasure when doing the activity with total mastery might be a way of saying that you love doing something, (rather than loving the idea of it). That you get into a flow state seems to show that you are in a pleasurable state when washing windows.
"Some things are based on nurture, and some things are based on nature." This reminds me of what you said in a Stoicism video: "Some things are up to us, and some things are not up to us."
I don't feel like it's hard to find what you love to do, do the things you HATE doing and you'll easily remember what you'd RATHER do. I feel the problem is, at times, once you finally make what you love your main thing it can downgrade to feeling like work, sometimes. I have a small pallette of things I love to do to stay fresh.
@@buttarain27 It fulfills peace. That is priceless. Ambition only creates conflict, pollution, neurotic society and wars. If we had a lazy society that just cared about eating, sleeping and sex we wouldn't be where we are today ruled by corrupt governments and corporations that are waging wars against the people. Ambition is primarily driven by control over things, attachment and greed. All of these manifested create a destructive environment.
I envy your sleeping skillset: no amount of earplugs keep out the boy racers hooning from 8pm to past midnight. A truck revving its engine for 20 minutes (ffs) around 3am, and my son hammering on the (locked) backdoor at 5:45am, as he forgot his beret for the Armistice Day Dawn Parade. So yeah, we'll done you :) x xxxx x
“Money makes the world go round. Without money, we can’t pay the bills”. This is the second time I heard this sentence within 24hrs from two different sources. This is called Synchronicity :) thank you for a great video!
There is a balance between doing and being. To be is to feel free. For that, one has to sacrifice the presence, to attain unconditional being. “Freedom cannot be bestowed - it must be achieved.”
Four years wasted to learn to teach and three years wasted teaching auto mechanics to pay my college debts. All to learn it was the wrong career for me. What a sad waste of 7 years. Many never find their Ikigai. Keep trying.
Not a waste. I've managed bars, spent 6 years in real estate, owned two businesses, and themajority of the rest of my career was programming. I started coding at 12 but changed careers every few years to try somethign different, god forbid I had done just one job my life I'd feel like a total waste. I have no savings but holy sh*t do I have stories and knowledge and a life without regrets.
If it's any condolence, I recently left a 7 year relationship. Can't help but feel it was a big waste of time for us both.. You shouldn't think that way though, neither should I or anyone else. It's experience. It may not be experience you wanted, or even needed, but if you take something away from it as a lesson then it wasn't a waste of time. In fact it should even make you a better person for it. There is reflection, which is good. There is over-analysing, which is bad. I hope you are able to accept your experiences, your regrets, and move on to doing something that will make you happy.
@@sofimazi555 I'm 36, I've been retired for over 10 years already. Honestly it gets a bit boring, I doubt it's how you'd really want to spend your lifetime. Rest only feels good when you're tired and grass is always greener on the other side I guess.
In the long run, if someone is conscientious, hard working, honest, trust-worthy, cooperative, eventually will find people who will recognize and reciprocate those values.
I'm good at drinking alcohol, reading books, loving my dogs, writing nonsense and not knowing what to do that has purpose and meaning. Looks like my life's goal is unemployment.
Sounds like you should be a editor or final proof reader. This can ve done from home with your dog's and if at home you can drink( in moderation) because you don't need to drive
God as much as I love Jung and other subjects you've covered, this still has to be the greatest video you've made this far. And beating your own previous work is impressive. I really love this one and feel it will be extremely helpful to more than you know. The Japanese are a beautiful people with many wonderful philosophies that are beyond useful in life. Including the philosophy of building a new habit in 2 mins a day.
The four points of purpose of the IKIGAI: 1) What you love to do 💖 2) What the world needs 🌎 3) What you’re actually good at 💪 4) What you can get paid for 💰 Cheers!
What the world needs is for this type of content to be taught in schools everywhere.
it was like this in ancient greece or rome. in imperial china or japan, the merchant kingdoms of south asia and south east asia. industrialization and modernization brought many benefits but changed our educational system to do one and one thing only: prepare for employment, not for a mentally and physically healthy life.
I teach a freshman "career exploration" class and ikigai is the culmination of every lesson. Not every school, but at least every kid in my school has heard it...
if only schools taught us this valuable information rather then robbing us of our creativity. our world today would be in much more harmony and synchronicity with eachother and the universe
Exactly 💯 percent right
It is. Or at least it was. Taught in churches and Christian schoola
I had a job that I absolutely hated for years; I was good at it, I was helping people that sometimes really needed it, and I made decent money. I was working 6 days a week with no holidays but Christmas and Thanksgiving, worked my birthdays, no overtime, no sick time, one vacation in six years (I got called every day asking when I would be back and why I left), and basically on call for everything the alcoholic, drug addicted, womanizing, gambling owner wanted (not limited to beer runs, grocery shopping, escorting his women to and from hotels, and covering his tracks from other women) and when I wouldn't be his personal slave, I would be guilt tripped, gas lighted, or reminded that HE was "the f*cking boss, called the shots, and I do what he says"... I convinced myself that it was normal, justified his actions because he was my step dad at the time, treated the business as my own because it was willed to me, and hid the looming reality of misery behind shiny new toys and alcohol.
I remember thinking 'If I got into a really bad car accident, I could probably get a week or two off of work', and finally realized how out of hand things have gotten.
I luckily ended up getting fired (over the phone, because I had plans and couldn't come in two hours after closing) and taking the next few years off. I met someone, bought a van, we live in it and travel together now.
I've been working at a local grocery store, in one of my most favorite small towns, as a meat cutter. I make 25% less money, work almost half as many hours, and enjoy my job exponentially more; The work environment is peaceful, my coworkers are kind, the customers are almost all friendly, and most of the people I meet are like minded. The job is easy, I get a lot of satisfaction from some of my tasks, and my current supervisor is extremely supportive, kind, and always makes me feel valued.
Even on my days off, I usually go into work just to hang out and talk with people, because I like it there. To some people, I am just a butcher in the middle of nowhere making minimum wage, but I genuinely love my job and the people I work with, and that is good enough for me.
Keep your heads up, folks, and don't let any situation or any person make you feel trapped or less valuable than you really are. Sometimes a means to an end is the means to a new beginning better than you ever thought possible.
@ChandanSharma-tl2db no problem! Glad it resonated with you.
A word of advice; don't let the education system, your parents, grandparents, partner, or even societal expectations make you feel like you HAVE to pursue a college education immediately after you graduate. That is an excellent way to end up in massive debt (as soon as your adult life begins) for a degree that you might never use.
Take some time, really put your head and heart into it and think about what truly makes you happy, and pursue that.
Well written brother currently feel trapped in a situation too, the abuse that comes with working for someone who expects you to not have a social life cause they pay you it's fucked up in so many levels I just figured out what IKIGAI is yesterday and I'm happy to have come across your post health and happiness is better than anything man it's all we got...... love and blessings to you all the way from South Africa
That hit deep man. Thanks for sharing from the bottom of my heart
It's amazing to being able to connect with people from all across the world. Social media can be really toxic and dangerous, but these are things that make me appreciate it.
Keep your head up, you're never trapped. Do good and it will come around full circle, you'll be living a better life soon. Just always remember to put yourself, health, friends and family first!
@@Carissa.I you're very welcome, I'm glad to have connected with you 😁
Something we're good at = Stoic
Something we love to do = Taoist
Something the world needs = Buddhist
Something we can get paid for = Realist
Japanese philosophy is some of the most holistic and genuine in the world.
Oh yes
You could very easily argue that all of those are Dao/Taoist...
@@Shrouded_reaper same with stoicism... u can't be a part of a whole without contributing to it and you cant contribute to it if u can't sustain yourself and you cant sustain urself if what you do isnt fulfilling or meant for you
Listen to the full audio book.
It's more time consuming and therefore you'll live longer .
Am I right ?
@@Shrouded_reaper Yeah Taoism can cover all of them as well.
One of the problems I’ve had in life is that I allowed myself to be told my society to do things I wasn’t meant to do in order to succeed. It took me 7 months of stress, anxiety, borderline depression to finally realize and accept who I am. I’m different from others, and their methods are not in alignment with who I am and that’s ok! I know what I’m meant to do, finally, and I won’t settle for anything else, now my current goal is getting myself out of the situation I carelessly put myself in. Stay blessed brothers and sisters!🙏
I feel like i could have written this. i literally found what i want to do this afternoon after years of seeking and trying to please other. After health scares and pain, i decided that was it - i have to do what i want. This video couldn't be better timed.
kjell159 I’m an infp, if you’ve heard of mbti
Not to immediately feel like attacking you but:
In what way(s) are you/do you feel different from others?
I also feel different as I have opinions (actually facts, objective reality to back me up) that makes others furious if they hear it.
And I only have 2 'goals' in life
- not that life has a goal or purpose, besides procreation biologically speaking, life is just an intricate play of chemical reactions, influenced by abiotic factors that started about 3.8 billion years ago on Earth, some even hypothesize outside Earth before that; if we weren't the result of billions of years of evolution in a stable universe with consistent laws of physics, we wouldn't be here to think about it in the first place -
° Become a shihan,
which is licensed master, a term also used in Japanese martial arts, above senpai & sensei, although in most shakuhachi ryu (schools/styles/lineages) there are only 3 major grades: jun shihan, shihan & dai shihan.
In shakuhachi (Japanese flute with a tradition of mendicant Rinzai zen monks and also ronin - ex samurai - that dates back to the Edo period, but as an instrument has its origins in China, tracing back to Fuke, a Chan monk legend), preferably Kinpu Ryu or something like that.
° Get a natural ginger girlfriend (not colored, the actual mutation, the complete picture with the complexion like pale skin, heck maybe even freckles and all, imho the most beautiful beings on Earth, at least the girls, I don't feel attracted to the boys haha)
or have sex with a ginger girl at least once.
° Moving to Iceland might be a third goal, although I still don't know about that. I live on a day to day basis. Even though it won't help me in the long term. So big plans never come into existence really.
I have basically no internal motivation.
I have a serious tea (primarily caffeine, due to it being a stimulant drug) addiction as a result. Amounts that make me kind of worried it will seriously harm my liver, maybe kidneys in the long term.
Sometimes I drink 50 grams in a day, even on almost empty stomaches.
Amounts that would make most other people puke in a mere minutes. I have puked several times from drinking too strong tea though. I have that nausea more with tea bags then loose tea. Probably because loose leaf tea has bigger pieces, while bags primarily contain dusty particles, hence they infuse faster & differently or something...
Interestingly I never got addicted to coca tea, but coca tea is waaaay lighter then regular caffeine containing tea though.
I also have an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and am a vegan.
The latter being great in several ways and my own choice;
the first being a complete burden I was born with - you don't want to be sensitive, life is a hell, especially when you start comparing yourself to others, I can't even go for a walk in my own town, knowing dogs will start shouting like they always do, the smell of tobacco immediately sucks away over 90% of the fun I might have been having beforehand. Others cannot even comprehend what it's like to have dysfunctional hippocampus & amygdala, and whatever else is influenced by autistic/asperger genes. -
No real friends, even though I crave human contact everyday.
I lost my virginity to a Romanian prostitute, that's how desperate I am for contact. Not that I regret it, I actually went a second time, but quit after that because it's so expensive for so little. You can't even kiss, no real love of course, and every extra thing will cost you. Half and half, with both halves covered in a thick rubber so to speak, so you barely feel a thing, touching their legs with your hands is more intense then actually 'being in'.
I've also battled with depression numerous times. And it I'll probably never go away for good. Apparently, if you had 3 major depressive episodes so far, the chance of suffering again is over 99%.
Depression is usually a lifelong illness. Another weakness alongside ASD.
It takes away your life, you don't 'become stronger because it doesn't kill you'.
In fact, I've tried overdosing on my 15, planned the (apparently not) last day of my 'life' with caffeine/theanine, eaten & vaped cannabis, I believe bupropion and escitalopram antidepressants at the time, and magic mushrooms in my body.
Trying to hang myself after crying for half of the trip.
I remember talking with my then psychiatrist in his office only a mere moments before taking my belt off (for hanging that is) , following him while the floor consisted of flashy geometric fish shapes. He didn't seem to notice I was under the influence of something... Maybe my lack of life and pain was bigger then any psychoactives effect that day.
Funny thing, we actually had a concert that day in a psychiatric center, I played the bass and some shakuhachi parts for effects. We were the live music for a kind of play with figures.
He (psychiatrist) told me I played pretty good, but I don't think so, especially when relistening to the recording.
I have to admit that I am mentally weak. That overdose on my 15 was because my (only) ex broke up with me at the time. She even already had another for a while when we were still together.
Killing myself for girls, common, what a weakness.
Yet I still prefer my teenage years though. The 2 years of boarding school were probably the best 2 of my school life, even though with hardships and being the victim of a sociopathic girl, which I fell in love with as well.
I fall in love pretty easily, cried a lot due to girls being unachievable.
That hanging during that trip was for a big part because I fell in love with an intern at the psychiatric center I followed therapy at the time. I rationally knew it would never become something, yet I fell in love for months.
So I guess I kind of understand your pain. Although yours, and your story will probably be wildly different from mine. (not that I told everything of course, that would be too long for a youtube comment I guess)
@@mitthrawnuruodo1730Yes I know that one. :)
I did that test once, I showed up as an INTP.
But that wasn't kind of the thing I was expecting to be honest. :)
You don't have to tell more of course.
You peeked my interest I guess, that's all.
Right there in that boat with you!
A girl in a motivation video once said "Having purpose is when you're able to do what's meaningful to you". It kinda got me thinking when I heard it, maybe it helps someone else.
Thank you
serendipidus1 couldnt have said it better myself!
serendipidus1 Strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet. Could you find enjoyment/fulfillment in making these things and sharing your talent with others even if you do not know them? People pay for things that are meaningful to them. Perhaps what you make would also be meaningful to someone else? I do see what you’re saying and have had the same thoughts but maybe we can look at it from a different perspective. ???
That's a tautology.
@serendipidus1 It seems like you just described me. In this aspect though... Lol.
IKIGAI: Something we're good at, that we love to do, that the world needs, that we can get paid for.
I don't even know what I am good at and I have spent at least half my life trying to figure that out.
East End Natural Health Center I don’t know what I love to do... I feel this heavier on my mind
@@salkinfamilychiropractic3142 u r good at knowing what you are not good at. Spend the other half of your life knowing what you are bad at ;)
Susan - Uh.. yeah.
The day the 99% refuse to use and be used by money all the manipulation ends
Dude u read minds. Few days back literally i wanted someone to put light on this topic. U have Amazing narrating skills.
law of attraction bro
TH-cam is the one who reads minds :P
Me too.. Almost wierds me out.. thank you
And his german accent is really cool too
Yep.
I cant see you anywhere i tg bro xD
- What is my purpose?
- You pass butter.
Oh my god....
-The same reason I brush my teeth in the morning or wipe after a dump. It isn't exciting or an adventure, it's just work. Some people are okay with going to work and some would rather die.
Ah Jeez Rick
rick sanchez
You handle fried nuggets
One of the most important things you mention is at the end, where this state changes with time. I find time and again that a common flaw in Western thinking is that we believe that things will always continue pretty much as they are, when the reality is that circumstances are constantly changing, and we are constantly changing. What compounds it is that the rate of change is not constant over time, and is not constant across the 4 areas you mention. Coming to grips with change is one of the most challenging things for Westerners.
Meddle not with them that are given to change. Sometimes, people who insist on "change" are trying to fix something that is not broken.
I decided to read Ikigai after seeing the Venn diagram being widely circulated. After all, I felt that if I could get a tool kit for happier, longer life, why not grab it? But as I delved into the book, especially the interviews conducted by the author with the centenarians in Okinawa, I felt the Japanese experience of Ikigai was unnecessarily complicated to create a Venn diagram out of it.
I read that the people in the island where the study was conducted had different things that kept them going, for example: Taking care of one’s vegetable garden, going to the market, talking to people, waving to school kids, chatting with best friend over a cup of tea, participating in games and communal activities and so on. It is these activities that gave their life a purpose, not anything too complicated to comprehend.
I genuinely felt, as it was with my own case, that the Venn diagram is unattainable for a large majority. This may itself lead to the feelings of lack of purpose in life. A better way is to find the small joys in life which you may be ignoring in the pursuit of larger stuff. Reading the book may open up more perspectives of understanding the concept of Ikigai.
I definitely agree where you said that the diagram itself can give feelings of lack of purpose in life. The constant demand of the world for you to “find your passion and find it fast or else...” is just exhausting
I was just about to post that I've found it very difficult to check all 4 boxes of this Venn diagram. 3 is doable, and I've been there, but all 4? I'll keep trying I guess.
Interesting perspective
Wow! Great comment/ insight!!
I agree with the notion that this will be unattainable for majority of societies, but only due to the brainwashing of societies that give people their purposes. Most believe they need more and more. The more we want want, the more we need to create, but who say that you need all of these things whether they are materialistic, knowledge, or even idealism? Most people are lying to themselves thus will never fulfill the simple rules of Ikigai.
“The world should need it and we have to get paid.”
Lol yeah, that’s generally the problem.
Really? I would think the problem would be finding something we love to do, I can't think of a single thing. If I could figure that part out I'm sure I could twist the rest of it in there somehow. It's not like the world really needs anything from us, what they're really talking about is human society, not the world, and you can make people "need" whatever you want, our circuits are not very complicated. And once you've made people think they need it then making money of it is easy. If they're not talking about what society thinks it needs, but rather what you think it needs, well then you just have to make other people agree with you and then you can make money of that to. And being good at something is just practice, so that part is super easy if you love doing it anyway. So it seems to me like the problem is finding something you consistently love doing that are not breathing, eating or sex which I'm assuming don't count.
@@daniel4647 in that case why don't you come and help me with my brand. I have found a thing that's awesome to create but does not bring in any dime. If you say you can sell things, I can use someone like you.
@@daniel4647 If that;s your case, then at least you can choose something boring but profitable, since it'll all be the same
There all problematic. What am I good at? Nothing. What doI enjoy? Nothing. What does the world need from me? Nothing. Cani get paid for doing nothing and being good at nothing? No.
Artists: I am unfamiliar with these concepts
The idea that got under my skin: "The secret lies in aligning our own nature with the nature of our environment". I got it, thanks ;)
Thank you for that.
This is one of the channels that gave me the courage to start my TH-cam channel 2 months ago about self development. Now I have 164 subs and almost 80 hours of watch time. I know it’s not comparable with others but I’m still proud I started because I’ve been learning so many lessons that I couldn’t have learned without getting started in the 1st place.
Wow and within 6 months you’ve grown to almost 10x the number of subs. Well done!
@@Liliarthan Whoever you are, I don't know you personally but I can say that you're one of the non-judgmental and open-minded people who is not fixated on tangible or external factors in order to learn from someone like me. Just because someone doesn't have a piece of paper as a credential, doesn't mean that person is not entitled to share personal experiences with the hope & intention to inspire others. Keep up with whatever it is that you're doing to improve mankind or improving your life even to a slight degree each day. This is just one part of a bigger puzzle for creating my TH-cam channel about holistic health. I literally could have died back when I was 14 years old due to major depression but here I am right now replying to you, a TH-camr, who's full of fulfillment and dedication to help others to be a better version of themselves. I ain't better than anyone else but my old self. That's all that really makes this TH-cam thing more meaningful and enjoyable. Thanks so much for your support! I am hoping that you can join me with this endless personal development journey! :)
do u still post video.?
IKIGAI
(n.) The reason for being;
a reason to wake up each morning.
This is going to be my daughter's middle name when I'll decide to have her 😊❤
anne - And?
@@jorosee5761middle name are useless, nobody will use it.
@@Alysse111 have a good day! ♥️
I absolutely adore your content! Thank you for sharing so much information with us for free
after so many trial and error, and trying different things, I found my ikigai.
I fell in love with coding, I'm some what good at it, I once was paid for it (freelance gigs), and the world definitely needs it.
So I decided to pursue the developer/software engineering path.
Awesome! I tried to learn coding for college, but my heart wasn’t really into it.
Glad coding worked for you!
HOW'S IT GOING YOO
Yesterday one of my friends asked me to get him a book about ikigai and I was like what cinnamon toast is this and today you came up with this topic. What a coincidence. Now I'm gonna share this video with him.
There is no coincidence.
+ Ujjwal - Not coincidence, but synchronicity. :-)
At 43, I have realised that it is far more important how one is, rather than what particular path you should take.
In the long run, if someone is conscientious, hard-working, honest, trust-worthy, cooperative, eventually you will find people who will recognise and reciprocate those values.
Unfortunately, you will also cross paths with people who will, given the chance, abuse your qualities, and act in bad faith.
Marcus Aurelius had some thoughts on how to deal with this.
Doing volunteer charity work will put you in touch with generally good people.
@@LiftOffLife your so cute, snowflake.
@@immortalserito774
Thanks for the insult and I can assure you I am no feminised menally emasculated snowflake like the majority of western males.
@@LiftOffLife then you should know "charity" workers are the biggest narcissists, often seeking adulation from the masses for empty deeds.
@@immortalserito774 can you share some research data regarding this ? would like to read about this in detail as i thought people are doing charity for the sake of doing good
This is very good. I am mid 50s and going through some very tough life transitions including having to start again career-wise. I had not heard of Ikigai before. I like that it is so multidimensional. You explained it very well. Thank You.
My wife and I love your videos. We find this stuff very practical and your videos are Not boring and they get straight to the point and are very practical. Keep up the great work! You definitely found your purpose.
Needed this today... I’m currently working in a pharmacy and with the current pandemic, basic work tasks are dreadful to even think about, but it’s all about perspective!
It would be too risky to enlist unskilled volunteers wouldn't it?
Thank you for working Charlie!
3:30 Doing what you’re good at
4:35 Doing what you love to do
5:58 Doing what the world needs
6:50 Doing what generates money
7:30 *PASSION*
9:00 *IKIGAI*
I love cutting hair. I love bringing a person up in the 20 minutes or so in my chair. I love working with my hands, and laughing.
zzzzz
Thanks!
Dear Einzelganger, Just wanted to reachout and Thank you for creating all of these videos. Kind regards and keep walking the path brother.
One of the greatest channels on YT. I am trying to evaluate insurance sales to businesses through the lens of Ikigai...I just started so I'll give it a chance before making any rash decisions based on a YT video. I'm an effective communicator, usually good at explaining, and enjoy getting regular people the money they need in times of crisis but I must admit, I don't like the cold calling to hear "no" all day lol.
To be honest, I don't "love" doing anything most days but I'm here so I must do something rather than fall into depression and anxiety. However, I do really like all of your content @Einzelgänger. It is special to me: It's getting me back into philosophy and self-reflection at a time when I really need it. It reminds me that I am not alone in the existential fears and sadness I feel so often.
I love your videos Einzelgänger!
The scenery, music and the logic.
Thank you
I only want to spend my time on quality material and people.
I have been weeding out my TH-cam subscription list.
Einzelgänger is some of the best material I will keep and revisit.
Keep up the fantastic work!
Watch the movie Soul. One of the Jerry’s says “You mentors and your purposes. So basic.” I think the point for 22 was enjoying life itself can be a soul’s reason to exist. She appreciated just being alive (jazzing) the way Joe loved and appreciated playing the piano. It’s like Vincent Van Gogh said, “A person who truly loves nature can find beauty anywhere.” A person who loves life can similarly find meaning in very simple things as well. The sun shining on newly planted grass seeds spouting from the ground made my day. Felt productive that seeds I planted and watered were now growing, adding oxygen to the air, glowed bright green in the sunlight, and added life to the Earth. Seeing little birds eat the extra grass seeds was beautiful too. They seemed so happy for the food. Or my dog enjoying the daily walk in the park. She loves it like it is a trip to Disneyland. It’s also things like this we appreciate after being very sick or not seeing a loved one for a long time. Being able to feel healthy and appreciate it or be in the moment to feel the hug a loved one. Even sad moments can be special if we are present to be there for a friend in their heartache.
Awesome movie
That movie real made me realise, how amazing and good it is to feel all the human emotions, be it getting afraid, anxious, happy all of it ! It really did make me fall in love with life again... :")
Lovely comment.
This was so beautifully written. :)
Brilliantly explained and have provided the clarity that is much needed. Forever grateful! And truly appreciate the videos you create.
I truly appreciate all your videos and ALWAYS recommend and share them. I learn great perspectives from them...so again THANK YOU for all you do🙏💖
I've been feeling down lately and I feel like my mental state is hanging in a balance. After watching this, I miss those times I had IKIGAI (I didn't know it was a thing). Recently, I felt alone, lost my sense of purpose, and after losing my dad a few months ago. Seeing this video made me realize I need to get back on my feet because I think I still have a chance of turning this around for myself and people love me and need me.
Thank you, Einzelgänger!
This is such a nice approach. This type of thinking does not have extremes like your old school Dad telling you to get an office 9 to 5 job;or your friends saying " don't worry about money, just do what you want."
It's a balanced way to look at things, taking both sides, practical and emotional sides into consideration.
Thanks for making my day/feeling better, you always do. Whenever i feel lost, you remind me of things that actually matter to me.
I'm a musician. The world doesn't need my work, and it's very likely that I'll never get paid for it, but that's not my problem. I do it because that's what I do. If the world doesn’t value what I do I'm not going to do something else. I'm just going to be in poverty. Ikigai is an impossible ideal for the majority of people. I'd rather be doing what I want, than wasting my time working for money that won't make my life any happier. I also have ADHD and PDA, so I'd rather be homeless than trapped in a job that didn't work for me, which almost all of them do not. This culture and what it values can sit on a pile of plutonium. You'd have to really extensively believe in an afterlife to waste that much time getting used by people that want you to stay stuck forever because the only thing that would make that worthwhile is an imaginary place that will justify all of that absolute squandering. 🤣
underrated comment 🙏
You should check out agencies that send musicians on cruises and to hotels around the world. Those guys are not multimillionaire but they earn good money.
Hi mate, I play music too, mostly guitar. IMO I think music is needed because people need entertainment to make life enjoyable and creative. Also enough dedication and getting yourself out there could get you paid. Whether its because your performing, or teaching, if its something you love, you definitely can have music as your purpose. 🤑😎
What a video! Thank you, Maverick a.k.a. Einzelgänger! Especially that depiction. i.e. synthesis around 7:41 minute.
When you wake up every morning, excited to do a particular thing, that thing is your ikigai, you're 'raison d'etre.'
reviewers oops!
okay, then none .. lmao
i have mine ! after 5 decades it happened
i get paid well to do what i love and it is fulfilling
i make more income than i did doing what i hated !
i also have job security that i never had before
i don't think i will fire myself any time soon !
the gratitude i receive from the people i help
gives me a sense of making the world a better place
i am complete
Hi Lavette, good to hear that. Can you share your story? I am still looking for my Ikigai.
Good. What exactly is it?
"Do what you love?"
I don't even know what I love.....not anymore.
Go out and look. the world is endless
If you were to die tomorrow, what would you want to achieve/do that is within your capability?
Same :|
It does take a lot of small tiny steps of introspection - but the answer is there, we just need to start seeing it. Stay strong
sheesh. neither do i. i am lacking vision, inspiration, and guidance.
Spending your time on master what you are already good at rather than what you cant do just so you could do it a bit better. Great thought that i am taking from this video. Big thanks.
Amazing as always!! 🔥🔥The rhythm of your life is your choice... to go with or against, your flow is not one of resistance but one of higher purpose...your TRUE BEING
Thank you for putting this on. As a mid-lifer, I definitely needed to speak to someone about the purpose of my life. I see myself as relatively successful, but these past few days I was seeking people out just to speak about my purpose. I came across your video this morning, and it put a smile on my face and puts me in the right direction. I was feeling depressed. Thank you!
I first learned of Ikigai last year, and I've been thinking about it a lot, and I think I found it. Sometimes I doubt myself, especially now during the pandemic, but videos like this one are very reassuring.
Thank you Vanessa 👍
One should trust ones instincts !
After discovering the term Ikigai, I googled it to get a better description. After skimming about five vague articles I decided that I wasn't going to find anything useful. Then I searched in TH-cam and because I've watched so many Einzelganger videos in the past, this was the first one on the list and it was exactly what I needed. Einzelganger, I feel like you have found your ikigai. Thank you.
Not sure how or when ikigai developed into such an expansive philosophy. The average Japanese would take the word to mean "something that makes life worth living" and that definitely includes trivial pursuits.
Good to know, thanks, guessing you are Japanese?
i like this interpretation much better than the one in the video above ;)
Thanks, that actually makes much more sense than the video.
@@ytmyeti4864 No, but I have studied Japanese for 30 years and was a professional translator for 10 years..
@@daniel4647 What's your ikigai? Mine is my small collection of cars, including a 1999 Volvo S40 that was originally sold in Japan.
Thank you so much for this video. 🙏🏼
Lately I’ve been feeling very low, unmotivated, stuck. I’m 26 now, I don’t know if I will ever find my ikigai, but this video lifted my mood or whatever this is that I am going through, maybe this is temporary but thanks
How are things going for you today?
@@snakeeyesraw I don’t remember commenting on this video but your reply brought me back to the time when I was feeling that certain way. 4years have gone by and now I can say that I might have found my ikigai. I’m in a much better place 😇
@@jampellhamu As a current 26 year old who is where you were, I'm glad to hear you're doing better now :)
@@snakeeyesraw I hope you find yours soon too…or atleast be in the track of that direction of fulfilment. Sooner or later you will be there, keep going and stay strong.
Your channel and this video itself are great examples of IKIGAI , thanks for making this world a better place
Well it is certainly a good video, mister, that you have brought upon us. Thank you for revealing one of my favorite concept! And keep up doing what you like... Or should I say, follow your Ikigai!
I love this channel. Its always good to listen to when my mind is all over the place and I can usually use this pages videos to ground myself. This and Jocko are my go to for some stability.
Thank you Louis!
Ikigai is definitely an expanded look at the Taoist principal of wei wu wei… doing without doing. When mastering a skill through wei wu wei, you learn and practice it till you can do it without conscious thought. It becomes effortless, and you lose yourself in the flow of the action; just as a river flows freely without thought or restriction. 🙏
I love Eastern philosophy. It answers my questions.
Sir, i just want to say THANK YOU for your videos. I always watch your content and it inspires me all the time.
Easy, to know each of our meanings in life, it's time to ask what's the source of all life? I really thought this long and hard when I was deciding on a college major. It was so stressful because if I wanted a college major I wanted one that put meaning in my life. I didn't want to just enter into the world of accounting just because my parents told me it was easier to gain money. What's the point of living when you're enslaved with material things in life? Where's the meaning in that, materials things don't make me grow as a human being. Sure basic needs are fulfilled through material things but it's not the essence of life. Then I asked myself what do I even like and what's passionate to me. I got even more stressful because I have no idea. I don't know myself. Then I asked who the hell would know, surely when I asked my friends I didn't trust their judgement. I went through a psyche test from school that resulted in a more suitable college major based on a set of psychological questions. But then I thought, 'Isn't that judgement based on who I am today, and what if I'm not good today as a person from what I'm supposed to be? What if I change through time and it turns out to not be my passion?' Since arguably, judgement based on my psychology doesn't reflect on what actually gets me through life. So I suddenly thought, who would know me better than I do, would know the purpose of my life, and would give me an absolute answer? Well the answer was God, turns out. That stressful night I actually sat down and prayed for the first time in so long, meaningfully. The next day I got a sign, I was in a restaurant and God used other people to talk to me. It's a very likely option that other than an audible voice, inner voice, situations, The Bible, etc, God used other people to speak to me. There was this cop, a police officer talking to me, he was in his free time. Before entering the police force he was a law major. He was in his free time and for some reason he brought up a conversation with me, it was really rare for a stranger to sprung up a conversation like that to me in life. But I found that when I was talking about law with this person I was so sure for some reason that I wanted to go to law. So I got up my college forms and only chose law as the option for me getting in and I'm in now. I have no regrets, even if I end up feeling tired of law school i know that He promised me a meaningful life in this field and it's the only reason to keep going. I'm passionate about law and I'm grateful God has a plan for me.
IRYL thank you for sharing your story. I needed to hear this. I’m glad you’re happy and found a path that is meaningful for you :)
I forgot how much I enjoy your videos! Another gem!
My Ikigai is music ❤ I've been playing and writing music for 23 years now, and feel I have developed my skills a lot as a musician and producer. I've loved my journey so far though at times it hasn't been easy to keep faith in myself but I'm finally feeling free to do what I love without compromise. If my music can even make just one person happy, or help them in some way then it is worth it. I am working hard that one day I may be fortunate enough to earn money from my music. I must be patient and focused, and keep faith in myself that this can be my Ikigai. I hope everyone here finds and realizes theirs too
Byt then its not your Ikigai yet!!!.. when you start Making money then its your Ikigai!!!... I Wonder how many People WHO thinks them playing music and they Call it their ikigai.. if you dont make money on it its just your hobby!!! According to this philosofhy
You have to earn enough money on a dailly basis.. not just Making money a couple of nights in a Month..again according to this ikigai philosofhy
Very good. But it seems in music today in order to make money you have to sell out and be a corporate tool. Hopefully your not in it just for money cause what the world needs now is another pop singer like I need a hole in my head.
00:00 Discover your Ikigai to find your purpose
01:33 Unhappy jobs can lead to serious health problems
02:53 Ikigai helps identify the right thing to do for an individual
04:12 Manifesting our true potential by mastering skills and doing what we love
05:34 Find something you enjoy that benefits the world
06:47 To make our efforts sustainable, they must generate income.
07:57 Ikigai is the intersection of passion, mission, vocation, and profession.
09:03 Ikigai is the combination of passion, mission, vocation, and profession.
Thank you for this explanation of Ikigai, we should all be pursuing this and if we did the world would be a far better place! I just gave up my profession of 13+ years because it was killing my spirit - I got paid, I was good at it, the world kind of needed it but I hated it every minute! So, as you articulate very clearly, you do need all 4 dimensions for something to be your reason for being.
This is one of the most useful videos I have found and watched on TH-cam so far. Thank you very much!
Narrator: "A japanese philosophy of finding purpose, Ikigai"
What I hear: Isekai? Count me in! I know I'd find a purpose in a different magical world
Even in things you love, there's struggle. Embrace the struggle, the hard work, the difficulty. No greatness can be found with love alone. And greatness is not material success, it's personal success. You decide how far you want to go.
Its better to become first version of yourself than second version of someone else.. 👍
We all are born with specific talent but we try to acquire new skills throughout our life in order to competet with other. Most of people fail to achieve their goal because they are chasing behind something in which they are not good. Find the real talent within you which will define your true identity.
I’m very glad and thankful for this channel. I’ve always been a rather stoic person in philosophy, but never really could define what it was until I started watching these videos and some other channels of the like. This video really nails down a lot of things on how one should take control of their life. I’ve watched it several times and shared it with friends. Interestingly, not this video, but this channel has partially inspired me to stop being lazy and begin my own TH-cam channel, as I had been putting it off for a long time, based on various fears which took a long time to overcome. We should want to, and give ourselves permission to share our passions with the world, so long as they are a force for good. Cheers.
work from home because of the virus made me feel so much better.
I enjoy my job, but the socializing is one thing i have to endure, but now.. i feel at peace, i even don't need that much sleep.
Same but after a point i feel isolated n depressed
Same. It gave me some peace and sanity. But now I'm back to workplace.
Very helpful, technic and easy to follow educational video. Thank You very much. This is a topic, I think about in these days.
"Follow da way" -confuse
Do you know da wae?
I know da wae
@@lokar9240 Yes I do now da wae
why are u gae?
@@yogap6162
Who said I'm gae?
Keep working, take opportunities presented (morally aligned), and always be moving forward.
When you stop looking it appears
No, it doesn't.
@@MariaMartinez-researcher patience is a virtue
no. when you stop craving, develop conciousness and definitely keep on looking.
That’s a deepity
I've heard do what you love and the money will follow, but this Ikigai lays it out super nicely great video appreciate the content!
Communicating stories, messages, and states is my Ikigai. Now, all I have to do is find a place where I can practice my skills related to it.
"oftentimes, people focus on improving the things they're bad at. they spend their whole lives repairing themselves while rejecting the things they're naturally good at. so we might want to focus on the latter, and improve those skills se we become masters at it. because why put so much energy into becoming mediocre at best when we have the opportunity to become great? not to mention how the world benefits from us manifesting our true potential."
someone should have told this to me when i was a teenager and choosing what to study in college.
Firstly, I suspect that it is quite challenging for most people to find what they love to do.
Secondly, it is equally hard for most people to figure out what they are good at. Perhaps after many failures.
Third: most jobs that make money are actually quite boring. This is due to increasing specialisation of work.
Finally: let’s say for the luck few who knows exactly what they love to do and what they are good at, how likely is it, to have all these things aligned?
It feels like it is a matter of how fortunate you are in having all the stars aligned for you
"First", not "firstly"
Jayson T
According to Merriam Webster Dictionary:
Some writers objected to the use of firstly instead of first for the oldest reason in the book: they thought it was new to the language (the 19th-century equivalent of saying: “That’s not a word!”). We know today that they were incorrect, but since firstly hadn’t been entered in dictionaries until then, they could be forgiven for thinking it was a neologism.
Others objected with a double correction: they said that those who used firstly created an adverb from first because the firstly-users believed that first wasn’t an adverb-all a waste of time, since first was and is used as an adverb (as are fast, slow, tight, etc.). The new objection was that firstly amounted to a pedantic hypercorrection of a word that was just fine in the first place, and therefore unnecessary. This is clearly the rationale behind the stigmatization found in the entry in the 1847 Webster’s Dictionary.
More recent objections have been more about style than substance: these commentators don’t like firstly because it’s longer than first. Even though they are both adverbs, first and firstly are hardly interchangeable in all situations: we never say “firstly of all” or “I firstly noticed it yesterday,” but these differences amount to idiomatic usage-the habits of centuries-and not grammar. In writing, first is much more common than firstly and is probably the best bet for most situations, even if the only reason is that a reader may wonder if firstly is proper and be distracted by this word choice. You might say that the conspiracy has succeeded by maintaining this word's slightly disrespectable reputation.
A Great Guide towards a Great Life!, Thank you so much for making this type of video. It is very motivational, educational and inspirational! Keep up the great work sharing something like this Thumbs up!
You don't have to be passionate about something to achieve the flow state. I wash windows professionally. Do I love it? No. Do I like it? Not particularly, it a source of income and nothing more.
That said I've truly mastered the craft. I can enter a state of flow while doing it to the point people regularly stop and just stair at me working. It's a good feeling of both personal accomplishment and social approval from others. It's not my life but an enjoyable moment in it.
You can find meaning in anything you do, no matter how small.
I love this comment.
To get great pleasure when doing the activity with total mastery might be a way of saying that you love doing something, (rather than loving the idea of it). That you get into a flow state seems to show that you are in a pleasurable state when washing windows.
Thank you for the clarification of Vocation, Mission, Profession and Passion!
10:09 No, thank YOU for doing this
I love your content. I read about all these philosophies but you just help me reinforce them better with these visuals 👌
"Some things are based on nurture, and some things are based on nature."
This reminds me of what you said in a Stoicism video:
"Some things are up to us, and some things are not up to us."
An excellent piece , clear easily understood thank you so much for this video
I don't feel like it's hard to find what you love to do, do the things you HATE doing and you'll easily remember what you'd RATHER do. I feel the problem is, at times, once you finally make what you love your main thing it can downgrade to feeling like work, sometimes. I have a small pallette of things I love to do to stay fresh.
I truly love your videos. They are so educational and inspiring. Thank you for sharing 🙏
I'm good at sleeping and being useless. I don't have to wake up for it and it's effortless. Dream achieved.
Does it make money? Does it fulfill a societal need? Not Ikigai then.
@@buttarain27 It fulfills peace. That is priceless. Ambition only creates conflict, pollution, neurotic society and wars. If we had a lazy society that just cared about eating, sleeping and sex we wouldn't be where we are today ruled by corrupt governments and corporations that are waging wars against the people. Ambition is primarily driven by control over things, attachment and greed. All of these manifested create a destructive environment.
I envy your sleeping skillset: no amount of earplugs keep out the boy racers hooning from 8pm to past midnight. A truck revving its engine for 20 minutes (ffs) around 3am, and my son hammering on the (locked) backdoor at 5:45am, as he forgot his beret for the Armistice Day Dawn Parade. So yeah, we'll done you :) x xxxx x
“Money makes the world go round. Without money, we can’t pay the bills”. This is the second time I heard this sentence within 24hrs from two different sources. This is called Synchronicity :) thank you for a great video!
I absolutely love the philosophy behind Ikigai, can’t wait to watch this
Extremely thought provoking and useful.
There is a balance between doing and being.
To be is to feel free. For that, one has to sacrifice the presence, to attain unconditional being.
“Freedom cannot be bestowed - it must be achieved.”
O'SSÉIN - Master Your Mind With Me what does “sacrifice the presence” mean?
This is awesome. All your videos are helfpul to some degree. Thanks Einzelgänger.
Four years wasted to learn to teach and three years wasted teaching auto mechanics to pay my college debts. All to learn it was the wrong career for me. What a sad waste of 7 years. Many never find their Ikigai. Keep trying.
I don’t think it’s a waste of time at all. You learned something valuable
Not a waste. I've managed bars, spent 6 years in real estate, owned two businesses, and themajority of the rest of my career was programming. I started coding at 12 but changed careers every few years to try somethign different, god forbid I had done just one job my life I'd feel like a total waste. I have no savings but holy sh*t do I have stories and knowledge and a life without regrets.
If it's any condolence, I recently left a 7 year relationship. Can't help but feel it was a big waste of time for us both.. You shouldn't think that way though, neither should I or anyone else. It's experience. It may not be experience you wanted, or even needed, but if you take something away from it as a lesson then it wasn't a waste of time. In fact it should even make you a better person for it. There is reflection, which is good. There is over-analysing, which is bad. I hope you are able to accept your experiences, your regrets, and move on to doing something that will make you happy.
I love doing nothing
Now I'm retired
Feel the flow
Be the flow
How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then rest afterwards. Don't recall where I heard those words but sounds like a good life plan to me.
relevant only to retired people... it takes a life time...
@@sofimazi555 No it does not.
Haha...👍😀
@@sofimazi555 I'm 36, I've been retired for over 10 years already. Honestly it gets a bit boring, I doubt it's how you'd really want to spend your lifetime. Rest only feels good when you're tired and grass is always greener on the other side I guess.
In the long run, if someone is conscientious, hard working, honest, trust-worthy, cooperative, eventually will find people who will recognize and reciprocate those values.
I'm good at drinking alcohol, reading books, loving my dogs, writing nonsense and not knowing what to do that has purpose and meaning. Looks like my life's goal is unemployment.
Sounds like you should be a editor or final proof reader. This can ve done from home with your dog's and if at home you can drink( in moderation) because you don't need to drive
😂
Oh wow, I am thinking about what should I do with my life this week and you have provided some aid.
Mr. Einzalgänger, is it possible for you to make your book "unoffendable" available on google play books
Keep sharing your stories in the comment section this is helping all of us
Yes, I always ask that question "What is my purpose?"
good 🤖
This video...... this video right here...... thats the goof stuff of youtube. THANKS MAN. much love and energy for you.
God as much as I love Jung and other subjects you've covered, this still has to be the greatest video you've made this far. And beating your own previous work is impressive. I really love this one and feel it will be extremely helpful to more than you know. The Japanese are a beautiful people with many wonderful philosophies that are beyond useful in life. Including the philosophy of building a new habit in 2 mins a day.
Thank you very much for making this video. Excellent explanation.
The four points of purpose of the IKIGAI:
1) What you love to do 💖
2) What the world needs 🌎
3) What you’re actually good at 💪
4) What you can get paid for 💰
Cheers!
Thanks for sharing such valuable information in your videos. They make my life better.