Personal Development
Ghostwritten
Every living thing has a purpose, including humans. It is our core, our foundation. We can’t always define it or put it into words, yet our actions reflect inherent purpose as we strive towards our various goals, and the things we focus our attention on ultimately speak to what that purpose is. It is the formula that dictates the meaning of your presence in this world. It is what you wake up for every morning, that something to strive for. What explains what was and what will be. It is what you are willing to channel all your resources for, your talent, wealth, time, family, etc.
The Japanese call your purpose, or reason for being, “Ikigai.” It describes what you feel when you have accomplished something related to the pursuit of your passions. The feeling comes from your innermost self, which knows your purpose and shimmers when you have spontaneously acted in accordance with the expression of your reason for being. In Japanese, “iki” means “life” and “gai” means “value,” or “worth.” It is that which motivates you to get out of bed in the morning. It is your calling.
Reporter Dan Buettner wrote an article[1] proposing reasons why the people of Okinawa, Japan, live long lives. Okinawans, he says, continue to work at their favorite jobs as long as they’re able. Another factor of their longevity is their connection to groups of friends, called, “moai.”
Japanese psychologist Katsuya Inoue says that ikigai goes in three directions¾social, asocial and anti-social. When you volunteer or act in the interest of a community, it’s social ikigai. Asocial ikigai pertains to the personal satisfaction derived from faith and determination, and anti-social ikigai is what gets you through the difficult impulses to hurt someone, feel dark emotions, or crave revenge.
The Qur’an, a book Muslims of the world, believe to be a sacred text directly spoken by Allah (God in Arabic) for the best advantage of humans’ presence. It has a unique method of directing purpose for individuals, groups, and societies. To do that, it tells the story of what is, the origins of all, us, creation, universe, elements, anthropology, history philosophy, psychology, patterns, and potential outcomes of all the above. In a second layer, it provides a guide for where we fit in the picture and accordingly what do need to do about it, AKA a call to action. It calls you to figure all the elements. Consequently, it provides a template for where you fit and accordingly commit all your resources for that, including your life path design, performance, youth, health and eventually death. It calls for a very careful examination of that purpose to be of value of others and not a counterproductive one as it warns that a life can be spent in vain if lived for the wrong impure purpose. It speaks of it as a wasted life.
Living by only periodic goals and stages without a whole template can feel like living in a maze. One can get lost easy if we know short term turns and twists but there’s no wholistic roadmap. The tedious daily details can get like a jungle, anxiety, depression, emptiness, endless void, and boredom. The struggles are meaningless, pointless and endless. Achievements become short lived and eventually worthless. If things get done with high end skills but without a well-designed or value-oriented purpose, we end up with greed, Hitlers, Madoffs, “Tuskegee Study” designers, “Narcotic Epidemic” designers, and chemists of lead in gas fuel resulting in millions of deaths.
Behind every goal that can be accomplished with high end skills, but without a value-oriented or well-designed purpose, you will find greed. Consider the actions of Hitler, Madoff and any other leader or inventor whose “purpose” was grounded in immoral self-interest that led to the deaths or ruination of millions of people.
If you ride motorcycles, you know that your bike will follow where you’re looking, especially when on turning and curving. The same applies to horseback riding. It’s neuroscience¾the neurocircuits, motor neuro-signals, hands, arms, subtle moves, and body position will follow eyesight. It also applies to living for a higher aim. What you set your sights on is where you will go. This principle helps to handle all the variables of life and the daily details, periodic goals, objectives, and strategies by providing a bigger connection to the whole. What aligns with your purpose, you cherish. If something opposes your purpose, you dis-engage. In some sense it is a roadmap of your life journey, if not the magnum opus. The tip of your presence pyramid, if you will. When you run with a purpose, it makes you endure and achieve more and go for a longer haul. It gives a new sense and meaning. Even challenges and sadness for the sake of it becomes happiness. It is a route for ultimate fulfillment of being.
Purpose revolves around almost everything we do, even very mundane things. People work hard at their jobs, for example, because their goal is to advance in their profession because it will bring more benefits, a higher salary, a chance to assume more responsibilities or the opportunity to take on greater challenges. Building a family, too, can be viewed as a goal. We seek romantic companionship in order to find a suitable life partner, to have children and watch them grow. That means securing resources for their safety and well-being: a home, a bigger car perhaps, and funds for their education. So it goes with larger institutions, too¾businesses, governments and social communities¾who pursue various goals and purposes over extended periods of time.
In order to effectively work towards a purpose, especially for a long-term end that defines and enrichens a life, we must achieve a series of milestones. These milestones, no matter what they are, act as a form of measuring progress towards one’s purpose in a tangible way. But far too often, the milestones we establish fail to provide the sense of accomplishment we had hoped for. In fact, they could have the exact opposite effect, and either demotivate us or cause us to redouble our efforts for increasingly less validation and fulfillment. Neither is conducive to spiritual happiness, either immediately or in the long term. If left unaddressed, the cycle can go on for years and result not only in wasted potential but also spiritual and emotional frustration.