There are times when we feel highly unmotivated in our work or simply realize that we need a change, either in some aspects of our work or a complete change of direction in our professional career. For greater productivity and happiness both personally and professionally, ikigai should be your guide when choosing or reorienting your career. Would you like to know how you can find yours? We'll tell you below.
Ikigai is a concept originating in Japan (生き甲斐, pronounced ikiɡai), which is composed of two words: iki (生き), which refers to life, and kai (甲斐), "the realization of what one hopes and desires."
This term determines what your purpose in life is, what really motivates you. It is a mix between what you are passionate about and what you are good at: your reason for being.
Inside you there is a passion, a unique talent that gives meaning to your life and pushes you to give the best of yourself day by day. As Viktor Frankl says, "if you haven't found it yet, your next mission is to find it".
Discovering your ikigai requires an intense exercise of introspection and analysis. You have to reflect on it, taking as much time as necessary to find what gives you satisfaction and gives meaning to your life.
If we look at the diagram, several circles overlap each other, posing different questions that we have to answer:
In the center, at the intersection of all these circles, is where our ikigai lies: that which will motivate us to get out of bed every day and give meaning to our lives. As a result, we will be happier and, probably, longer-lived.
This remote island in Japan is home to the longest-lived people on the planet. It seems that their secret is to have a very defined ikigai, since they all have a purpose to enjoy every moment and activity they undertake in their lives. They have a high level of energy and a great motivation to accomplish everything they set out to do.
Their attitude, joy and sense of belonging to the community are striking. They live by and for others, collaborate and help their social groups or moai (support networks). Okinawans do not understand the concept of retirement or retirement because they remain active throughout their lives. They know that they are gifted for something, and they do not differentiate between their passion and their occupation because these respond to their talent.
The ideal would be to be able to transfer the Okinawan lifestyle to our western life. We know that the occupation we have rarely has to do with our ikigai, so we often work like automatons and in a routine way.
If you are a team leader, you should foster ikigai in your employees by ensuring that their roles are in line with their skills and interests. This will increase satisfaction and productivity. More and more organizations are taking these factors into account; that is why they are already looking to measure the happiness of their employees. It has been proven to improve commitment to the company, cohesion, teamwork, empathy and good humor.
As David Tomás, founder of Cyberclick, says: "I have given up several projects to make my employees happy". Cyberclick Group is considered the best company to work for in Spain and won the prestigious Best Workplace Spain award in 2014. This company values the personal attitude and values of the employee above the resume.
Studies say that purposeful workers stay twice as long at their jobs, do it with energy and commitment, and feel connected to the company where they work. When value is added to people, the business becomes productive and economically successful.
1) Two-way communication: being transparent and informing about what we are doing is important so that team members feel that they are part of a common project. In the other direction, opinions should be listened to, participation should be encouraged and proposals should be accepted as they arise.
2) Define common objectives: SMART and coherent with the day to day.
3) Share achievements and carry out activities outside the workspace to promote team building values: help them improve their confidence and sense of belonging to the work group.
4) Interact with your team members: with empathy and optimism you will contribute to generate a good atmosphere. You will get to know the team better, with their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their motivations.
5) Create a good atmosphere, having a good attitude and predisposition to generate a good atmosphere in the office is fundamental: motivating and recognizing the work of your colleagues will give them confidence and motivation to develop their tasks.
In conclusion, we can determine that finding out our ikigai will considerably improve our quality of life. Regarding the organization itself, making it easier for your team members to find it will improve the overall performance and they will gain in efficiency and productivity.