13 apr Another day, another discovery

“And, did it work out for you?” he asked, after I told him about the little book of Ikigai. A Japanese life philosophy, written by Ken Mogi. The cover of this little book holds a promise: ‘Less stress, better health and greater happiness’. A short moment of silence hung between us. “Well, I found recognition in all the chapters, so I guess I can say I’m on the right path”, I answered with a smile, while I gave the teaspoon a spin.  

She believed that another day in life would bring yet another discovery and more wisdom

“Too often, an illusion towards a revolution in life – where you are swept away by newly found principles, novel ways of thinking and doing, and the idea of starting life all over again – has led people astray.” Straight into ERROR. Off track. Mentally standing in front of a huge mountain. Totally unaware of the fact that a huge mountain can actually be overcome. Oh yes. Google will show you that there have been over 4000 successful climbers on Mount Everest in history.

Just DO IT

NIKE isn’t talking bullshit. Nope. If you want things in your life to change .. Well, ENTER the road of change. Change things one at a time. Small steps will keep you going. That’s what I’ve learned in life. Nowadays I just take things as they come but in a alert kind of way. In the past I was extremely impatient and right now all I can say is that you just have to be alert. Make ‘knowing what you want’ a priority and guess what .. Your life will align. Add ‘not necessarily seeking for immediate external rewards’ to it and you will enjoy the journey.

Ikigai,

I wanted to see if we were really meant to be, my novel way of thinking sometimes. Two days later I went back to the bookstore in Barcelona and it was still there. Same spot, last one. Meant to be. The word ‘Ikigai’ literally consists of ‘iki’ (to live) and ‘gai’ (reason). And like I said before .. I found lots of recognition. Almost every word written by Ken Mogi confirmed to me that tiny little changes had already occurred. But I guess they were nearly too small for me to notice them as they were happening or to be seen as an actual outcome. As realisation dawned, I kept reading and enjoyed myself.

An attitude often maintained throughout one’s life

The nicest part is that Ikigai can be found by anyone and everyone. “One may find Ikigai in the cup of coffee he or she sips before starting each day. Or in a ray of sunshine coming through the leaves of a palmtree as he or she walks to the beach.”, Ken Mogi writes. Two out of the ten rules, ‘being grateful’ and ‘live in the moment’, belong to those examples.

Work in progress

They do say that Ikigai is a work in progress because ‘WE’ are a work in progress. It takes patience, courage and insight. And with that insight comes honesty. But if you would ask me that specific question .. I would say that the most important thing is to try and discover. Just don’t behave like a passive victim and just let life happen to you.

Why?

Because individual uniqueness is something to be discovered and worked on, not merely assumed and preserved.  

Bron: Ikigai – Ken Mogi