Finding your purpose
“He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how” - Nietzsche
I recently read Viktor Frankl’s influential work “Man’s Search for Meaning”. In it, Frankl recalls his personal experience in Nazi concentration camps, and explores how different people’s attitudes and outlook affected their ability to cope with the horrendous conditions. He observed that those who had purpose seemed better able to hold on to hope and find meaning in their lives no matter how dire the circumstances. When the manuscript of his life’s work was confiscated by guards, Frankl felt compelled to re-write it. Not having anything to write with, he went over and over every detail in his mind. His need to share his research drove him and gave his life a purpose and helped him hold on to hope that one day he would escape the horrors of the concentration camp.
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms - to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way” - Viktor Frankl
Thankfully most of us will never have to endure such horrors as Frankl, but we can take some lessons from his experience and apply it to our lives today. We may not be able to control what happens to us but we can control our thoughts and actions. Bad things happen to everyone - that’s just life. But, if we can uncover our reason to get up each morning, our ikigai, we can live rich and fulfilling lives and face challenges head on.
What is Ikigai?
According to Japanese culture, everyone has an ikigai. Roughly translated, it means our “reason to live”. Our purpose. It’s about discovering the things that matter most to us and finding a way to bring more of them into our lives.
Have you ever felt like you had no idea what you were meant to be doing with your life? Have you been in a job that was so soul destroying that your confidence was shattered? Have you ever found yourself at a crossroad and felt complete decision paralysis about what to do next?
You may need to uncover your purpose. There are many ways to do this but today I wanted to explore discovering your purpose using the principles of ikigai.
One way to discover your purpose, your ikigai, is to explore the intersection of your passion, your mission, your vocation and your profession. Or more specifically, :
What you love - what are the things you most love to do? What activities allow you to be in “flow” - the times when we lose ourselves in an activity we enjoy and time kind of disappears? What brings you the most joy?
What you are good at - what are the things you excel at? What can you do with ease?
What the world needs - what is required in your community or wider society? How can you contribute to making the world a better place?
What you can be paid for - is there a demand for your skillset that people will pay for? How can you earn a living doing what you love?
Make a list under each heading and highlight the things that overlap. Does something jump out at you that you haven’t noticed before? How often are you doing the things you love the most? Does your current job reflect your values and your purpose?
It reminds me of the famous saying -
if you find a job you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life.
How wonderful it would be if we could all find a way to harness our passion and talents in a way that contributes to society and allows us to earn a living.
Realistically, not everyone will be able to find work that combines all of these factors, especially during a cost of living crisis! Sure, in an ideal world we’d all be following our bliss and earning our living from our passion, but we don’t live in an ideal world. Sometimes we just need to pay the bills! I firmly believe though that we can find ways to incorporate all of these components into our daily lives. We just need to get a little creative.
Some people may combine their passion/profession/mission/vocation by turning their hobby into a side-hustle and make a little extra money on the side. Some may fulfil their ikigai by volunteering in their community and keep their paid work completely separate.
It’ll be different for everyone, but knowing your purpose - your reason for getting out of bed each day - will really help to keep things in perspective when life gets rocky.
When we are living with purpose we are more resilient. We are more resistant to stress and more likely to focus on the things we can control.
Take the time to explore and uncover your purpose and it just might change your life.
© 2024 Jodie Blewitt - meaningfulchangecounselling.com.au