What's your ikigai?

I quote from Wikipedia:

Ikigai (生き甲斐, pronounced [ikiɡai]) is a Japanese concept meaning "a reason for being". 

Everyone, according to the Japanese, has an ikigai. Finding it requires a deep and often lengthy search of self. 

Such a search is regarded as being very important, since it is believed that discovery of one's ikigai brings satisfaction and meaning to life.
 
In the culture of Okinawa, ikigai is thought of as "a reason to get up in the morning"; that is, a reason to enjoy life.

What's your ikigai?

I was discussing in a recent post on why we see 80 plus year old seniors queuing up to buy Toto?

I believe its the same reason why Li Ka Shing and Warren Buffet are still doing what they do even in their 80s and with all their wealth.

Same same why Lao Lee refuses to step down I guess.

Next time when you visit the hawker centres, do take a look at the retired seniors there. See if you can spot those with ikigai, and those you suspect have no ikigai.

 
It takes time to know our ikigai. 

Once we know it, everything else will fall in place.


If we are clueless to our ikigai, all the goal settings and planning in life may lead us to a situation where we have climbed the ladder of "success" and find the ladder is leaning on the "wrong" wall...