I’ve been intermittently curious over the years in the idea of Blue Zones. They are the places in the world where people tend to live longer, healthier lives. There is a wealth of information exploring the reasons why the people in those regions are ‘humaning’ so successfully, and the findings tend to focus on diet, movement, purpose and community.
I was reminded again of the zones when I started reading a new book on Ikigai. One of the zones, Okinawa in Japan, holds the idea of ‘Ikigai’ as central to their fulfilment.
‘[Ikigai] is often translated as: “that which makes life worth living” – having a purpose in life. Examples of ikigai could include aspects related to one’s social identity, like work or family, or the pursuit of self-realization, such as hobbies or travel, activities that are seen as ends in themselves.’ From the Blue Zones website
I’m absolutely an advocate for healthy diet, movement, and community, but Ikigai is a word that captures so much of what I believe, and what Bird is all about. In our coaching we always support clients to uncover their purpose, when you have an understanding of what your purpose is it can act as a kind of ‘base’ or ‘touch tree’ to come back to even when the whole world seems to turn upside down.
I know for me my work is my Ikigai, but also so is travel and exploration which was massively impacted by the pandemic. As far back as I can think I’ve had either travel or purposeful and fulfilling work in my life, which has really helped me to stay grounded in joy and optimism and life and the future.
Tapping into our purpose is something we rarely get support to do, but it can actually be a really beautiful and fun exploration.
One way to begin exploring what your Ikigai is, is to get a notebook and pen and think about various scenarios when you felt really alive and vibrant. Times when you felt like things aligned. When I first did this I thought back to myself on a boat heading out to a Thai island, and then more recently I thought back to me delivering a presentation in front of a couple of hundred people where I got most of them to laugh and be open and honest with each other. When you picture these times write down firstly, the impact you were having on those around you, and secondly, how you were showing up in those situations. You can then start to put words to your purpose, you can start to identify whether you are the vibrant comedian who brightens up others days, or the wise soul who calms others down, or the feisty warrior who fights for others rights etc… When you have these insights you can start to seek out situations, work, events, experiences that allow you to really ‘be on purpose’.
I mentioned last week my holiday re-energised me, and now I think of it in Ikigai terms I can see that of course it did! And I can feel things gearing up with Bird and can see perhaps in the new year that there might be more opportunities to get into a room with audiences again, to connect with people and encourage them to connect with each other.
So my invitation to you today is to think about your Ikigai, re-visit it if you’re familiar, or find it if you’re not sure what it is. And if you feel compelled, let me know what comes up.
With love as always, Hannah and Team Bird
Photo by TOMOKO UJI on Unsplash