This Simple Japanese Idea Will Change How You Think About Your Entire Life

Summary

This video explores the concept of 'ikigai,' a Japanese philosophy for finding purpose in life by intersecting what you're good at, what you love, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. It discusses the evolution of our search for meaning, the challenges of modern complexity, and the importance of settling on a path. Sponsored by Imprint, an interactive learning app, the video encourages intentional learning for personal growth and happiness.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The video is sponsored by Imprint, an interactive visual learning app offering a free 7-Day trial and a 20% discount on annual premium membership.
• 🔍 The script discusses the human drive for purpose, suggesting it is rooted in evolutionary biology and is crucial for survival and motivation.
• 🧬 According to psychologist Eric Clinger, the search for meaning and purpose is a biological imperative, evolving alongside humanity's cognitive and social environments.
• 🌐 The modern world presents an overwhelming array of potential roles and impacts, complicating the search for personal purpose and fulfillment.
• 👶 The societal pressure to find one's purpose early is highlighted, with the expectation to have life goals established from a young age.
• 📚 The Japanese concept of 'ikigai' is introduced as a framework for finding purpose, focusing on the intersection of what one is good at, loves, what the world needs, and what one can be paid for.
• 🎯 To achieve 'ikigai', one must identify activities that bring joy and fulfillment, align with personal abilities, provide value to the world, and offer financial sustenance.
• 🤔 The script acknowledges the difficulty in determining what the world truly needs and the challenge of aligning personal skills and passions with societal value.
• 💼 The concept of 'ikigai' has evolved in the modern Western world to be more focused on work and career, despite its traditional emphasis on a broader life perspective.
• 🌱 The importance of settling on a path and committing to it is emphasized, as the process of finding purpose involves narrowing down infinite possibilities to a single direction.
• 📈 Imprint's 'The Science of Happiness' course is recommended as a tool for intentional learning and personal growth, aiming to help viewers take better control of their thoughts and life.

Q & A

What is the interactive visual learning app Imprint offering to new users?

Imprint is offering a free 7-Day trial and a 20% discount on the annual premium membership to new users using the link provided in the description.

Why is the search for purpose considered a biological imperative according to the psychologist Eric Clinger?

According to Eric Clinger, the search for meaning and purpose is rooted in biology as goal striving is essential for the survival and thriving of all Zoological organisms. Our ancestors needed to achieve essential goals, and having a purpose and role within a community was crucial for motivation.

How has the concept of 'ikigai' evolved from its origins to its modern interpretation?

Ikigai originated from the Heian period of Japanese history and was primarily associated with Okinawa. It was formally introduced and explored by Japanese psychiatrist CIA Mako in the 1960s. The modern interpretation has evolved to focus more on work and career, making it more applicable and practical for most modern individuals.

What are the two primary objectives of achieving one's 'ikigai'?

The two primary objectives of achieving one's 'ikigai' are to achieve states of flow or being intensely and fully immersed in activities, and to provide value to the world.

What does the term 'ikigai' translate to in English and what is its significance?

The term 'ikigai' loosely translates to 'reason for being' in English. It focuses on the dynamic interplay between objects of meaning and the experience of meaning within a social context, relating to sources or objects that bring value or meaning to life.

How does the concept of 'ikigai' relate to the lifestyle of Okinawans and their long life expectancies?

Many researchers credit 'ikigai's influence on the lifestyle of Okinawans as a reason for their historically long life expectancies, having one of the highest numbers of 100-plus-year-olds per capita and a lower desire to retire.

What are the four key domains of life that one must consider to achieve their 'ikigai' according to the modernized concept?

The four key domains of life to achieve 'ikigai' are what you are good at, what you love, what the world needs, and what you can get paid for.

Why is it suggested that finding what you love and what you are good at can sometimes be challenging?

Finding what you love and what you are good at can be challenging because it requires honest self-awareness and self-assessment. External pressures and societal expectations can also influence one's perception of what they should love or be good at.

What is the role of 'what the world needs' in the concept of 'ikigai'?

In the concept of 'ikigai', 'what the world needs' is important because it ensures that the activities one is good at and loves also provide something valuable to the world, particularly in a sustainable way.

How does the concept of 'ikigai' relate to the idea of being paid for one's work?

The concept of 'ikigai' suggests that one must be able to be paid for their work, indicating that the work provides value to the world. However, it does not necessarily imply that one must become rich; it's more about being paid enough to live well.

What is the final advice given in the script regarding finding and maintaining one's 'ikigai'?

The final advice is to have the courage and make the effort to stay on the right path once you find your 'ikigai'. It acknowledges that the process is challenging and involves fear, anxiety, and uncertainty, but emphasizes the importance of making choices and settling on a path.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 The Quest for Purpose and the Concept of Ikigai

This paragraph explores the innate human desire for purpose, suggesting it stems from evolutionary biology where goal striving is crucial for survival. It introduces the Japanese concept of 'ikigai' as a framework for finding personal meaning and fulfillment. Ikigai is associated with the intersection of what one is good at, loves, the world needs, and can be compensated for. The paragraph also touches on the modern complexities of finding one's purpose amidst an overwhelming array of choices and societal pressures.

05:01

🌟 Achieving Ikigai Through Life's Four Key Domains

The second paragraph delves into the process of achieving one's 'ikigai' by identifying the intersection of four domains: what one is good at, what one loves, what the world needs, and what one can be paid for. It emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and experimentation in discovering one's natural abilities and passions. The paragraph also discusses the challenge of aligning personal skills and interests with societal needs and the potential for financial compensation as an indicator of value provided to the world.

10:01

🛤️ Navigating the Path to Purpose Amidst Life's Challenges

The final paragraph addresses the difficulties individuals face in finding and committing to a sense of purpose. It acknowledges the fear, anxiety, and uncertainty inherent in making life choices and the paradox of having too many options. The paragraph suggests that settling on a path is not only inevitable but also necessary for living a fulfilling life. It concludes by promoting the 'Imprint' app as a tool for intentional learning and growth, which can aid in the pursuit of happiness and meaning.

Keywords

💡Purpose

Purpose is a fundamental concept in the video, representing the reason or justification for our existence and actions. It is defined as the driving force that compels us to seek meaning and direction in life. The video discusses how the search for purpose is rooted in our evolutionary biology and is crucial for our motivation and well-being. For example, the script mentions that 'we need a defined reason for our existence to feel good about it' and 'the search for meaning and purpose is rooted in biology'.

💡Evolutionary Processes

Evolutionary Processes are the natural mechanisms by which species change over time. In the context of the video, it is suggested that our drive for purpose is likely derived from these processes, as our ancestors needed to achieve essential goals for survival. The script references psychologist Eric Clinger's view that 'goal striving is a biological imperative of all Zoological organisms', illustrating how the pursuit of purpose is ingrained in our nature.

💡Ikigai

Ikigai is a Japanese philosophical concept that roughly translates to 'reason for being'. The video explains it as a concept focusing on the interplay between meaning and the experience of meaning within a social context. It is related to the sources or objects that bring value to life. The script uses the term to illustrate a path to finding one's purpose, mentioning that 'ikigai relates to the sources or objects that bring value or meaning to life'.

💡Flow

Flow is a psychological state of complete immersion in an activity, where a person is so involved that they lose sense of time and are fully engaged. The video mentions this concept as one of the primary objectives of ikigai, suggesting that achieving states of flow can lead to a sense of fulfillment. It is used to describe a desirable state where one is 'intensely and fully immersed in activities'.

💡Value

Value, in the context of the video, refers to the worth or importance of something, particularly in terms of what one contributes to the world. It is one of the criteria for achieving ikigai, as the video suggests that what we do must provide something of value to the world. The script states that 'for it to satisfy the criteria of ikigai it must provide something to the world that the world needs'.

💡Social Significance

Social Significance pertains to the impact or importance of a role or action within a community or society. The video discusses how each potential role we can take on has varying degrees of social significance, which contributes to our sense of purpose. The script mentions that 'each role containing varying degrees of social significance' plays a part in determining our ikigai.

💡Paradox of Choice

The Paradox of Choice is a concept that suggests having too many options can lead to decision-making difficulties and reduced satisfaction with the choices made. The video touches on this idea when discussing the overwhelming number of roles and actions available to modern individuals, which can complicate the pursuit of purpose. The script refers to this as 'the paradox of choice and the sense of impostor syndrome is real'.

💡Imposter Syndrome

Imposter Syndrome is the feeling of self-doubt, where individuals question their abilities and fear being exposed as a 'fraud' despite evidence of their competence. The video mentions this concept in relation to the challenges of finding and committing to a purpose in life. The script describes it as a real phenomenon that can affect our pursuit of ikigai.

💡Settling

Settling, in the context of the video, refers to the act of making a firm decision and committing to a particular path or choice. It is presented as a necessary step in finding one's purpose and achieving ikigai. The script argues that 'living life to the fullest requires settling' and that we should not view settling as a negative thing.

💡Interplay

Interplay describes the way in which two or more elements interact or work together to produce a combined effect. The video uses this term to describe the dynamic relationship between the different aspects of ikigai, such as what you are good at, what you love, what the world needs, and what you can get paid for. The script mentions 'the dynamic interplay between objects of meaning and the experience of meaning'.

💡Imprint

Imprint is the name of the interactive visual learning app that sponsored the video. It is mentioned as a tool for learning about various topics, including happiness and finding meaning in life, which aligns with the video's theme of discovering one's purpose. The script promotes Imprint as an 'Interactive visual-based Learning app' that can help viewers learn more intentionally and take control of their lives.

Highlights

The video discusses the concept of 'purpose' and its evolutionary roots, suggesting that the search for meaning is a biological imperative for all organisms.

Psychologist Eric Clinger posits that the human desire for purpose is tied to our cognitive and social evolution, leading to the pursuit of higher, more conceptual forms of purpose.

The modern complexity of life presents an overwhelming array of choices, making the search for a singular purpose challenging.

The Japanese concept of 'ikigai' is introduced as a tool to navigate the search for purpose, defined as the reason for being.

Ikigai is associated with Okinawa, Japan, where it is linked to long life expectancies and a reluctance to retire, suggesting its potential impact on well-being.

Ikigai is said to focus on the interplay between meaningful objects and the experience of meaning within a social context.

The concept of ikigai has evolved in the modern Western world to be more focused on work and career.

Achieving one's ikigai involves finding the intersection of four key domains: what you are good at, what you love, what the world needs, and what you can get paid for.

Self-awareness and experimentation are crucial for identifying what one is naturally good at and enjoys doing.

Charles Bukowski's perspective on not overworking or overtrying to find one's purpose is shared, emphasizing the importance of natural inclination.

The challenge of determining what the world truly needs is highlighted, as it can be difficult to assess the value one provides.

Financial compensation is presented as an imperfect metric for assessing the value one provides to the world.

Ikigai suggests that finding purpose is not about wealth but about being paid enough to live well.

The process of narrowing down life's infinite options to a singular path is described as both the allure and the terror of ikigai.

The paradox of choice and impostor syndrome are acknowledged as real challenges in the pursuit of purpose.

Settling on a path is encouraged as a necessary step in achieving purpose and success, contrary to popular belief.

Ikigai is presented as a subjective compass in a world without a true north, shaped by personal values and assessments.

The video concludes by promoting the Imprint app as a tool for intentional learning and growth, with a special offer for viewers.

Transcripts

this video is sponsored by the

interactive visual learning app imprint

get a free 7-Day trial and 20% off in

annual premium membership using the link

in the description we are all compelled

by purpose we perceive the world in the

form of reasons and justifications this

includes of course most fundamentally

ourselves why are we here what should we

do with ourselves while we are here why

should we do this and not that that and

not this we need a defined reason for

our existence to feel good about it to

want to keep going to feel like the day

is bright and worth getting up and

soaking

in this drive for purpose is like many

things likely derived from evolutionary

processes according to the psychologist

Eric Clinger the search for meaning and

purpose is rooted in biology to the

extent that goal striving is a

biological imperative of all Zoological

organisms in order to survive and thrive

our ancestors needed to achieve

essential goals and the striving and

Desiring of a purpose and role within a

community and the species more broadly

was crucial to motivation for this as

time went by and our cognitive and

symbolic capacity evolved Clinger also

suggests that our biological drive for

purpose evolved or at least altered

alongside resulting in the desire for

higher more conceptual forms of purpose

along with Humanity's cognitive

Evolution Humanity's social environments

have of course also evolved

significantly today for most of us there

are not merely a few clear important

things that we need to get done for

ourselves and our communities there

there is a near infinite number of

things we can do our potential role and

impact spanning across the globe each

role containing varying degrees of

social significance each conting

significance somewhat differently each

varying in how enjoyable the role is or

could be the joyfulness of each largely

dependent on the individual's

preferences and each role paying out

different amounts of money needless to

say it can all be very complicated and

overwhelming it does not help that in

every moment the clock is ticking toward

its final tick for each of us and for

most of us before we even really

realized the clock had started we were

told hurry up pick we were toddlers when

we were first asked what we want to be

when we grow up and we are far from

grown up before we are expected to have

it all figured out the pressure to have

it figured out although unreasonable is

well intended a sense of purpose even a

fleeting and elcer one or one that

sometimes falls short can make all the

difference in the quality of one's

experience of their life daily weekly

yearly and upon final reflection when

one looks back on their life to

determine if what they did was at the

very least consistent with who they are

and what they wanted to try but amongst

the infinite options and complexity of

things how do we do this how do we pick

what we want to try and feel good about

it the Japanese philosophical concept

known as eeky is extremely useful and

insightful to consider when dealing with

this challenge the term translates

Loosely into reason for being iigi goes

as far back as the hon period of

Japanese history between 794 in 1185 and

was primarily associated with and

practiced in Okinawa Japan the concept

was first formally introduced and

explored by the Japanese psychiatrist

CIA Mako in the 1960s broadly ikigai

focuses on the dynamic interplay between

objects of meaning and the experience of

meaning within a social context in the

words of the psychologist inui katua

ikigai relates to the sources or objects

that bring value or meaning to life and

a feeling that one's life has value or

meaning because of the existence of of

its source or object many researchers

credit igi's influence on the lifestyle

of okinawans as a reason for their

historically long life expectancies

having one of the highest numbers of 100

plus year olds per capita as well as

being a place where people have

significantly less desire to

retire according to the concept we all

have an eeky guy or reason for being but

we deviate from it or neglect to attain

it when we pursue and do things that

aren't properly aligned with the few key

objectives and domains of life broadly

igi's two primary objectives include

achieving states of flow or being

intensely and fully immersed in

activities and providing value to the

world these objectives are attained

through Devotion to activities and

people that bring states of Joy

well-being and fulfillment a more

traditional form of eigi Simply involves

appreciating the small and simple things

of Life expressing and living with

authenticity having a healthy diet and

routine living in harmony with one's

community and the natural world and

focusing on the present moment Over time

however especially in the modern Western

world eigi has evolved and been

popularized in a form that somewhat

Alters the original idea into a more

tangible formulaic and prescriptive form

more Central to one's work and career so

it goes with every Western

interpretation of everything although

it's important to note this deviation

the popularized form is nonetheless more

likely to be applicable and practical

for most modern individuals and so that

is what we will primarily be focusing on

from here

forward a according to the modernized

popular conception of the philosophy

achieving one's EIG guy is done through

locating the intersection of four key

domains of life what you are good at

what you love what the world needs and

what you can get paid for what you are

good at this domain is largely based on

honest self-awareness and

experimentation we are all naturally

better at some things than other things

and would be better at those things than

most people if we pursued them we each

have our own genetic makeups and

environmental circumstances that

ultimately culminate into a particular

set of abilities it's just a matter of

uncovering and recognizing these

abilities and then applying them to

things in the world most of us at least

have an idea of what these things are or

might be we each have an internal

barometer that we should generally trust

that directs us through a process of

play and experimentation toward these

things things that seem to come out of

us naturally as if we were almost

conduits to them from some other

dimension we have no awareness or

control over to find our eeky guy we

must first locate these

things what you love

what we are good at is often what we

enjoy doing it's certainly far easier to

enjoy doing something when you are good

at it but of course this isn't always

the case there are plenty of things we

might be good at that we despise or

things we enjoy doing but we'll never be

good at for eeky however we need to find

where both overlap like determining what

we are good at determining what we love

is entirely based on self-awareness and

self assessment the challenge however is

being honest with ourselves and parsing

out external pressures that might have

tried to convince us that there are

other better things to love that we

don't actually paradoxically often the

harder we try to find this intersection

of both what we love and what we are

good at the further we can move away

from it the American poet and novelist

Charles Bukowski a man who spent the

majority of his life trying to realize

his purpose of writing finally

succeeding at it in his 50s once wrote

we work too hard we try too hard don't

try don't work it's there looking right

at us aching to kick out of the closed

womb

in this Bukowski suggests that if we

have to try to find something try to do

something perhaps it isn't the right

thing what the world needs some of the

things that we're good at and like might

not have extrinsic value that's fine not

everything needs to be for something

else but for it to satisfy the criteria

of eeky it must provide something to the

world that the world needs particularly

in a sustainable way the problem here is

given the vast complex conditions of the

modern world as opposed to the clear

simpler conditions of smaller

communities what does benefit and

provide value to the world how many

people say and perhaps believe that they

are making the world a better place only

to provide some slop of a product or

service that primarily produces problems

for the consumer or Humanity more

broadly we are terrible at determining

what the world truly needs thus this

domain can be difficult of course there

are plenty of roles and services that

are clearly and tangibly valuable First

Responders doctors teachers construction

workers and so on these sorts of roles

are much easier to consider in these

terms but there are of course lots of

other roles and things we can do and if

in the two prior domains what we are

good at and what we love we do not find

ourselves pointed in this clear tangible

direction we are left only to our best

judgments deep down however if we are

honest with ourselves and with what we

do we likely know and are likely able to

provide what is some value to the world

all we can do here is try our

best what you can be paid for an easy

metric to determine the value you might

be providing to the world is how much

you are or could be paid for it here too

though it's not always that simple

consider how important teachers and

nurses and rescue workers are few people

would argue that they are not providing

immense value to the world and yet they

are often paid fairly little relatively

speaking furthermore on the flip side of

this there are plenty of jobs that

aren't important to anything much at all

that are paid very highly value and

contribution are not always and are

perhaps rare ly proportionately

compensated with this form of eky guy

suggests one must be able to be paid but

it does not suggest that one must become

rich quite the opposite in fact as the

idea generally suggests simpler slower

living thus for an eeky guy it is not

necessarily about how much you get paid

but the fact that you get paid enough to

live

well in the end we find our igig guy

when we have found the intersection of

these four domains and in the words of

the authors Hector Garcia and Frances

moras once you find it it's only a

matter of Having the courage and making

the effort to stay on the right path of

course this is easier said than done as

we move forward through each domain we

create a shrinking number of things to

choose from with each step forward we

negate everything else that is behind

and next to us the infinite realm of

options of what we can pursue and do

goes from everything to a narrow realm

of possibilities and then finally a

single set path this is the point of

eigi to the in a path but at the same

time this is the terror of eigi though

simple and obvious sounding so many of

us struggle with this process with

making these sorts of big decisions and

accomplishing a genuine sense of purpose

in life there are many reasons for why

this might be the case many of which

might be outside of our control it might

not be fair but even when things are in

one's favor the process is still

comprised of fear anxiety and

uncertainty perhaps we might fear that

what we are choosing is wrong no matter

what we are choosing perhaps we might

worry that that what we seem to enjoy

now we won't enjoy in the future perhaps

we might agonize over whether or not we

are good enough even if we are in the

modern world the Paradox of choice and

the sense of impostor syndrome is real

ultimately we'll never get it right

we'll never find a true ultimate purpose

free from immense doubt and challenge

whatever we enjoy broadly will always

include things we hate whatever life we

live will always carry the weight of

hardship and uncertainty but we must

choose nonetheless we must settle

the reive wisdom writes the author

Oliver burkeman articulated in a

Thousand magazine articles and

inspirational Instagram memes is that

it's always a crime to settle but the

received wisdom is wrong you should

definitely settle or to be more precise

you don't have a choice you will settle

and this fact ought to please you living

life to the fullest requires settling

you can't become an ultra successful

lawyer or artist or politician without

first settling on law or art or politics

and and therefore deciding to foro the

potential rewards of other careers if

you flip between them all you'll succeed

in none of them in the end eigi is an

ideal compass in a world with no true

north our purpose largely depends on

what we value and assess in the world in

ourselves which is deeply subjective and

complex it is in US of us built by us

out of nothingness our purpose is to

find and Define our purpose perhaps that

alone no matter what we do and

accomplish is

enough existence is strange happiness

and well-being are often nebulous but

the more we learn about ourselves in the

world the better we get at finding

things in a life that we can feel good

about as often as possible a fantastic

way to do this is with this video

sponsor imprint in their course the

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guide on igig Guy where you can learn

more about the concept and its Origins

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review of General psychology roughly 40%

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