Ikigai: Finding Your Brand's Purpose
I want to tell you all about a concept that led to the creation of Social Canvas, and drives me to do my best each and every day. I truly believe that this concept is the secret of life, and has allowed me to find my true calling, by understanding and embodying a greater sense of purpose. Furthermore, the benefits of ikigai apply to business as well, and are the foundation of a company’s success and marketing strategy.
This concept is called ikigai, which means a reason for being or a meaning for life. Ikigai is what gets you out of bed each day, what drives you forward, and what makes you feel fulfilled. In Okinawa, where the term originates, people enjoy a higher life expectancy than anywhere else in the world. It’s believed that the people of Okinawa actually live longer because of their strong sense of purpose.
Ikigai combines four elements: passion, mission, vocation, and profession. To find your ikigai, you simply need to ask yourself these four questions:
● What do I love?
● What am I good at?
● What does the world need?
● What can I be paid for?
Just a few years ago, I was working in the art world. I liked my job, but something was missing. I got to a point where I felt so out of balance that I had to leave my job. I turned down a raise and left the security of my paycheck with no other offer, no plan, and no idea what I wanted to do. All I knew was that I had some soul-searching to do if I wanted to get out of this funk and find happiness.
After my last day at work, I flew to Japan on a one-way ticket. Two-days later, I arrived at Mt. Fuji, exhausted. I had been put in touch with a friend of a friend, whom I was told I “just had to meet”, and she happened to be in Fuji too. So I quickly dropped off my bags, and set out into the night to meet her at the base of the mountain. We began our 12,388 foot hike, and I began pouring out my life’s story to a girl I’d just met. Together, we overcame every memory, every thought, as we pushed ourselves to higher ground, step by step.
We summited the mountain just as the sun rose, and enjoyed surreal bliss looking down on the world we’d left behind, delirious from lack of oxygen and sleep. I knew that the mountain was a metaphor for the challenges I needed to overcome, physically and mentally, in order to climb out of the rut I was in. After all this, my new friend, who understood that I was at a crossroads in my life, told me about ikigai.
If you’re struggling to succeed, or to market your business, the problem could be that your brand doesn’t have a clearly defined purpose.
I realized that while I’d been working at the intersection of my passion and my profession, I was missing two crucial components: my mission and my vocation. It became clear that I needed to find a way to make an impact by leveraging my natural skills in communication. This discovery allowed me to create a business that motivates me every day, and brings me a sense of fulfillment. When I asked myself the four questions mentioned above, the answers converged to create Social Canvas. In doing so, I found my ikigai, a business that allows me to help others while pursuing my passion and spreading positivity in the world.
If you’re struggling to succeed, or to market your business, the problem could be that your brand doesn’t have a clearly defined purpose. So ask yourself: What is your brand’s ikigai? Are you running a business solely driven by profit? Are you doing what you must to make ends meet, at the expense of your happiness? Do you wish that you could do more to help people?
Ikigai creates synergy between your personal fulfillment and the world around you.
The journey doesn’t end once you’ve found your ikigai. We have to live by this every day, with every action we take. For example, I know that if I were to take on a client whose business is not driven by purpose, I will begin to feel the side effects of operating out of alignment with my purpose. I may find myself suffering a lack of motivation to do my best. This is why we must work to integrate purpose deeply into our lives.
Everyone has something that drives them. Everyone has the ability to do something unique and valuable. Finding the perfect way to combine your love and talent to help others while supporting yourself is the key to a meaningful life, and the key to success. Ikigai creates synergy between your personal fulfillment and the world around you.
