What do you love doing?

You are good at what?

People pay you for?

What does the world need?

Try answering these questions honestly. Recite the answers to yourself in private and try to analyse them.

You would find out that the reason you wake up in the morning may answer one or two questions above. And that your sense of purpose in living lies on any of the four. The Japanese call this “reason for living” or “sense of purpose” as Ikigai.

Getting hold of this purpose enables us to surpass the first step in reaching one’s self-achievement, which is self-awareness.

Knowing the answer to these four questions will help you figure out your ikigai. It usually is something that when taken away or remains undetermined, your life will rot. A friend of mine had helped me find mine while she was working on her own calling, which is to be a life coach.

It was more of answering the question, “what is it that you love doing, that if you don’t get to do this, you will rot for sure?” It came easily, and it was writing.

FINDING YOUR PURPOSE

I have mentioned the “biggest WHY” countless times. A movie starred by Will Smith called, “Collateral Beauty”, mentioned that the only why is LOVE. And I agree.

The context of it may be seen as – love for yourself. Also, love for what you do. Or love for who you do it for. As an innate trait in us all, LOVE binds us to exist. Most often than not, we move great lengths because of it.

I was reminded to think about my ikigai in one of my meditation practices. And in that very moment, it encouraged me to be still and to listen to myself. As time ticked away, it told me to engage in my breathing and to focus on it. Surprisingly, it expected for my thoughts to wander and to get distracted away from concentrating with my breath so it had to speak and say, “In case your thoughts are wandering just about now (that was not even 3 minutes, I’m sure!), your ability to focus should be inspired by your ikigai. Instantly, I went back and gathered myself by tapping on my ikigai because that’s how I get myself centred.

That’s how I gain myself balance. I write about my thoughts, vent out on my frustrations and research on the things I do not know. If blessed enough, I get to experience them. But one thing that made me realise greatly was this: WE GET DISTRACTED. Most often than not, this happens to us everyday.

THE AWARENESS

When we admit to ourselves that we are reaching a state of distraction, do we go back or do we allow ourself to wander? There lies a very thin line of determining what it is that you love doing? Because if your mind often wanders to a specific thought, while you are doing something else, that thought may be what you love in the first place, is it not? Catch yourself. What about it that makes you get distracted? Is it because you long for something new? You long for a sense of achievement? Does it need you to happen?

Ponder on these questions to start anew. Practice not getting distracted. And take a moment to be still to listen to yourself. Take a good look at your answers to the four questions I began this post with. It may help you out in seeing something you have never seen before.

And this is my message for my #DIYMonday. Have a great week ahead!