Ikigai & Kaizen: The Japanese Strategy to Achieve Personal Happiness and Professional Success (How to set goals, stop procrastinating, be more productive, build good habits, focus, & thrive)

by Anthony Raymond

You must set and accomplish new goals (of one form or another) each and every day, until the day you die.

It is your job to keep your hands on the wheel. To ensure that your ship remains on an even keel, despite the winds of change that streak across its bow.

As the American author David Deida wrote: Every moment of your life is either a test or a celebration.

conscious mind may genuinely want to engage in industrious pursuits and climb the ladder of self-actualization, your lower mind may not want to come along for the ride.

Ikigai is a Japanese life strategy that emphasizes the importance of finding your “true calling.”

“your reason for living”

“reason to get out of bed in t...

“Lingchi,” is a Chinese term that is commonly translated in the West as “death by a thousand cuts.”

The third concept is called “Hansei” (honest self-reflection). Hansei is a Japanese method for understanding “what went wrong.” It’s about seeking clarity of thought through careful consideration of past mistakes.

“Kaizen” — often translated as “continuous improvement.” With Kaizen, we understand that the answers to life’s biggest quandaries do not come in the form of a magic pill. Instead, our most momentous accomplishments are typically the result of years of concentrated effort and dedication.

“raison d’etre” (your “reason for existence”) or “joie de vivre” (your “zest for life”).

My reason to get out of bed in the morning.

First, you can think of your Ikigai as being comprised of four parts: Passion Vocation Mission Profession It’s best to ponder these four attributes in the form of four questions. Each time you encounter a new career opportunity, ask yourself: Could this be my Passion? How much do I love this skill? Could this be my Vocation? How good am I (or could be) at this skill? Could this be my Mission? How much will this skill benefit the world? Could this be my Profession? How likely am I to get paid well for this skill?

When there is harmonious alignment between our innate passions and our chosen skillset, that’s when the magic happens. Work doesn’t feel like work anymore, time seems to slip away, obstacles become opportunities, and our efforts flow seamlessly through us—our intentions transformed from mental constructs into tangible manifestations of our deepest aspirations and desires.

forces of Mastery, Purpose, and Autonomy are more likely to arouse the spirits of creativity that lead to job satisfaction.

Mastery describes our innate desire to become competent at our chosen skill.

[The “flow state” occurs when] people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.