The external side of Ikigai

I spoke previously of ikigai and the path of living a fruitful life. Also, of the internal conversations we have with ourselves that help us navigate our way to goals as time progresses. Today I'd like to share my meditation on the interactions with others that shape our collective journeys. In terms found in the IDG framework, I focused on collaboration with respect to communication skills, trust, and co-creation skills.

To start, achieving our goals means working with a community. Very little we do in large scale or long term involves just ourselves. So, to explore the potential for success, we try to find people who speak a common language that are aligned with our professional mission; often to share experiences. When it comes to communication, being supportive of others provides a good foundation for establishing trust and forms the basis of a common language. As a team effort, aligning ourselves with those on similar paths makes for healthy collaboration, and being supportive of each-other makes a strong foundation for continued success. Doing something once is often not enough to succeed, but repeated attempts at finding a solution often means a lot of adversity. It's about carrying through the hard parts, and I'm sure you can think of one person that has made a difference in your life by offering you support through a challenging time.

The creation of a path to reach our goal often leads us to follow another's so long as it suits our mission, and doesn't contradict our way of being. So when we don't find a path that is entirely compatible, we often choose a hybrid path. In this we use our co-creation skills, adapting others experience and sharing our own to create a tailor-fit approach to our goal that other's can use in part or whole as well. In this way our goal becomes part of the a group's goal. I find these things especially true in the academic world and that of post-academic job searching. Often, the group already exists and it is simply a matter of joining and being a supporter. 

Once we have determined what our goal is and how we feel about it, we move towards that goal while balancing our thoughts and feelings. Moving beyond ourselves, we find others to help us in achieving that goal. In providing compassionate, empathetic support to others on a similar journey we move forward together and gain insight and strength. As a team, we create custom paths suitable for ourselves and others. We build trust through strength raised by supporting each-other in the face of adversity. In the terms of Ikigai, we can take our passions, our missions, and develop them into successful professions as a community effort.

Take a moment with me and reflect on the times someone has helped you get a job or offered you an opportunity, or even helped you find a partner. Or vice-versa, the times time you were able to help someone else get a job or find a partner. Does it seem to you that there is a natural, human force that tries to align people with their pursuits of happiness?