Ever heard of “ikigai”? Me either. It’s a Japanese concept referring to your reason for being, the things that make your life worthwhile and give your life value. This is something a lot of my clients struggle with. We get so caught up in the tasks we have to do every day that we lose sight of what gives us life. We know we’ve lost sight of the bigger picture when we wake up on Sunday already wishing it were Friday night again. If this is you, I’ve got a cheat sheet for you, though.
But before we get to that, I wanted to share this graphic with you that I stumbled across. I don’t know who created it originally, unfortunately, but this particular version is from Forbes:
Here’s the main idea. Purpose and meaning come from the intersection of four different things: things we love, things we’re good at, things the world needs, and things we get paid for (because: bills).
When there’s imbalance between these four dimensions, we lose our way. We get depressed, we get anxious, we get discouraged. And ultimately, life isn’t worth it if there’s just stress and no purpose. For most of us, our balance is way too heavy on what we can get paid for (so, our jobs) and what the world needs (which includes your children and your boss). And we don’t have nearly enough of the things we love, so it’s just stress.stress.stress.
“Ultimately, life isn’t worth it if there’s just stress and no purpose.”
I’ve got a cheat sheet for you to work through to see how you’re doing with this now and to identify what changes you could make to get rebalanced. Once you’re rebalanced, you’ll notice a major reduction in anxiety and overwhelm. Download it here:
Are you a messy eater? I am. Just had to change clothes because I spilled ice cream on my shirt. Next week, we’re talking about spilling and what it has to do with your mental health. Don’t miss it.
Hayden
P.S. For you skimmers, here’s the gist: We get overwhelmed because there’s imbalance in important areas of our life (see the picture). Download the cheat sheet to evaluate how you’re doing on the balance.
Hayden C. Finch, PhD, is a practicing psychologist in Des Moines, Iowa, focused on helping you master your mental health.
