Dharma, ikigai, and purpose

Dharma is the path or the universal laws of nature—in Buddhist teaching, dharma means acting in your “own way” and doing what is true of yourself.

Ikigai is the Japanese word for purpose or “your reason for being.”

Dharma and ikigai are components of what Joseph Campbell referred to in the “hero’s journey” in which we must adventure through the highs and lows in life to find our purpose and ultimately transform ourselves.

From my own experience and experience working with others in finding their “Why,” it is a question that many of us have never had the time to truly explore (“Purpose?! Passion?! Go to school, get good job, marry—that is purpose!”).

“Who am I?” is one of the most difficult yet powerful questions we can ask ourselves but one that usually is not explored until our later years in life…but who is to say we cannot ask that question when we are 8? 15? 21?

The answer may and will change over time, but I would argue asking that question is more beneficial than the questions that dominate society today—Who are the Kardashians dating now?

If you ask the question of who you are over and over again, I can certainly bet you that it will yield more benefits to your overall life satisfaction in the long run rather than fixating on who Kim Kardashian is now dating.

So…who are YOU?

Meaningful work, happy life

1/3rd of your life will be spent at work. That’s 90,000 hours—or 1/2 of your walking hours.

Are you enjoying it?

I hope you are (or you will).

When you look back on your life now and in the future, what would make good life? An amazing life?

Friends, family, and loved ones usually come out on top. Meaningful work usually tops the list as well. When you have purpose (or what the Japanese call “ikigai”), studies show that life satisfaction increases, your resilience levels increase, and you actually live longer and happier.

So…what does meaningful work mean to you? Are you doing any of it now? How can you do more of it?

What is an extraordinary life...for YOU?

Listening to Tony Robbins affirmations during your cold morning shower is like a US Marine sergeant yelling at you during bootcamp—it somehow works. To motivate you to think about the bigger questions in life that start with the smallest things in life—a morning shower.

So what does an extraordinary life look like? As I wrote down my morning thoughts, I realized that we’ve become mesmerized by success standards of Hollywood, big media, and now social media. But does everyone want to become the next Elon Musk? As Mark Manson puts it, “What shit sandwich do you want to eat?” Everything takes time, the journey arduous, but what is that one thing you want that you’re willing to eat a shit sandwich for?

What does a quality, fulfilling, and extraordinary life look like for you? Imagine the reality compared to the fantasy. Are you willing to eat a shit sandwich for that?

What would you do if you knew you would fail?

“What would you do if you knew you would fail?” - Seth Godin

We all think about what we would do if failure was not an option. That’s genie thinking, according to Seth Godin. The right question should be, “What would you do if you knew you would fail?” What is the one thing that you would pursue even if you knew you would fail. In other words…what are you so passionate about that you would try and do anyway…even if you failed?