Can you be mentored?
Ikigai – A Formula for Happiness
Roughly translated, Ikigai means “thing that you live for” or “the reason for which you wake up in the morning.” The term originates from Okinawa – the largest population of centenarians in the world. We’d be wise to learn life lessons from our longest living and most easy-going people.
The concept begins with four lists:
- What you love
- What you’re good at
- What the world needs
- What you can be paid for
As these lists converge, we find Ikigai.
My mom’s favorite aphorism is “ask a teenager while they still know everything.” Absolutism is a problem. It’s immature and makes us grumpy. Pump up the hormones and we can be teens forever.
It’s amazing how some of us don’t grow out of our teens. Moody. Unstable. Whenever I meet people consumed by negativity, I always ask “what are you fighting and why are you fighting it?” Define it, then change it.
Can you be mentored? Accepting mentorship means doing what you’re told. It’s mountains more than mere nodding and understanding. Mentors get you to wax a dozen cars…their way. Our only job as students is to have grit. Success is about not giving up. It’s not about being a bulldog…stubbornly holding onto what we’ve sunk our teeth into. Try, observe, adjust.
Some things we must unlearn. The world is always changing around us, so it’s not wise to cling to old irrelevant truths. Adjust. A fulfilled life starts with perspective.
“Do you think that’s air you’re breathing?” Quest on.
