If you feel that you are not doing what you are passionate about, if it is becoming increasingly difficult for you to organize your day at a job you don’t like, maybe it’s time to quit everything and start over? This can be done immediately after graduation, and when you are counting the years until retirement - it would be a good idea to have a reliable guide to the changes at hand. Now it is there - “My notepad. Ikigai" will help you understand yourself and offers you to take a test to do this.
Imagine that every morning, waking up with the first rays of the sun, you joyfully anticipate what the coming day has in store for you! Hurry up to get out from under the covers to enjoy the exciting moments you've been waiting for.
No, you don't have to travel by plane to your dream holiday in Bali! What is the reason for this feeling of happiness? It's simple: you feel harmony, serenity and confidence because you have found your place in life, your driving force, you have found your purpose, your inner compass... As the Okinawans say, you have found your... ikigai.
By cultivating this same ikigai, you gain spiritual harmony, and this state of mind extends to all areas of your life.
Are you striving to find your dream job? It's easy when you know what you were created for and where the key is to unlock your potential.
Do you want to make the right decisions and stick to them? As easy as pie! But first, decide what your heart really lies in and why you are doing this or that.
Do you want your life to be filled with passion and enthusiasm? This is much easier to achieve when everything makes sense and you understand what exactly brings you true joy and satisfaction.
“Is there a method that allows me to feel fulfilled and in my place?” - you ask. Yes! Through Ikigai circles, you will learn how (and why) to connect what you love to do (and what brings you joy), what you are good at (and what makes you proud), and what what you can do for a living (and what makes you feel safe), and what the modern world actually needs (what makes sense). The goal is to find approaches to your passions, talents, mission, profession and calling, in other words, to understand what you were created for, what your purpose is.
So, everyone has ikigai - and the search for it begins with immersion in oneself in the mode of introspection.
Test “What is your iki status?”
Before you go looking for ikigai, take a test that will help you understand where you are now and how much further you have to go.
1. As a child, when you were asked what you would like to do when you grow up, you answered that your dream was...
A) Sell books... no, serve in the police... no, be a princess... (In other words, nothing specific, a little of everything.) B) Choose the same profession as your mom (or dad). C) Become a heart surgeon (or any other clearly defined profession).
2. On Instagram, a model whose blog you follow posted a photo of her swimming in a pool on the premises of a luxury hotel. You will exclaim:
A) “Great photo, awakens dreams!” And mark for yourself the name of the hotel and the model of the swimsuit. B) “She shouldn’t use the moment like that by participating in a photo shoot! Although, on the other hand, it must be so nice to know that the job is done...” So you are a little jealous of her, but at the same time you condemn her. C) “Oh, if I had decided to start my own beauty blog five years ago, I would be in her place now!”
3. You are sitting with your friends in a restaurant and, when the conversation touches on political issues, sometimes quite sharp ones, you tense up because you don’t quite agree with what you hear...
A) You listen carefully, trying to understand the position of those present, and are ready to change your attitude towards these issues if necessary. B) You don’t really interfere in the argument, but only try to move the conversation onto more harmless lines by making witticisms or filling glasses. “Who needs more sangria?” C) You dare to express your special opinion, even if it is completely opposite to the point of view expressed by your friends, despite the fact that you risk saying goodbye to the company before the end of the evening.
4. What “gift” would greatly improve your life right now?
A) More self-confidence and self-esteem. B) More time and productivity. C) More clarity and focus.
5. You found out that one of your colleagues has a low opinion of you...
A) You call her for a conversation and try to explain how wrong she is, because you are the embodiment of genius! B) You exclaim: “This is nonsense! It's impossible to please everyone." C) You say to yourself: “Wow! It probably has something to do with my performance at the last meeting...” And then you constantly think about it and feel awkward.
6. “What do you do in life?”
A) This question is unpleasant for you, you know that people tend to judge you by your place of work or study, and you consider this method of assessing your personality to be too simplistic. B) This question scares you: you don’t really like what you do, so you either have to hide it, or admit it bitterly, or explain yourself... C) You meet this question with enthusiasm, because you love talking about your current activities and listen to others talk about their work.
7. For you, giving yourself pleasure means...
A) Go shopping or eat half a bar of chocolate. B) Chat without purpose or sit through an interesting lecture. C) Meditate or take a bath.
Now count the number of answers A, B and C.
Ways to combat depression
If you turned to a medical professional to get out of this state, you will need to make an effort too. To feel the joys of life again, you should make the determination that you need to take everything from life, and not waste time on sadness and frustration. Treatment options will depend on the cause of your depression. It is often possible to get out of the state of apathy on your own, but it will take a lot of effort to do this. An excellent choice would be to change your environment and spend more time with your close circle of people. But if you cannot do without a psychiatrist, then the first sessions will be devoted to the manifestation of the initial stage and the establishment of the causes of occurrence.
As practice shows, people who most often fall into depression are those who have lost their job or a loved one. The patient is prescribed a course of treatment with tablets (sedatives). The main method of therapy will be conversations with a medical specialist. But don’t forget about your own settings. Setting a goal to get everything out of life will significantly shorten your recovery time.
Most answers A. Your life is like galleys!
You are inquisitive and by nature a cheerful and enthusiastic person. Everything interests you, everything inspires you. You want to try everything in life. You love to travel, read a lot, improve your level of education... You never have enough time for everything, but the desire to try does not disappear.
From a professional point of view, you quickly become bored with any routine work, so you often question the value of what you do. You see yourself as a web developer, graphic designer, CEO of your business, gardener or yoga instructor - depending on the day and mood. You do not have a particular passion for anything specific, but you have vague desires, because the sources of joy for you are diverse.
This curiosity is your driving force. But then where does this feeling come from that you are like a rower on a galley? The point is that you don't really know where you're going. Sometimes your head is spinning from successive desires. You act, and this is great, but you still haven’t realized why you are doing all this and why you sometimes worry.
What is your ikigai? You cannot determine this when you are in this state, because your internal compass has gone crazy and it is not clear where you belong. You will gain more clarity by understanding what interests you in life and discovering some common denominator in these many sources of joy. You should also learn to make more and more balanced and wise decisions that are in harmony with your inner essence and with the interests of other people who surround you, and then go all the way in implementing these decisions.
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The period when you don't want anything
Many people are often faced with a reluctance to do anything. If this is not an advanced form, then people often cope with apathy on their own. However, if this is a longer period and the person becomes worse, then it is necessary to contact a medical professional. In any case, it is necessary to identify the causes of decline in morale and depressed psychological state. And also why the thought appeared: “I don’t want anything from life, what should I do?” Only a specialist can give a more accurate and correct answer.
The most common type of apathy is depression. There can be a lot of reasons for this. Starting from problems at work and ending with a quarrel between spouses. In this case, a change of environment will help. It is also recommended to spend more time with close friends. They contribute to a speedy recovery.
Most of the answers are B. It's a complete mess!
Your ikigai, like your potential, is just waiting to be realized. It smolders inside you, a weak ikigai fire, it trembles a little and warms you slightly... but you yourself do not allow it to flare up! Why? Yes, perhaps because you don’t feel capable of this, saying: “This is not for me.” Or because the very phrase “life purpose” makes too strong an impression on you, you whine plaintively: “What can I give to the world? The question itself makes me shiver!”
Your modesty borders on self-doubt, which sometimes leads you to self-sabotage. Your quiet inner voice haunts you, instilling disbelief in your own strengths and capabilities: “Give it up, nothing will work out for you anyway.” Or you tend to believe that others have greener grass: you often compare yourself with others and rarely come out a winner in this game (at least in your perception). The pessimistic remarks that you hear addressed to you and to which you attach too much importance do not help you either; you have come up with the following excuse for yourself: “There is no point in trying, as you know, it’s all useless...”
What if you dare to be yourself, truly, without fear of the unknown, change, failure, other people's views, without limiting yourself in anything? Down with modesty! To change, take a close look at yourself without criticizing - and you will discover positive qualities, talents, dare to awaken passions, shed light on your value system, show them first to yourself and then to the whole world. It's time to let go of the internal (and external) brakes that are holding you back from reaching your fullest potential and living the life that is truly yours!
What was the first thing you saw?
Columns.
If you saw columns, then your current state of mind is preventing you from achieving what you want in life. You don't want to leave your comfort zone, but you have to if you want to succeed. You are also a dreamer who often overlooks small details.
People between the columns.
If you saw silhouettes between the columns, it means you are a free and sociable person. You often take other people's words to heart and attach great importance to people's actions.
Most answers Q. You are the embodiment of iki-harmony!
Bravo, you have made significant progress on your path to ikigai without even knowing it. Even as a child, you knew what you would do as an adult, and you were able to establish yourself as an individual. You have life goals and you provide yourself with the means to achieve them. Along the way, you have already collected a lot of evidence and now know quite well what things bring you true joy. In other words, you take care of your daily well-being and avoid bad influences: no one will dare to pull you down... anyone, but not you!
You have partially figured out what you like to do, and you roughly know where to go. The halfway point has already been passed, but you still have to connect these small joys with something more significant to determine your ikigai. Thinking about yourself is healthy and even necessary, but if you are only concerned with personal well-being, then you risk forgetting about the main thing: you need to share this joy of life with others, this will help you find the true meaning of existence. You already know what you love and what you are strong at, but how to turn it into a life mission, how to make the most of it for the benefit of the whole world?
What was the first thing you saw?
Crocodile.
You are very practical and soberly assess the risks in your life. You are very cautious, which sometimes borders on pessimism. You should focus less on the bad and enjoy the good more often.
A boat.
You have amazing attention to detail - you don't miss anything. You are very creative and always come up with unique solutions to every problem.
Types of self-realization
Before you start taking the test, you need to understand what main types of self-realization exist:
• Personal – aimed at striving for material wealth and respect from others.
• Creative – requires creating something new (paintings, poems, scientific achievements).
• Professional – represents the desire to move up the career ladder and earn recognition from colleagues.
• Social – can include all the previous types, since it assumes that a person builds his life in accordance with his knowledge of happiness and well-being.
A personality self-realization test can show how ready you are to develop, and therefore to achieve success in the future.
