Ancient Design Thinking – The contact with my Ikigai

The contact with my Ikigai reminded me that I had to go back to my roots to focus my profession on the primary objective of changing people’s lives. Psychiatrist Mieko Kamiya, author of a classic 1966 book on Ikigai, emphasizes that the concept offers a more nuanced version of happiness. Ikigai integrates all aspects of everyday life that give meaning to people. To find a new joy in my work, I finally went to Okinawa, Japan, a city with the largest population, which is up to 100 years old. I was so busy creating my own life after what I thought others would or would expect me to be a dreaded place in the lonely and tiring hamster wheel with endless emails and tasks. Ikigai is undoubtedly a vision centered on man at “his” best: it takes into account your needs and desires in the context of greater humanity. I was so absorbed by what I needed to build my business that I retired that it brought me true happiness. The people of Okinawa, known as the “land of the immortals”, have developed a design thinking that can help you learn to “do what you love” without inevitably running out. In other words, to achieve the profound meaning of your life beyond the superficial – which includes money, glory and status – you need to make a multifaceted exploration of what guides you. But I would say that it has allowed me to explore other existential practices and philosophies to find a more authentic and optimistic life. In this context, it is easy to see that passion is just a petal in the flower, Ikigai. There is a term for this secret sauce from Okinawa – Ikigai.