I’m sure a lot of people now know the term “Ikigai” – life purpose.
It’s often used in coaching and personal development with regards to defining your personal meaning of life – taking into account your talents, passions and profession. Get this right, and your job isn’t really a job.
This is something I totally get behind. It makes perfect sense to me. As does “Shikita ga nai“. Now, if you struggle with you Ikigai, perhaps you can take on shiukita ga nai first.
Quite simply, shiukita ga nai is the art of ‘letting go’. Thinking “it cannot be helped”, in the right context, is a great way of reducing stress and anxiety and for me, helps me focus my efforts elsewhere. Let me give an example;
We cannot control everything. We can plan and prepare, but some thing are quite simply out of our control. If you’re getting married this weekend, you can hope it is sunny, and make plans for rain – but ultimately, you cannot let a rain shower spoil your day. So why let it stress you?
In business, it might look like this;
👉🏻 Something’s gone wrong? There’s only so much you can plan and prepare for. Problems happen. How you respond can really demonstrate your capabilities.
👉🏻 A client pulls a project with your name on it? Perhaps they have bigger issues that are nothing to do with you and your skill-set.
👉🏻 Prospecting for work? Not everyone wants to work with you. That’s fine. Don’t take rejection personally. Find someone who values what you do.
👉🏻 Sales conversation not going to plan? Don’t sell yourself short . If you pitch to a prospect and they want cheaper/faster/other that makes you uncomfortable – then perhaps this isn’t the right client for you. Although you can influence them, you can’t control their decisions. Be prepared to walk away.
Walking away / moving on doesn’t mean you don’t care by any means. It just means you’re choosing what to care about and exert your time/energy/passions on.
And don’t forget..
👉🏻 Practicing Shikita ga nai can help you maintain your Ikigai..!
ps; there’s much more to Shikita ga nai – if you gave 10 mins spare, look it up and you may just feel a little enlightened.
#business #help #coaching #selfimprovement #mindset
