FIND YOUR IKIGAI AND BE HAPPIER @WORK!
What the bleep is an Ikigai?
Okinawa islands in Japan, are the site of one of the very bloody battles in the 2nd world war between the Japanese and the US Armed forces. Paradoxically enough, it is also one of the places in the world where people on average live relatively long (many over 100) and healthy (less dementia etc)! One of the reasons, apart I guess from having healthy eating habits and that they have gorgeous beaches, is having an Ikigai.
If you look on internet, it is not-surprisingly, all over the place. Your Ikigai (pronounce icky guy) is really your ‘Why’; or the purpose you have in life. Or as Simon Sinek puts it so nicely: what is ‘the reason why you get out of bed every morning, and why should anyone care…?’[See 'Start with the why, Ted talk]'. Having a purpose that really inspires you for your life makes you happy. Wether that in itself was or was not surprising to you, the next question is…
How do I find my Ikigai?
Well it is easy and it is difficult. Easy because at some deep level you know already; even though you can not always access this knowledge directly. Difficult, because, how do you know you have found the real thing? And if you are not convincced you have found it as yet, how do you find it? It is something that is not really found by rationality, hence it is bloody annoying for many of us result-oriented professionals, who just like an intellectual or 5 step approach to fix a problem. Nonetheless, taking time to find something really important for you such as what your life is about is probably worth it (right?).
One relatively easy way you may find it
Even so, it might be easy for you. I will give you one easy way to find it, and you might just find it right away. It is easy, but it is not a method that generally appeals very much… it is awkwardly enough writing your obituary. Your obituary is the speech you want (or hope) one of your beloved ones will make when you have passed away. This is a method also described by Stephen Covey (Seven habits of Highly Effective People), one of the best-known management guru’s. He puts this aptly in the context of his first ‘habit for highly effective people called: ‘Begin with the end in mind’. So if you know what you want to have accomplished or done by the end of your life, it is good to be aware of this now. And it increases the likelihood of your achieving what you want to accomplish tremendously!
How do I approach that?
First, take a good long walk in the forest or the fields. If you meditate or do mindfulness, do that for a while. Or jog, or bike a bit, whatever works for you to get out of your head. Then sit behind your desk and start writing. Pen and paper work better than computer, but whatever you want. Imagine you have just died (at a nice old age, in your sleep, healthy up until then…). Your best friend, or your partner, or one of your kids, or whomsoever is close to you is voicing your obituary. What would you want them to remember you by…..?
If you found your Ikigai with this method, put it on a sticky note so you can see it every day. E.g. on the mirror, or next to your bed…. If you did not find your Ikigai yet, stick with it, and read on ;-).
If the easy way to find your Ikigai does not work for you
My girl friend at the time told me, she would remember me as hard working….that was not what I wanted to be remembered by. So I spent quite some time finding my life's purpose. When I found my Ikigai, for me it was coaching to support people in the search of a fulfilling life and happiness… hence this blog. If you can’t find it in the way described above (and most people do not), or the obituaries are not your thing, I have created a five step (yes) method to find your purpose. In this method I brought all my years of searching and money spent, together in said 5 step program which can be completed in months.
Take action now!
If you are interested to find your Ikigai, I have planned a free webinar to explain the method to obtain it, please click here.
Or if you want an intake for coaching, please me directly via this link.
(English bio at the bottom....)
Min of meer tot mijn eigen verrassing, had ik rond mijn dertigste ongeveer alles bereikt wat ik ooit had gewild (dit terwijl ik dit niet verwachtte omdat ik oorspronkelijk wat introvert was, en niet zo zelfverzekerd): geweldige kinderen, in een mooi huwelijk, academische titels en een goed betalende en ‘hoge status’ baan bij grote organisatie met bijpassende auto. Echter een deel van me dreef me maar door om harder en harder te werken en zo was ik mezelf helemaal kwijt geraakt. Ik was een workaholic, op weg naar een burn-out. Ik was niet half zo gelukkig als ik dacht dat ik me zou voelen toen ik dit alles nog wilde bereiken! Waarom deed ik dit zo? Er moest toch meer zijn?
Zo begon ik een reis van zelfontwikkeling bestaande uit heel veel training, Zen, Enneagram, Integraal Persoonlijk Leiderschap, Mindfulness, seminars, etc., etc. Ik begon nieuwe perspectieven te krijgen op mijn leven. Echter, de wezenlijke verschuiving in mij ontstond toen ik mijn gewone bewustzijn van gedachten en gevoelens oversteeg en ik aankwam bij mijn ‘ware’ of authentieke zelf. Van daaruit kreeg ik toegang tot een heldere visie op mijn leven: andere mensen begeleiden naar hun “purpose”, naar dat wat hen vervult. Toen ik startte met coachen, na de coach-opleiding, eerst informeel na de coachopleiding in 2009, zeiden mensen zowaar dat ik best goed was in wat ik deed bij de bank, maar dat bij coachen mijn grote kracht lag!
Inmiddels heb ik een coachingpraktijk opgebouwd en 20 jaar zelfontwikkeling en tienduizenden euro’s aan training gebruikt om een kortere en effectieve methode te ontwikkelen om een visie te krijgen op wat je wilt doen qua werk: de ‘Be You - Be Happy @Work Solution’. Via deze methode kom je terecht bij wie je werkelijk bent. Je krijgt van daaruit toegang tot wat je werkelijk wilt in je leven en je hoogste potentieel. Wat deze methode onderscheidend maakt, is dat de eerste fase voornamelijk gericht is op jezelf leren kennen op het niveau van je persoonlijkheid (de vraag: Wie ben ik?), alsmede de dingen die daarin niet voor je werken aanpakken. Daardoor ontspant je persoonlijkheid een beetje en ontspan je jezelf sowieso ook al meer. Daarna, als je je persoonlijkheid kent en ontspant, kan je gemakkelijker aan je reguliere persoonlijkheid voorbij gaan en contact maken met wat je ‘ware zelf’ of je ‘authentieke zelf’ heet. De tweede fase is gericht op het versterken van je contact met je ware zelf en van daaruit komen tot een heldere visie op je werk en je leven in het algemeen (de vraag: ‘Waarvoor ben ik hier?’). Ofwel concreet: voor welk doel wil ik me inzetten en welke baan vervult mij? De methode werkt op de fysieke, emotionele, mentale en trans-mentale niveaus van mens zijn. Het omvat een scala van methoden en technieken, onder meer een persoonlijkheidsanalyse via het Enneagram, en verder een Ontlading-sessie, Mindfulness, Lichaamswerk, Ademwerk en een effectief Visieformat.
Het blijft fantastisch om te weten waar je leven over gaat (visie). Als coachees veel gelukkiger uit mijn coachingkamer komen dan ze er in gaan, dan word ik daar na 12 jaar ervaring nog steeds heel erg vrolijk van. Ik gun iedereen hun visie te kennen en te leven; vandaar die methode zoals hierboven toegelicht. Als je meer wilt weten over mijn achtergrond, benadering en effectiviteit, dan is hier mijn website en de bijbehorende google/trusttoo reviews van coachees (9.8 uit 10). Je kunt ook met mij in contact komen via dit e-mail adres (info@krijgsmancoaching.com). Mijn praktijk bevindt zich in Maarssen.
(Dutch version above)
I am in essence a more introvert guy, yet, more or less to my own surprise, I had achieved everything I consciously or unconsciously ever aimed for in spite of not being so self-confident : lovely kids, lovely wife, academic grades, high paying and high status job with matching car. Part of me however, drove me on to work very hard and build on the success so far. At some point I felt I had sort of lost my self, being workaholic, overstressed, close to burn-out. I came into a general sort of emptiness. Moving from meeting to meeting, during the day. Pushing memo’s from A to B. E-mails piling up. Working late. Even though working with nice people, and having an intellectually stimulating job. Overall, not even remotely as I thought I would be having achieved more or less everything I had set out to achieve. Why was I doing all this? I had a strong feeling there had got to be more to life than just this!?
So I started a journey of self-discovery, personal development. first I thought this is not for me, you know, I am a corporate, I am not a yoga teacher or anything. But actually I started opening up to different ways of thinking about my life following trainings on personal leadership, zen, integral life practice, enneagram etc. I started to really look at what my purpose was, in my life. Of which business was just a part. Going beyond day to day awareness, I had access to a vision of me living my highest potential. And it was only then, that I fully realised that I could support other people. I started coaching people, around me originally for free. And from there it grew, I became a certified coach, and had a lot of additional coaching education. I started coaching people professionally who are like me. So I already knew what it was like to be in their situation. I was not a coach coming from outside. and more. More people kept coming towards me, saying wow you know exactly the context I am working in, and seem to know what is going on in my mind. And that is when I developed my structured method which I could also do partly online, the ‘Be You- Be Happy @Work Solution’. And this is also because I have been there.
And when the coachees come in, that is really when the magic happens. As this is really my highest potential, it is a process that is very smooth and inspiring also to me. And the biggest win for me, were the many big changes in the lives of my clients. When they leave the coaching room with a lot more insight and energy than the way they came in. Knowing where to go - my own coaching practice - and my contribution to the world - making people in big corporates happier - , gave me a very good reason to get up happily In the morning. Especially in combination with working on sustainability with a team in the bank. Much better sleep. More energetic. It gave my daughters a happier father and my partner a much happier man!
If you want to know more about my background approach and effectivity, please check out my google reviews or trustoo. Or check out www.krijgsmachcoaching.nl, or mail me at info@krijgsmancoacing.com. .
