Innovation and Inspiration

I had the privilege of teaching overseas in Okinawa for the first two years of my career. While I was there, a lot of scientists around the world were trying to figure out why Okinawa had one of the highest percentages of people who were living up to or past 100, Centenerians. One of the early theories was the "Okinawan Diet" that it was made up primarily of local vegetables and fresh fish. In recent years, there has been more research around the concept of Ikigai ( 生き甲斐 in Japanese).  Ikigai is roughly translated into "a reason for being" or knowing your purpose. When what you love, what the world needs, what you can be paid for, and what you are good at intersects, that is your Ikigai. Looking at the diagram below, when you are missing the characteristics of one of these categories, it can lead to unfulfillment. For example, if you are missing "what the world needs", it can lead to satisfaction, but a feeling of uselessness. So the ultimate goal to dis