I came by this yesterday while researching some philosophy. It's a wonderfully simply graphic that helps define one's purpose in life. Take a look and see how close you really are to Ikigai..."a worthy life". I'm not there either, but...I see how this makes a great deal of sense for why something feels missing. Sparked some deep thinking.
I think a worthy life is when one should try to be a decent human being and accept that we won t always manage it. For me this covers all the bases.
This is currently a real hype in business coaching here in Switzerland. Saw it a couple of times - makes a lot of sense to me. It might be hard to be really honest with yourself and position yourself reflecting your exact feeling at this very moment but it can also help to focus on what we have to (try to) improve to feel better Thanks for sharing, not necessarily what you’d expect to talk about on a watch-forum but this is exactly what makes this place awesome
Yes, so the past few years I've felt further from what I feel I should be doing, more so than in my younger years. Fact is for about 10 yrs I've been squarely in the 'Profession' sector, where when I started out as a pup I was much more in the satisfying Passion/Mission sectors. Basically traded that for more money. (queue Wah Wah sound). With the clock ticking faster these days, this was yet another nudge to get back to what makes me happy...and constructively make the world a better place. In fact, that would make a good headstone..."He made the world a better place". Don't think I could do better than that.
Chalk me up as "Delight and Fullness, but no Wealth" and I'm okay with that. My kids are doing well and Mrs. AD and myself are missing no meals. At my age life is good, but I have quit buying green bananas.
People ask me when I'm going to retire and my response is always the same: When I can't do this any more. That diagram hits pretty close to me. I love my work, I'm good at it, the world seems to need it and it pays well. I get a chance to do a little pro bono work on occasion to pay forward, I learn from youngsters and I think some of then learn from me. I get to learn new tricks all the time on my own. Life is good... Thanks for the post @Wryfox
There was a time that I would have said I had achieved Ikigai. However, in the past three or four years I would say my job has quit being about educating kids about literature and life and more about preparing them to take standardized tests. So I am slowly moving into the profession territory.
I spent years volunteering as a business leader to help design curriculum, guest lecture, and mentor students at the local county schools. What I saw over the past few years is how standardized tests are killing our education system. The teachers are left soul-less. They are rated solely on how well their students do on the tests, and the feedback from students on how well they are liked. Their employment and bonuses literally depend on it. I was told by one educator that he is now nothing more than a robot to keep order and prepare for the tests. The passion is gone. Now I only spend time with the specialized academies. In fact, I gave a graduation speech to one of the academies last year..I was allowed to talk about whatever I wanted(rare!). I spoke of self reliance, the 4Cs, and preparing for the REAL world. I went on to say the school system is not preparing them for the world today(in truth it never did, even in my day). That they have to think and act far above what they learn at school in order to be valued members of society. Character, determination, service to the world, etc. It was a rousing speech...and afterwards I had a reception line at stageside. Most were students and parents, but easily half the folks in line were the educators themselves, some thanked me for speaking the truth about education..many saying they are NOT allowed to speak that way in the classroom anymore. Truly sad. I work with several colleges as well as a program advisor and mentor, and some programs are nothing more than a second high school...repeating the tired old lines. I fear more and more that we are saddling our young people with college debt they can't handle, and nothing much to show for it. That's why I try to do what I can to communicate the needs of the real world and mold future training, but that's not possible in a standardized program. Its already set by the state. Sorry for the soapbox speech, its a topic close to my heart.
@Wryfox I'm sure you have already seen this : https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity Hope Ken Robinson's message will resonate way above TED regular public one day... anyway, this video is really 20 minutes of time worth listening !
There is little to no passion left in teaching. The further we go down this standardized testing rabbit hole the bigger the injustice we are doing to kids. It's true that school has never been the best place to get ready for the real world, I've always thought that your first job was much better at that, but now we are only teaching kids how to bubble in circles on pieces of paper and that doesn't prepare them for anything, not even college. Anytime I start teaching what my kids might actually need to know about literature and writing I have an admin remind me that my job isn't to teach English anymore it is to train test taking robots. Anyway I used to think that what I did was important and my job was pretty fulfilling, now it is just teaching kids how to take a test. Maybe I'll get a job at a charter school soon.
I know this thread is going to bummersville, but just wanted to note how bad it can get and still nobody figures out its the wrong direction...our local public school system has eliminated recess, phys ed, and most arts and music in order to spend more time on standardized test instruction. A nice new generation of unhealthy, high anxiety robots being created. Last year I spent time reviewing a new STEM school program in a less populated area of the region. I was asked to offer advice on any faults or improvements. They actually reworded it to STREAM, as it now includes reading/literature and arts programs. THIS IS HOW FAR ITS GONE, when its considered an exceptional school when they add literature and arts to a school program and THINK ITS SPECIAL. I had a heart to heart with the principal and since he was an older fellow, I felt I could be frank..I asked him "you remember when we were back in school right? isn't this new program just what we used to call "school"? He said yes, but you wouldn't believe how hard it was to get this program approved. He had to package it as this novel program, which in reality is nothing more than what regular school was 40 yrs ago, just add new technology like iPads in every classroom. That's what sold it.
Yup, the only way to get administrators to agree with actually teaching kids is to package fundamentals as an exciting and novel thing that uses the latest, most expensive technology. Never mind that I could teach literature with nothing more than a few novels, pencils, and paper. You're right this post is going to Bummersville, sorry about that.
Today was a day that reminded what a great job i really have. Our area Special Olympics games are coming up soon and I am my school's coach for it. Anyway today I began working with our athletes during my plan and into my last class of the day (I just had my class meet me at the track). All the gripes I have about work melted away and I remembered that I a pretty fulfilling life.