I feel like I’ve been going through the motions for some time. I was going to work for a job that I’m incredibly grateful for. I was working out at an amazing studio (hello Psycle), hanging out with awesome friends and the eternally patient boyfriend, seeing my family and actually enjoying it, but something was just missing.
I was introduced to the term Ikigai, which apparently has its roots in Okinawa. And apparently it’s one of the reasons Okinawa has the largest number of centenarians in the world…!
What is Ikigai?
This concept answers the age old question of “What gets you out of bed every day?”. To find that answer, you try and answer the following questions:
- What do you love?
- What are you good at?
- What can you be paid for?
- What does the world need?
There are many resources out there but the ones that I have found really useful were:
- An easy summary: Ikigai: A Japanese Concept to Improve Work and Life
- A deeper read: Ikigai: The Secret to A Long and Happy Life
How I use the concept of Ikigai
I hope that creating whatwouldqueeniedo will help me achieve my Ikigai, and ever since deciding that I wanted to create this place, I’ve felt it’s become easier to get up in the morning and to get through the day. You know that scene in Infinity Wars where Drax goes “Where is Gamora?“, then “Who is Gamora?“, then “Why is Gamora?“… I’ve asked myself repeatedly “Why is Queenie” albeit not as a muscly man who takes everything literally…
I had these realizations in a few stages:
- I asked myself constantly honestly what I was missing from my life
- When I knew which aspect was missing, I then talked to the people around me whom I knew loved me – friends, family, colleagues and asked them what they thought about me and why they loved me
- Understanding who you are and what makes you so specially and uniquely you
- So with that knowledge, what was I going to stop doing, keep doing, and most importantly start doing?
So, what are we doing here?
I’ve had many ideas about what to do and I started many projects to realise that they weren’t 100% right. It’s completely okay if not one thing ticks all the boxes, or if it takes you a while to get to what might be the best thing for you.
The most important thing is that you’re honest with yourself about what brings you joy and purpose, and this will constantly evolve as you grow older and wiser (or as we call it here, sage up).
The most important thing is that you’re honest with yourself about what brings you joy and purpose, and this will evolve as you grow older and wiser.
I think I’ve found a rebalance of my life with launching WWQD (but check in with me again in a few months – as I said it changes all the time!) and I want you all to get there as well through WWQD so that you know what makes you tick, what makes you special, and what makes you joyful and gives you purpose.
Want to join me on my Milano and epic playlist?
– Q 🌼
What Would Queenie Do? 