Positive Psychology from IKIGAI

IKIGAI Gets Clearer with Positive Psychology

Psychology became the science that 'fixes' people's mental abnormalities. 

Tim Tamashiro's 'How to IKIGAI' states Lessons for finding happiness and living your Life's purpose. In Section 2 - Science of Ikigai, Chapter Five- Ikigai gets clearer with positive psychology.  

Till now all psychology is revolving around mental illness, in which it's true that psychology provides paths to help people deal with mental illness.  But now new area of psychology opens up opportunities for all people to use research and science to increase mental health. 

Positive Psychology is described as 'the scientific study of what makes life worth living.'

IKIGAI falls squarely within the realm of positive Psychology. 

Positive psychology and ikigai are ways to assist you to be more. when you study and implement ikigai and positive psychology, it makes you feel more optimistic about life. you feel like you're accomplishing something special. 

The Science of Well being

Dr. Laurie Santos demonstrates through dozens of studies and research about key aspects of mental wellness in his popular class 'The science of well being. 

through her casual and relatable approaches to teaching psychology, Dr. Santos demonstrates that money, materialistic things, jobs, and grades do not make us happy, they have little to no significant impact on our overall well-being. 

Dr. Santos Demonstrates that studies show you can improve your well-being through regular efforts at eight things:-

1. Acts of kindness
2. Exercise
3. Social connection
4. Meditation
5. Time affluence
6. good sleep 
7. Gratitude 
8. Goalsetting

Acts of kindness, exercise, and meditation don't pay the bills. but well-being is not based on financial measurement or rewards. it's based on what makes life worth living. if money is where your mind automatically goes when it comes to happiness then you may be stuck in a static feedback loop. 

Yes, the hours you put into your job every day to pay the bills. You can implement acts of kindness, exercise, social connection, meditation ( a few minutes at a time), gratitude, and goal-setting into your job. That leaves time affluence and good sleep for you to do outside of your job. 

Time Affluence=Real wealth

Your personal choice between the value of money vs. the value of time is one of the biggest contributors to happiness. 

Hal Hershfield and other researchers asked thousands of people what they valued more, time or money. The time believers' overall happiness level (4.89 out of 5) was much higher than the money believers' (3.53 out of 5). 

 

The why of mindfulness

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we're doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what's going on around us. Mindful meditation rewires your brain to understand each movement as it happens in a clearer way. 

IKIGAI needs mindfulness. 

To live your life's purpose, you must remember to notice what you love to do and what you're good at. You must notice what your IKIGAI provides to the world. You must notice the rewards you receive from your IKIGAI. 

How to improve Well-being

Carpe diem!

Carpe diem is a Latin phrase that means “seize the day”. It encourages people to focus on the present, appreciates the value of every moment in life, and avoid postponing things unnecessarily because every life eventually comes to an end. 

Carpe Diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.

• To implement the concept of ‘carpe diem’ and successfully seize the day, you should focus on the present moment and take advantage of it as much as possible, while keeping in mind the fact that life is short and bound to end eventually, so you shouldn’t postpone any actions that you want to undertake, unless there is a compelling reason to do so. 

The origin and history of carpe diem

The term 'Carpediem' is first used by Roman poet Horace to express the idea that one should enjoy life while one can. 

Seize the day, place in tomorrow as little trust as you can!

From Horace’s “Odes” (Book I, Poem 11), circa 23 BCE.

The concept of carpe diem has also famously appeared in the 1989 film ‘Dead Poets Society, where the character of English teacher John Keating encourages his students to avoid waiting and to instead actively seize the day and strive to achieve what they are capable of.

“We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, and engineering, are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, and love, are what we stay alive for. To quote Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?”

― N.H. Kleinbaum, Dead Poets Society

The psychology of carpe diem

• Talking to someone who you’re interested in developing a relationship with now, instead of continually telling yourself that you’ll do it tomorrow.

• Going to an event that you’re interested in now, instead of repeatedly promising yourself that you’ll do it later.

• Focus on what is happening at the present moment.

• Awareness of the uniqueness and value of every moment in life.

In some cases, people use the term ‘carpe diem’ in other ways beyond the ones outlined in this article, such as to refer to the tendency to discount and devalue the future.

The concept of carpe diem is also associated with the concept of flow, which is a state of mind in which a person is fully immersed in the activity that they are engaging in.

The relationship between carpe diem and mindfulness

• Carpe diem is related to the concept of mindfulness, which is a mindset that involves focusing on present thoughts, emotions, and experiences, and accepting them in a non-judgmental manner. However, despite the similarity between these two psychological constructs, they are considered to be distinct, and research suggests that they are not significantly correlated with each other.
• Specifically, in research on the topic, mindfulness is generally viewed as a state of awareness, that has to do primarily with the form of our actions, meaning that it influences how we perform those actions. Conversely, carpe diem is generally viewed as a time perspective, that has to do primarily with the content of our actions, meaning that it influences which actions we perform.
• Accordingly, it’s possible for someone to be mindful of the present, without adopting a carpe diem approach, by paying attention to the present moment without believing in its significance or being convinced of the need to use it in the best way possible. Similarly, it’s possible for someone to have a carpe diem approach without being mindful, by being convinced of the importance of using the present moment wisely, but at the same time not developing a mindful, non-judgmental awareness of it.
• However, despite the fact that being mindful and having a carpe diem approach aren’t necessarily connected with each other, it’s possible to be both mindful and have a ‘carpe diem’ approach at the same time, just as it’s possible to not be mindful or carpe diem oriented at all.

Note-  It’s not always possible to do things you’re interested in immediately, and sometimes it’s necessary and reasonable for you to wait until later.

Such delays don’t conflict with the concept of ‘carpe diem’, since the proper implementation of this concept should take into account reasonable constraints in life. Rather, what does conflict with this concept are unnecessary delays that can be avoided, especially when they occur because of your focus on the past or the future instead of the present, or when they occur because you lack appreciation for the limited time that you have.