Ikigai – St. James’s Place Academy shares learnings

Posted on 7 June 2023 • Career planning

St. James’s Place Financial Adviser Academy is one of the inclusive employers working with the OU who welcomes applications from OU students and alumni. Marketing specialist Hannah Steiner from St. James’s Place shares her thoughts about Ikigai, the Japanese secret to a long and happy career.

The Japanese believe everyone has an Ikigai, or a reason for being.
Each person’s Ikigai can look different but discovering it can guide us on how to make the most of the world around us. Here are some of the lessons Ikigai can teach us.

Lesson 1: try something new

Humans are creatures of habit but discovering the new can be very beneficial and invigorates the brain. Whilst you might make minor adjustments to your lifestyle – like learning a new musical instrument – it might be time to consider a more significant change in your life or career. It often takes a crisis for us to rethink our lifestyle, but don’t wait to try something new and be proactive in finding your Ikigai. Try generating new career ideas matched to your skills, values and interests. Ask yourself:

• Are you being challenged?
• How long have you been doing the same thing?

Lesson 2: Stress is more?

Too much stress is detrimental to our physical and mental wellbeing. However, a reasonable level of stress can be beneficial in developing healthy habits – a sweet spot. If you are strained by your job, reflect on whether it’s truly worth it. Equally, if you are coasting, it might be time to build your confidence and move on to bigger challenges. Ask yourself:

• Does your work make you stressed?
• Do you have a good work/life balance?

Lesson 3: The Power of Flow

A key element to Ikigai is finding ‘flow’, the pleasure of being completely immersed in what we are doing. Finding flow often goes hand in hand with finding your ‘why’. Our work becomes more meaningful when we put this ‘why’ at the centre of our decision-making. Ask yourself:

• What do I genuinely enjoy doing?
• What tasks can I lose myself in?

Lesson 4: The need for antifragility

“Antifragility is beyond resilience. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better.” Successfully deal with career challenges and make yourself antifragile:

1. Create more options for yourself.
2. Bet conservatively in certain areas and take small risks in others.
3. Get rid of things that make you fragile.

What is your Ikigai?

Ikigai is linked to your career path. If you haven’t figured it out yet, that’s okay. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but the closer you get to feeling Ikigai, the longer – and happier – your career will be.