Ikigai Coaching - a methodology to help others flourish and feel alive.
‘As "ikigai" can be a guideline for the individual's way of life, it is a topic for interdisciplinary research in psychology, pedagogy (education), and philosophy.’
The above quote from one of Japan’s leading ikigai researchers, Professor Akihiro Hasegawa of Toyo Eiwa University, indicates the breadth and depth of the ikigai concept. Along with the fields of psychology, pedagogy, and philosophy, ikigai could also be considered a topic for research in coaching, and also as a coaching methodology.
Ikigai coaching is not career counselling
Before I dive in, I should make it clear I am not referring to the purpose Venn diagram framework that thousands of coaches and bloggers unwittingly and mistakenly relate to ikigai and use as a coaching tool. While the framework is inspiring and can lead to meaningful discussions on the subjects of purpose and career path, it has nothing to do with the ikigai concept.
What Makes Life Feel Worth Living?
Ikigai goes beyond the confines of one’s work life to ask the question: ‘What makes life feel worth living?’
Japanese psychologist Michiko Kumano of Osaka Ohtani University offers the following answer:
‘Feeling ikigai entails actions of devoting oneself to pursuits one enjoys and is associated with feelings of accomplishment and fulfillment. Furthermore, it includes awareness of values such as the purpose of life and the meaning of existence; it is future oriented, as in goal seeking.’ - Michiko Kumano
From a study to determine the similarities and differences between ikigai and concepts similar to ikigai, Kumano discovered that elements central to ikigai were life affirmation, goals/dreams, meaning of life, meaning of existence, sense of fulfilment, and commitment. Minor ikigai elements were environmental mastery, positive relations, autonomy, negative affect, personal growth, positive affect, physical health, and life enjoyment.
Kumano’s insights indicate that ikigai fits well with positive psychology and is relatable to Dr. Martin Seligman’s coaching model of flourishing, PERMA, which includes five building blocks that enable flourishing – Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment.
PERMA
The PERMA model helps people make more informed choices to live a more fulfilling life that is aligned with their values and interests. Ikigai also helps people make these informed decisions, but with a stronger emphasis on feelings and emotions.
Kumano states that feeling ikigai is close to eudaimonic well-being. Eudaimonia, the highest human good, is Aristotle's sense of a life well lived. Yet she points out that while eudaimonia is a technical term, ikigai should be comprehended in terms of something you feel in daily life. As a life coach, where your goal is to help people make progress in their lives in order to attain greater fulfillment, having knowledge of and the ability to coach ikigai can help you meet that goal.
Ikigai also fits with existential positive psychology, the second wave of positive psychology, which recognizes meaning in life through suffering and resilience.
If one sees meaning in life’s challenges, or in the intrinsic nature of experience—more like ikigai—they can appreciate growth. This is relatable to resilience coaching, where the coach aims to help their coachees develop their self-awareness, build their capacity to positively relate and interact with others, and strengthen their ability to build assets to meet life’s challenges.
This is where ikigai and resilience come to meet each other: that resilience is not only the ability to bounce back from life’s difficulties, but also the ability to interact harmoniously with others despite challenging circumstances. Harmony and resilience are cultural virtues that Japanese value highly. In short, those who live with ikigai can appreciate and find meaning in life's difficulties.
The Ikigai-9 Scale
While ikigai is a unique Japanese cultural concept, it is also a universal concept that we can all benefit from. One scale which proves this and can be used as an effective coaching tool is the Ikigai-9 scale.
The Ikigai-9 scale is a psychometric tool that was published and validated on a Japanese population by researchers Tadanori Imai, Hisao Osada, and Yoshitsugu Nishimura in 2012. Seven years later, it was translated and validated on an English-speaking population by Dr. Dean Fido of the University of Derby and Dr. Yasuhiro Kotera of the University of Nottingham in 2019.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Dean Fido on my podcast, The Ikigai Podcast, about the Ikigai-9 scale and his research comparing the efficacy of the tool in Japanese and UK populations:
‘What we did was to take our ikigai average scores and compare [them] to the original average scores in the Japanese population, and we saw that there was no significant difference, which actually surprised us. We thought that people from Japan would have a higher level of ikigai than people in the UK for obvious reasons: that these cultural values are not taught to people in Britain, at least not in such an explicit or implicit way, actually.’
The Ikigai-9 scale is used as a means of measuring ikigai across the dimensions of:
- positive emotions toward life
- active and positive attitudes towards one's future
- acknowledgement of the meaning of one's existence
The Ikigai-9 scale consists of nine items measuring one’s reason for being, phrased as statements with which people can agree or disagree; participants are asked to rate whether each statement applies to them on a five-point scale (1 Does not apply to me, 5 Applies to me a lot).
The Ikigai-9 Scale Items
- I believe that I have some impact on someone.
- My life is mentally rich and fulfilled.
- I am interested in many things.
- I feel like I am contributing to someone or society.
- I would like to develop myself.
- I often feel that I am happy.
- I think that my existence is needed by something or someone.
- I would like to learn something new or start something.
- I have room in my mind.
The scale can help you as a coach to find areas to work on with clients. And the 9 statements can be used as powerful coaching questions to uncover deeper layers for you to explore with your clients. The Ikigai-9 scale is one of many ikigai measurement tools that Japanese researchers have developed that can serve you in your roles as a coach.
Japan's Ikigai Advisors
It might surprise you to discover that Japan has over 6,000 Health and Ikigai advisors who help middle-aged individuals and retirees transition from a work life to a social life post-retirement.
The role expected of advisors is to support individuals in leading lives filled with purpose and vitality through health and ikigai creation.
Health and ikigai creation advisors are bound by four ethical and compliance guidelines in their activities:
- Confidentiality
- Respect for individuality
- Neutrality and fairness
- Integrity
Being an ikigai advisor involves consistently practicing the following:
- Accumulating and striving for rich life experiences
- Continuous acquisition of extensive knowledge and specialized skills
- Embodying the spirit of empathy and acceptance, always in practice
- Personally embracing health and ikigai, living as a role model
- Maintaining awareness as a professional, continuously refining skills
Ikigai Tribe Coaches
Ikigai Tribe coaches take inspiration from Japan's ikigai creation advisors and help their clients:
- identify what matters to them
- uncover more life satisfaction
- identify and live in harmony with their values
- find a sense of purpose
- get clarity on their roles
- create healthy habits and routines
- make life-affirming decisions
- set meaningful goals
- reframe past experiences
- redefine notions
- create the conditions to thrive
- self-actualize
- and live a rich and fulfilling life
Coaching Ikigai
As ikigai is a concept related to positive psychology, eudaimonia, and resilience, it offers your coaching clients—and yourself—a way to live with purpose and fulfillment in both your daily life and as you pursue your life-defining goals. As ikigai includes a sense of self-progression and a sense of being socially affiliated with others, it increases your self-awareness of making a contribution to others—no doubt an asset you have built as a professional coach.
If you would like to coach the ikigai concept, then please feel free to contact me. My Ikigai Tribe Coach Certification Program is the only evidence-based program that is supported by Japan’s leading authorities on the concept.