Ikigai & Me & My Writing Career

Don’t begin your writing career by trying to rival John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath or worse, Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina.

Okinawans lead long lives. Here in the USA, we’ve been told that longevity is related to eating healthy, exercising daily, not smoking, limiting alcohol intake, and maintaining a healthy weight. The Japanese prescribe to a different set of five habits from those outlined by the 30-year- Harvard study that stated ten years more of life expectancy would belong to folks who follow the above dictums.

Because I practice only two of the American pronouncements, I think I’m going to put my faith in the Ikigai lifestyle, which urges folks to find a sense of purpose, meaning and motivation in life to secure Shangri-La. In reviewing the five maxims associated with Ikigai, I see how much this modus vivendi has in common with the way I take care of myself.

The Okinawans think that one should start small. Cultivate a small garden first, and do it right. Isn’t this advice given at writing conferences? Start with a letter to the editor or a piece about some local event written for the local newspaper.  Don’t begin your writing career by trying to rival John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath or worse, Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina.

The second pronouncement of Ikigai is to release yourself, in other words, practice self-acceptance. You must be happy with who you are. Again, at writer’s conferences the lecturer tells us wannabe scriveners to be authentic. If you write a piece that makes you cry as you pen it, chances are it will evoke the same emotion in your reader. Don’t be fake.

The third axiom regards harmony and sustainability. To live a long life, one must have a sense of community which gives a person support and motivation. Join. If you are a writer, join organizations like NCWN, TAF, or Carteret Writers. I name these three because I’m a member of all three. Online there are communities for writers as well. Some folks find small critique groups of value. Everyone needs a brotherhood to which to belong. Writing is the same.

Ikigai emphasizes the importance of the joy of small things — like a cup of coffee, or the sun on your cheek, or even the sight of familiar faces you might see on the train to work. My old grandma used to fix herself a cup of tea midday and savor it. My dad used to crack that it was just a Lipton teabag in some boiling water, and what was so delicious about that? Yet, my grandma enjoyed it as she’d gaze out the window at the garden and note the weather or what flowers were blooming. She appreciated simple pleasures. A writer too must savor the small delights. Maybe someone comments on a piece you’ve written for an ezine. Maybe someone sends the editor of a magazine a compliment about a story you submitted. Maybe an essay that had been rejected six times is accepted by the seventh editor. Maybe you get a check in the mail for your article. Maybe you win a contest and the prize is publication of a mystery you worked on for five years. Celebrate all the small things that are gratifying, and then celebrate some more when a big accomplishment occurs.

Finally, Ikigai tells you to be in the here and now, which is not unlike what many religions tell you to do. Mindfulness is the key to happiness, longevity, and writing. Be aware of your surroundings. Listen to how folks speak and what they converse about. Pay attention to fascinating stories your neighbor tells you. Hear the birds chirp and record those noises that give background to your plot. Same with the other senses. Make yourself cognizant of the universe.  If you don’t pay attention to the world around you, you’ll not be able to replicate it well as you relay it. Mindfulness makes you perceptive. And being perceptive makes you a better writer. In addition, you’ll produce more because you will now live to be 100!