How to Ikigai | Tim Tamashiro | TEDxYYC

Everyone, how enthusiastic we are today, yes, there is no indifference in this crowd, that's for sure, that's what I like to see today. I want to tell you about an incredible word and it is that word that is there, the first thing you have to learn is how to pronounce it. It's pronounced iki boy, you lift your cheeks like you're smiling it's iki boys, say it with me iki boy, you got it, that's right, it's not pronounced iki boy if I was using a lime green four speed, oh that would be a painful guy this It's iki boy and the most wonderful thing about this word is that first of all it's a nice word but second of all this word is really like a treasure map and this treasure map can help you find the way to find things wonderful things about yourself that you can share it with the world and the world will say thank you for it, so let me tell you everything, but first they have to warn you that it takes work now.

I had a job once, around this time, last year I had a job as a radio host. on CBC Radio 2 was wonderful, I really enjoyed it, it was very good, however, I left my job. I left my job so I could focus on my job, so let's be clear that a job in this context is something you do on a regular basis. from employment is what you get, you know money to make, to be able to pay for your house and your food and things like that, work, on the other hand, work is something you do to achieve a result, something like a product or maybe even something like a purpose like maybe a more meaningful you sounds good, doesn't it?

So this last year my work was focused on anything that I could do, that was exciting, that was interesting to me. I went on a trip to Oregon and saw the whole world. Eclipse with my eyes full I also went on an icebreaker and crossed the Northwest Passage I went to the north coast of Canada I also traveled with my family and some dear friends we went to the Dominican Republic we helped build houses for people and I filmed a documentary and I also did everything kind of little projects and I had a podcast for a while.

I wrote a play that was a musical. I also did a live chat on Facebook, but probably more valuable than anything else is that I was finally able to continue. a family trip to Okinawa Japan now Okinawa is very valuable to me because it is the place where my grandparents were born and it is also the place where a key person comes from. I have always felt something that drives me to go out and do special things in my Okinawa is a place where the most 100 year old people in the world live per capita. People who are 100 years old are revered and respected, but Okinawa was very, very special to me because of the connections. to my family and a key guy and I was thinking boy, why couldn't this whole Ikki guy thing spread all over the world?

Well, it's possible and there's another idea that came from Okinawa that you've heard about from Karate Karate Kid' Danielsson. Karate is actually two Japanese words Cara, which means empty, and Tay, which means hand, so it literally translates to empty hand. Now in 1609, Japanese forces invaded Okinawa, back then they were called the really cool islands. Oh, basically, they won the battle and they said to the Okinawans okay, you can't have weapons anymore, give us your weapons and the Okinawans said, okay, here you go, our hands will be our weapons, they had already invented karate, they haven't invented it yet.

They called karate, but they knew they had a special form of self-defense. Then in World War II, there was another terrible battle that occurred in Okinawa and this time it was the American forces fighting the Japanese forces. History shows that American forces won the Battle of Okinawa and have been stationed there ever since and since then, American soldiers witnessed karate for the first time and said, "Hey, this is cool, I want to learn karate too," so that they learned it and eventually brought it back to the United States and it started to spread and spread and spread. now everyone knows about karate, right, daniel-san, that other concept comes from Okinawa is iki boy iki boy are also two words iki means boy's purpose of life iki boy is the purpose of life isn't it a beautiful word ?

It's a lovely word. Thank you for your indifference this is what it means this is the treasure map a key type has four directions do what you love do what you are good at do what the world needs and do what you can be rewarded for seems simple but now it's hard I would do it I think a key type similar to karate in the sense that you can also get degrees or belts in it, you have to start somewhere and I think I got my yellow belt when I was 20, sexy time. I was 20 years old and I was living at my parents' house and I remember lying in bed one day thinking what am I going to do for the rest of my life that would be interesting and fun.

I didn't want to just get a job, I wanted to focus on my job and like a bolt of lightning hit me and I sat on the bed and said I'm going to go to music school and that's what I did. I went to music school for two years and then from then on I didn't focus on anything. but musical aspects in my life I've done all kinds of amazing things in my life I work for a record company called MCA Records I also made six jazz albums I've played all over the country I had that 10-year run at CBC Radio - six nights a day week writing 70 stories each week was an incredible career but then they realized something that I enjoyed but didn't really know why I did it.

I didn't know what I wanted to do. or what I love to do and what I was good at, but they didn't understand why I did it and why the world needed it, so I spent this last year figuring out what my ikki boy is and narrowed it down to two. -word phrase my boy ikki is delight to delight, that's what I go out every day in the world where I'm talking to an employee in the supermarket or if I'm singing a song on stage or if I'm on the radio or if I'm giving a TED talk to you tremendously attractive people right now, my boy iki is two delights, I put him out into the world and receive him in return, it's the full cycle now, you're probably wondering to yourself.

Well that's great Tim, well now we know who the Eureka boy is, what my iki boy is, let me give you some instructions on how you could start to find out. I suggest that the disgusting boy who starts part-time and part-time is within your reach, right? it's very within reach and I'll tell you what when you look there and see on the screen that there are two sections of the day where you don't really do anything that add up to eight hours you can concentrate your work for five to nine hours of the day, okay, start part time , find out what you like to do and what you're good at, spend time on it as much as you want and there are a couple of ways you can start a side hustle or you can do something useful a side hustle by the way, there are a lot of Millennials who have side hustles up to fifty percent of Millennials have side hustles according to studies 50 percent and why they have those side hustles is because it gives them the opportunity to be able to do what they are good at and do what they love and enjoy.

It opens up the opportunity to be able to transfer that part-time Niki guy to maybe a full-time key guy in the future and that doesn't hurt that you can make a little money off of it, but what if the money isn't necessarily there? behind? You are a key person, maybe you just want to expand your heart. Well, you can do something useful at Yale. University professor Laurie Santos teaches a course called the science of well-being and in this course she takes the time to explain that we are really very bad at figuring out what is going to make us happy, so things like and your job, Your good looks and your big house really have no impact on your basic level of happiness.

What does have an impact are things like kindness and abundance of meditation time, in other words, doing with your time what you want to do with your time and spending time with friends and family a key guy is an action is a verb serve create delight nourish provide teach heal connect build Are there any verbs on that list that resonate with someone in the crowd nodding in agreement? if there is a yes, yes, there are some nods down here, yes, so we raise your hand, if you see something up there that accepts, I have a yellow belt, this is good, check your words, your hand, here we go, here you go a yellow belt. you have a yellow belt in the front row there and there has to be someone there there is a yellow belt right there you have earned your yellow belt and a key guy you know what you are good at you know what you love it fits you a key guy is so reliable like a mathematical equation a key type equals abundance of time plus your gifts plus rewards in return and you can do it over and over and over again and you will be much richer because of that, your meaningful life is not a destination you have to reach.

Your meaningful life is something you can enjoy right now and any time you want, a little joy each day will add up to a life of joy. and when you finally get the chance to spend time getting to know what you do or what you love and what you're good at, you're a key guy, it will start to come to light and eventually, over time, you'll get your black belt. Your meaningful life is going to take a lot of work, but I think you really already know that you are worth the work and now you have the boy map to show you how, so I invite you to try iki, boy, thanks.