Posted by Click here to get a free newsletter Zen and a Way of sustainable prosperity: Balance, financial success, and sustainability with the secrets of the Japanese Omi-merchants.
In the last post, I said that the meaning of Ikigai Diagram was more like Ikigai business than Ikigai itself, and when we talk about Ikigai Business, it was better to include the concept of Sanpo-Yoshi, since it was more holistic.
Now, let’s compare the 4 elements presented in the Ikigai Diagram and Sanpo-Yoshi.
4 elements presented in the Ikigai Diagram
1, What you love
2, What you are good at
3, What you can be paid for
4, What the world needs
Sanpo-Yoshi
Urite-Yoshi: The seller is happy
Kaite-Yoshi: The buyer is happy
Seken-Yoshi: Society is happy
What you love can be part of Urite-Yoshi. Omi-merchants didn’t necessarily interpret Urite-Yoshi to be doing what you love to do, since such a concept didn’t exist in the era they lived; for them, Urite-Yoshi meant the business was profitable for the seller. But if I were to interpret Urite-Yoshi in the modern day’s context, doing what we love to do as work becomes more relevant since it brings more happiness and Ikigai to the seller. So, in the book Ikigai Business, I included it in the meaning of Urite-Yoshi.
What you are good at can be part of Kaite-Yoshi because you are more likely to please your customers by delivering work that you are good at.
What can be paid for can be part of Kaite-Yoshi, too, since you can be paid by pleasing customers.
What the world needs can be Seken-Yoshi, although it depends on the definition of what the world needs. If you are talking about just the demand, it can be part of Kaite-Yoshi. For example, if there is a demand for you to deliver a package in one hour instead of one day, by coming up with an ultra-fast delivering service, you will satisfy your customers. And you can say that the world needs it. There are people who can benefit from such a convenient service.
And yet, can you say it is Seken-Yoshi though? Does it really benefit society?
Do we really need that?
When I say Seken-Yoshi, I am talking about something more than a demand. Seken-Yoshi means making our society happy, which means creating the society where everyone can be happy.
In the book, I introduced the following 5 elements which I think are vital in today’s Seken-Yoshi.
Making your business small
Making your business local
Making your business environmentally friendly
Making your business socially just
Making your business holistic
Omi-merchant's way of Sustainable Prosperity 