My Spiritual Director — a wonderful 4 foot 10 inch (147cm) Indian woman by the name of Dadi Janki who passed away aged 104 in 2020 — used to encourage everyone to ask themselves “मुझे क्या करना है?”
It translates roughly as “What is mine to do?” — not in the sense that “I must do x” but more that x is something I see needs to be done, and feel called to address it.
I ran cross country in college after my time in the service. I was given the same advice by my coach, who was my dad’s strength and speed coach in HS football. He knew what I had in me and knew it needed a singular focus. Damn, I loved those miles.
My dad told me once that I’ve always lived my life about 30-degrees left or right of center. That’s my race. And it’s never left me questioning the finish line. Great post.
Great essay Adam! Here are some of my favorite Campbell quotes about running one's race:
"We are having experiences all the time which may on occasion render some sense of this, a little intuition of where your bliss is. Grab it. No one can tell you what it is going to be. You have to learn to recognize your own depth. The way to find out about happiness is to keep your mind on those moments when you feel most happy, when you are really happy — not excited, not just thrilled, but deeply happy. This requires a little bit of self-analysis. What is it that makes you happy? Stay with it, no matter what people tell you. This is what is called following your bliss.”
I too ran Cross Country in Highschool in Michigan. It's a really interesting sport. Maybe it's what caused us both to look at Ikigai the same way. I've got a forthcoming essay on the same finding you have here.
My Spiritual Director — a wonderful 4 foot 10 inch (147cm) Indian woman by the name of Dadi Janki who passed away aged 104 in 2020 — used to encourage everyone to ask themselves “मुझे क्या करना है?”
It translates roughly as “What is mine to do?” — not in the sense that “I must do x” but more that x is something I see needs to be done, and feel called to address it.
I ran cross country in college after my time in the service. I was given the same advice by my coach, who was my dad’s strength and speed coach in HS football. He knew what I had in me and knew it needed a singular focus. Damn, I loved those miles.
My dad told me once that I’ve always lived my life about 30-degrees left or right of center. That’s my race. And it’s never left me questioning the finish line. Great post.
Totally beautiful piece, sharing !
Inspiring piece. I needed this. Thank you.
Great essay Adam! Here are some of my favorite Campbell quotes about running one's race:
"We are having experiences all the time which may on occasion render some sense of this, a little intuition of where your bliss is. Grab it. No one can tell you what it is going to be. You have to learn to recognize your own depth. The way to find out about happiness is to keep your mind on those moments when you feel most happy, when you are really happy — not excited, not just thrilled, but deeply happy. This requires a little bit of self-analysis. What is it that makes you happy? Stay with it, no matter what people tell you. This is what is called following your bliss.”
I too ran Cross Country in Highschool in Michigan. It's a really interesting sport. Maybe it's what caused us both to look at Ikigai the same way. I've got a forthcoming essay on the same finding you have here.
Great essay, Adam. Lots to think about and dots to connect.