Earth (地 Chi) & The Ikigai Synthesis
The ancient Japanese framework and philosophy of the Godai 五大 (the five elements) remain relevant in today’s leadership landscape. Going through each one individually and truly getting a sense of how they can help you is time well spent and can be quite rewarding.
What is the Godai 五大?
The Godai 五大 framework is broken down into the following 5 elements and what they symbolize in the lives of those who choose to use them to provide guidance on leading and living:
- Earth (地 Chi): Stability & Integrity.
- Water (水 Mizu): Flow & Resilience.
- Fire (火 Ka): Decisive Action.
- Wind (風 Kaze): Atmosphere & Compassion.
- Void (空 Sora): Ego-less Legacy.
We will dig into Earth (地 chi) today, which is the element of stability, integrity, and law. Think of this as the physical ground you are standing on and the ethical code in your heart. If you think about energy as being both hard and soft (which, if you think there is such a thing as soft skills, you think this, btw), this particular element would be thought of as hard energy or yang energy.
Yang energy can be thought of as being heavy and immovable. This type of energy tends to have a clear set of rules, and you could think of this in terms of the type of energy needed to hold a standard when it is unpopular, or the type of energy you need to lift something, or the type of energy needed to hit a punching bag.
In order to truly understand the alchemy of the 地 element, we need to first accept where we currently are. If you think of this in terms of process or coaching, this is the grounding step where you learn the current state of everything. This is your starting point, and from here you will continually come back.
How can we become rooted with 地?
To better understand where we are, we need to practice grounding ourselves. This is not a one-and-done activity. Grounding ourselves is, ideally, a daily practice that helps us set the stage for what lies ahead. Through this internal rooting, we become more aligned with our personal core values, small joys, and our reason for getting up in the morning (I like to refer to this as our 生きがい ikigai).
In the process of regularly grounding ourselves, we can acknowledge our current strengths and our “leaky buckets”. These are the things in our lives that allow energy leaks to occur, which take us away from how we want to show up in the world.
The more connected we feel to our ikigai, the more grounded we will feel. When we feel grounded, we can tap into the part of us that gently guides us away from burnout and helps us protect the relationships and core values that are most important to us. Additionally, with this grounding, we find it much easier to look forward to what lies ahead in our lives. We have a much easier time planning beyond the next day or week and begin feeling like there is something to look forward to.
I remember feeling disconnected from myself, with no sense of direction or where the ground even was. When I made a shift in my life and began living intentionally and finding small joys, my feelings about the future shifted dramatically. I am still working out how to better explain this feeling to others, but it is almost like someone turned on the lights in a room you were trying to illuminate with a small candle. Some of my small joys each day include practicing martial arts, practicing calligraphy, and enjoying that first cup of coffee in the morning.
What to Do If You’re Feeling Disconnected
Here are a few things you can do today to help you gain a better connection with yourself:
- Take some time to better connect with your core values. You may have done this before, but it may be time for a refresher. Meditate or journal about each of your top three core values and see what you learn about yourself through that process.
- Write down 3 things you are looking forward to next week, next month, or next year
- Write down 3 things that bring you joy, they can be as big or small as you want them to be
Steve Beauchamp 