In Sunday’s Stillness, I Found my Ikigai - Sunbeam School Ballia

Today, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend an online session hosted by My Good School, and it turned out to be such an enriching experience. The session focused on understanding Ikigai — the beautiful Japanese concept of finding one’s true purpose in life. Although I joined a little late because I was caught up with some household chores, the moment Shahar Ma’am messaged us, I rushed to log in without a second thought. I’m so grateful I did!

The host introduced a unique method of finding our Ikigai by drawing a tree and analyzing our strengths, opportunities, and ways to contribute to society. It really made me reflect deeply. We also learned about Emotional Quotient (EQ) and how it is different from Intelligence Quotient (IQ). I even got a chance to answer a question about EQ, which made me feel really connected and engaged.

What truly inspired me the most was Mr. Sandeep Dutt Sir’s personality — his passion, wisdom, and simplicity left a lasting impression on me. It wasn’t just a session; it felt like a journey into self-discovery. I came out of it feeling motivated, thoughtful, and genuinely excited to explore my own Ikigai.

Shaurya Pandey

Sunbeam School Ballia

 

It was a fabulous experience—one of the best sessions I’ve ever attended. It wasn’t just a session, but an impactful imprint on me. The valuable insights, skills, and knowledge shared truly enhanced our understanding and opened new avenues for personal development.

Today, I found a new best friend—Ikigai. It brings together our interests, skills, strengths, and joy. It also helped me gain clarity about my values, and better understand both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The best part was planting our very own Ikigai tree, which will guide us in building confidence in our interests, skills, and overall growth.

We explored what we love, what we are good at, what the world needs, and what we can be paid for. It was such a meaningful and supercalifragilisticexpialidocious session—something that doesn’t just belong in books, but in our lives.

Ashish Verma

Sunbeam School Ballia

My Good School, Sunday the 27th April 2025

Sunday School # 186

Discovering IKIGAI with Ms. Komal Khetal

The session, led by Ms. Komal Khetal, focused on the concept of Ikigai—a Japanese philosophy that helps individuals find purpose and meaning in life. She explained how aligning our daily choices and chores with our core values can lead to a more fulfilling and balanced life. By identifying our Ikigai, we can make better decisions, stay grounded, and approach challenges with clarity. Ms. Khetal emphasised that when we face difficulties, acting in line with our values allows us to respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively.

🌟 Finding Your Ikigai: A Journey to Purpose & Joy!

We had a fantastic session led by Komal Khetal from Dreamtime Learning School, where we dove deep into the beautiful Japanese concept of Ikigai—your reason for jumping out of bed in the morning!

🔑 Big Ideas That Stuck With Us

• Ikigai is about blending what you love, what you're great at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for

• Your Emotional Intelligence (EQ) plays a bigger role in success than IQ ever could

• Doing things because you enjoy them (intrinsic Motivation) beats doing them just for rewards or praise

• Self-reflection is the first step to building a life and career that truly fits you

💡 What We Explored

✨ Welcome to Ikigai

• Ikigai = "reason for being"

• It's about waking up excited and motivated

• Passion + Skill + Purpose + Livelihood = Ikigai!

🧠 The Power of EQ

• 90% of success? Yup, that's EQ talking!

• Understand yourself + connect with others = win-win

• Empathy, resilience, and adaptability are key in the real world

🎯 What Drives You?

• Intrinsic Motivation = Doing it because you love it

• Extrinsic Motivation = Doing it for the reward

• The first one lasts longer and feels way better!

🌳 The Ikigai Tree Activity

You all created your personal Ikigai trees! 🌱

• Roots = What you love

• Trunk = What you're good at

• Branches = What the world needs

• Fruits = What you can be paid for

⚖️ Passion vs. Practicality

• We talked about turning dreams into real-life plans

• Tips on having open conversations with parents about careers

• You can follow your passion and be practical—yes, both!

🚀 Be Future-Ready

• AI is changing the world—so how do we stay relevant?

• Build skills AI can't copy: creativity, empathy, and curiosity

• Stay flexible and open to new paths!

📌 What's Next?

• Complete your Ikigai trees 🖍️

• Reflect on your passions, values, and strengths.

• Join us for more My Good School sessions like MAP (Music, Art & Poetry) 🎨🎶

• Keep exploring who you are and what lights you up

📬 Ready to reflect? Reflection means taking a pause to look inward, thinking about what you felt, learned, and how it connects to your own journey. It's a powerful way to grow and discover more about yourself 🌱

We'd love to hear what sparked your curiosity in this session! Share your thoughts, insights, or even your Ikigai tree with Manisha via email- mk@learningforward.org.in. Your story might just inspire someone else too 💌✨

My Sunday School - Manisha Khanna

Today, on World Mental Health Day, I would like to share my reason for joining "The Sunday School". 

IKIGAI, for me, is Sunday School. "Ikigai" is a Japanese word that signifies "life purpose" or "raison d'être." I don't engage in a lot of activities on Sunday. I work six days a week and take Sundays off, but when I learned about SUNDAY SCHOOL, I saw that this was precisely what I had wanted to do all these years as an avid reader. I resonated with the idea of Sunday School right away. We all have a ton to do on Sunday, but after two weeks, I learned that this time is my IKIGAI. This is how my relationship with the Sunday School began.

"Reading without reflection is like eating without digestion." —Edward Burke.

I'm looking forward to receiving everyone's reflections for this week.

Manisha Khanna

Your Sunday School host

Ikigai - Rishona Chopra

I am on my journey to find my Ikigai,
While wishing I,
Could see it sooner.
But little do I know,
That my journey,
Is an army,
To find my ikigai,
And that itself is an ikigai.
All ambitions and dreams,
Half-fulfilled streams.
Never have I felt this passion.
To find my meaning for being.

We all were born to do something. But this question always encounters us - What is my reason for being? The beautiful part is that knowing this takes a long journey for most people. Some of us already know our passion - our reason for being.

It's okay if you don't. It's a journey that has to enjoy. Have you ever felt that by watching a movie related to space, you want to become an astronaut or perhaps by watching a few video games, you want to be a creator?

Many people have gone through this journey, and you know you don't really have to put in any effort. Life unfolds itself with its wonders. Let it.

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

We Were Only Playing - Rishona Chopra

Playing is probably the best thing about childhood. I love playing, going out in the sun and running and having lots of fun; that is childhood. Here's a thing about playing - you don't need toys to play with. All you need is a friend, and that friend can be you.   

Making games to play with yourself is the art of playing. When I am bored, I make some slime and squish it with some chemicals and do experiments or while studying, I act as if I am a teacher and teach all concepts to imaginary children and sometimes to my parents too! 

Totto-chan had a pet. A pet comes with a lot of responsibility, but you always have a partner to share your feelings with. I sometimes wish I had a quiet puppy, but I am not ready to take the responsibility, and I think that if we keep a pet, we shouldn't keep it in a cage and bring it with its sibling or mother, so we don't separate the pet from their family.

The innocence of a child is all about their selfless compassion - In Japan, they call it - Omoiyari, a section of Ikigai. In the chapter, even though Totto-chan was bitten by Rocky, she cared even more and ensured he wouldn't be scolded.

Selfless compassion was mastered by Totto-chan at such a young age. But as we grow, we often start to think more about ourselves and not about others, but I bet when Totto-chan grows up, she will have mastered Omoiyari!

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School