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 💌✨

Importance of bedrock mentoring - Shilpika Pandey

There is too much or too little of so many things in this world that we wish to catch in life. Our dreams, aspirations and wants make us put our hands into a jar full of innumerable  options but when we get stuck at what to really pick, we falter and are unable to choose and thus come at a precise decision. 

The road ahead seems blurry and one wonders if at all to walk on it until someone out there clears, not the road but the vision to see it clearly and helps us walk on it with a confident gait that we realize the importance and effectiveness of that guiding hand, advisor, counsellor or a bedrock MENTOR! 

A Mentor is what each one of us needs to take the best decision, pick the right option and stay focused. But how do we know our mentors? How do we recognize them? The answer is very unadulterated.. When the student is ready, the Guru or mentor appears!

One recognizes a mentor in a kind, empathetic, non judgmental ,helpful, supporting, encouraging, motivating, positive and a wise human. A mentor is a gateway to a mentee's world of opportunities becoming correct and lifelong decisions and facilitating a successful place in life! A true mentor plants a belief, nurtures trust and backs a skill in the right direction. A mentee is forever looking for that mentor who exists but justifies his/her presence when the former is open to welcome one.

A mentor can help one find himself ,change lives and help build a nation and so MENTORING MATTERS!

Reading - a skill that needs rebirth! - Shilpika Pandey

Those who read, read fluently, write well, and speak well!

Reading is one of the best activities to keep your mind focused, enhance your vocabulary, improve pronunciation and inculcate the habit of making reading an essential part of one's regimen.

Reading is a catalyst for an intellectual, thinking mind that sharpens analyzing and brainstorming skills. An old-school activity that is irreplaceable and much needed for our students to keep them away from the hovering world of social media and make them add to their wisdom, knowledge and a composed lifestyle.

When an individual picks up a book to read, he or she unfolds a lesson to remember and change the mindset, thus changing life for the better. Reading helps build conversations, and meaningful conversations take place. So keep reading!

Shilpika Pandey

My Good School