Shikata ga nai – しかたない” and “shou ga nai – しょうがない or I better say it is as The Art of Letting Go is commonly translated to, “ It cannot be helped”.
Shikata means, “the way of doing it”, “process”, or “method”. Ga a japan article a Japanese word connecter, like a filler. Nai is simply “no or not .
The first time I heard the expression, it sounded like an ordinary phrase. As I hear it over time, and over and over again. It raised curiosity in my head and inquisitively ask my Japanese friends. Most of them would say it is just a simple expression. I asked different Japanese students of mine, with different age group. As to what it really meant, some say, it could be positive or negative.
- It is negative when a person gives up right away without even trying, but it will be positive in a way of not stressing things much over things that are non-modifiable and simply letting it go. All in all, I conclude this is just “positive”. Eventually, I realized, it is applicable in our day-to-day lives.
How to Apply Sihata Ga Nai in our lives;
- Don’t be a Prisoner of the Past.
- There are moments when we get too attached to the past which negatively affects our future. Always look at the past as something to cherish or learn but do not harbor too many attachments. Shikata ga nai, we can’t control it anymore.
- Let it Go
- Just, let go of things that are beyond control. It will just make the situation miserable.
- Learn to say “NO”
- We can’t deny that we sometimes get overwhelmed by other people’s expectations. Hence, whenever things get too much. Refuse.
- Be Pragmatic
- Stop dealing with things ideally when it is difficult to. Learn to deal realistically. Remember, it is always case to a case basis. Who knows, your new method might be useful for the next generations.
- Relax
- Don’t over pressure yourself. As it will lead to overthinking. Enough pressure only promotes productivity. Over pressuring yourself will lead to exhaustion and worst burned out.
Learn to weigh things well.
and . . .
say, “Shikata ga nai”.
