Tina Arena is an Australian music idol. Her illustrious career as a music maker and performer has inspired and entertained many worldwide and across five decades. This week she bought her Enchanté tour to Wollongong. The first major concert tour across the country since Covid-19 was welcomed warmly on a cold and windy evening by a motley crowd.

Her performance was a master class in music, design (beautiful Australian costumes designed by Cappellazzo Couture, stagecraft and state-of-the-art lighting), storytelling and collaboration with her talented band. She is one classy lady!

Between her songs, old and new, and costume changes, she reflected on how grateful she is to be doing what she loves. With good humour, she batted off, shouted comments from the crowd and provoked us to think about the nature of our purpose, the impossibility of perfection and the joy of performance.

I have not seen any previous Arena performance. My reaction was pure delight and gratitude. I was touched by her songs, her provocation and humanity – and so what is our purpose?

In Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, Héctor García and Francesc Miralles, 2016, explore the “art of living.” They define ikigai as “the happiness of always being busy” and conclude, from one hundred interviews of centenarians and supercentenarians in Ogimi, Okinawa the importance of joy and teamwork. Their rules for discovering and living ikigai – the passion inside you, the unique talent that gives meaning to your days and drives you to share the best of yourself.

García and Miralles explain ikigai is written by combining the symbols that mean “life” with “to be worthwhile”.

“Our ikigai is hidden deep inside each of us, and finding it requires a patient search. According to those born on Okinawa…our ikigai is the reason we get up in the morning.”

Indeed, this desire for a purposeful life is a universal human experience – made deeply more poignant by Covid times. How can we cultivate our own and others inner potential – to be our best and collaborate to live rich, complete, and meaningful lives – despite the fear and uncertainly of a global pandemic?

It is clear the needs associated with ikigai are not simply desired for biological satisfaction or social connection – they relate to our understanding of place, history and our desires as spiritual beings.

Each week, I am privileged to meet community leaders in government, councils, not for profits and other settings who feel keenly their responsibilities to positively support and nurture the best in others, steward their asset and make their community spaces available for an extraordinary range of human endeavours.

At Vennu® our purpose is building communities. We apply lessons from the sharing economy, think customer-centricity to solving complex organisational challenges. Vennu delivers value for those that own and manage space, their customers, and communities by creating increased connectedness, vibrancy, local consumption, employment, and sustainability and bringing communities together in space.

Suzanne Campbell
CEO and Founder
Vennu