Finding My Ikigai

While you may know that I am trying hard to kick my “doom scrolling” habit, when I find a social media gem it makes me reconsider the quest.  Maybe not quit scrolling, just don’t scroll so frequently – ok, I can live with that.

The article, How to Discover Your Ikigai on quickanddirtytips.com, starts with this, 

If your appetite for meaning and purpose is feeling heartier than every right now, then a hunt for your Ikigai – your life’s purpose – may be just what you need. 

Ikigai – never heard the word before.  The article says that finding your ikigai comes down to asking and answering 4 essential questions:

1.      What do you enjoy?

2.      What are you good at?

3.      What does the world need?

4.      What can you get paid for?

Let’s take a break and answer the questions for ourselves.  I will wait.

Confucius is credited as saying, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

I like Tim Cook, Apple CEO’s take on Confucius, “There is a saying that if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life.  At Apple, I learned that is a total crock.  Rather, when you find a job you are passionate about, you will work hard, but you won’t mind doing so.  You will work harder than you ever thought possible, but the tools will feel light in your hands.”  (Bolding is mine)   Can I get an AMEN?

Another aspect overlooked by Confucius is PAY – and in understanding how much it costs to live.  Sure there are people whose hobbies and passions cover their expenses – I’m thinking about a little football player named Gronk or a singer name Taylor --  but, how about for the rest of us?

How to Discover Your Ikigai had an interesting Venn Diagram (a set of overlapping circles), with a circle for each question and answer.  The overlapping area in the middle is your ikigai.

I recently made a dramatic career change, moving from an unsatisfying, herding-cats, baby-sitting management position to a very challenging business development role.  The job has stretched me (REALLY stretched me!); however, the change has been unbelievably rewarding.   I am renewed and re-invigorated.  I have tried to explain WHY to people but the ikigai questions and venn diagram clarify it for me.  This new job was the answer to each question, and I am now working in the intersecting center.

·        I love to learn, solve and put new ideas into practice.  It doesn’t really matter what it is, as long as I’m learning.

·        I am good at writing and communicating with people.  I am driven to “seek to understand, then explain.”

·        The world is truly IN NEED of what our company is developing.  Its easy to get jazzed about it because the solution is of value to others.

·        I am getting paid well – the new company values my past experiences and trusts that I can re-engineer myself to be part of their better tomorrow.

My questions for you – are you hunting for your Ikigai – your life’s purpose?  What is in the intersecting center of your Ikigai venn diagram and what needs to change for you to be living YOUR Ikigai?