A Couple days ago, in his regular video broadcast to our Tribe, Peter was talking about ikigai. This inspired me to look deeper on this topic.
So, what is Ikigai? And How you can you recognize yours?.. and finally… What is it good for?
The most common explanation of Ikigai is “a reason for being”. It pertains to the source of value in someone’s life, something that gives a person a sense of direction and happiness. It is believed that ikigai consists of four fundamental areas: a passion, a vocation, a mission and profession.
To achieve ikigai (your life purpose), you need to address
- what each of those four components mean for you and
- to find a point, in which all of them can meet.
Are you ready to try? I’ve prepared for you a little guideline with some practical tools and questions to help you to dive in and to find your ikigai. I hope you will like it!
WHAT IS IKIGAI
(from Japanese iki = “life” and kai = “worth”) Knowing your ikigai can bring you a source of value in your life, a purpose that gives you a sense of direction and happiness. A reason to get up every morning, which motivates you to keep going and gives you drive.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE YOUR IKIGAI
Dive into an investigation about yourself within the following areas of your life: passion, vocation, mission and profession. You can write a list, or you can draw and write directly into the ikigai diagram -> Have a fun with it!
PASSION: WHAT DO I LOVE?
Passion, in this case, is something that you love doing. It’s something that when you do it, it evokes a strong feeling. It excites you. Time flies really fast when you do that thing. These questions can help you to start: What did you enjoy doing as a child or in your early adult years? What do you do now in your spare time that makes you happy?
VOCATION: WHAT AM I GOOD AT?
Write down your skills, your experiences, and your gifts. Put all the stuff that you know how to do, that you master or are very good at. What are your strengths and skills? What is your personality type (extrovert/introvert)? What do people ask you to help them with?
MISSION: WHAT DOES THE WORLD NEED?
What do you want to transform, bring, or improve in the world, to make it a better place to live in? It can be any area you choose, for example, education, healthy food, nature, technology, charity, wellness etc. In which area would you like to support the world? What makes you annoyed or frustrated? What and who inspires you?
PROFESSION: WHAT CAN I BE PAID FOR?
It also matters that you are properly compensated for what you love to do. Write everything that you can ask money for in return. What are your professional skills and experiences? What service or product could you sell (what would people pay you for)? What job could you do?
THE MEETING POINT
Are you done with the investigation part? Good job! Now start searching for connections between each of the area (circles). What do you love that the world also needs, you are good at and you can be paid for? Search for similarities and patterns in your circles. It will help you identify your ikigai – the space right in the middle of the four areas, where all the can meet.
Have fun and please, don’t forget to let me know how did it go! Does ikigai sound interesting to you? Did you find yours already? Share in comments!
with love, Vero
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