Ikigai

Ikigai.

It’s a fun word, isn’t it? It’s tempting to pronounce it as icky guy, but that wouldn’t do the concept justice at all. The correct pronunciation is eye-ka-guy. There, that’s less silly and far more sophisticated.

Now that you know how to pronounce it, are wondering what in the world “ikigai” means? Excellent question! Ikigai is the intersection of your passions, your talents, your contribution to society and your career. It is translated from Japanese to no less than your “reason for being”. There are four pillars to the ikigai philosophy.

What do you love?

What are you good at?

What does the world need?

What can you be paid for?

It’s elegant in its simplicity and profoundly meaningful on a personal level. If you can find a way to marry your passions to your career, you stand a good possibility of loving your job. What could be better than being paid for doing something you love?

Know thyself

How do you get to this utopian existence? Through introspection and self-awareness and through dedicated study of the world around you. Until you know yourself, your passions, your motivations, your core beliefs, your strengths and weaknesses, your skills and talents, your willingness to learn, and your comfort with challenging yourself; you will be unable to effectively answer the first two questions. What do you love and what are you good at?

Have you ever really stopped to think about and answer those two questions? Sure, you like watching football on Sunday and you can make a mean omelet, but on a deeper, more meaningful, personal level, what do you really love and what are you good at? Do you love connecting with others, solving tricky questions, reasoning through arguments in a logical way, learning new things, or creating new things? Are you good at communicating with others, translating complicated ideas into easy-to-understand messages, convincing others to see your point of view, finding patterns in information, or sensing when others need help?

The fact that these two questions are such a puzzle to most of us is a demonstration of the constant stimulation and distractions of our culture and an excellent argument for the power of coaching. When we are so busy doing all of the things which need to be done and responding to all of the external stimuli sent our way each day, it is easy to go days without taking time to breathe and reflect on who we are and if how we are spending our time is aligned with what we love and what we are good at. Time with a coach will lead directly to answers to these two questions and a firm foundation in finding your ikigai.

Where do I fit?

Once you know yourself - what you love and what you are good at – it’s time to look outside of yourself and answer the last two questions. What does the world need? What can you be paid for?

It’s easy to name things which the world needs – compassion, empathy, equality, acceptance, affordable housing, climate stability, justice in the criminal and tax systems, access to quality education, career opportunities, and safe communities to name a few. Did any of those needs ring a bell with some of the ideas you had for your passions? Getting invested in these ideals is rewarding and fulfilling, but often doesn’t fit well with the fourth pillar of the ikigai philosophy – what can you be paid for.

Luckily, on a less philosophical level, the world also needs communication networks, transportation, education, healthcare, infrastructure, retail and entertainment. Those needs come a lot closer to the things we can imagine being paid for and with a little creative thinking, they can line up nicely with the more idealistic needs. For example, better transportation and infrastructure can lead directly to climate stability and retail and entertainment opportunities can help stabilize communities and make them safer.

The last question of what you can be paid for is probably the easiest of the questions. There are tons of jobs out there – manufacturing jobs, clerical jobs, medical jobs, service jobs, teaching jobs.

The intersection of what is good for the world and what can bring financial resources your way is where ikigai lives. Once you have looked closely at what you are passionate about, what you are good at, what the world needs and what you can get paid for; finding the sweet spot where you job not only pays the bills, but also holds meaning and gives you fulfillment is a no-brainer.

For help exploring your passions and skills and creatively matching them up with what the world needs and what you can be paid for – try coaching. Coaching is all about getting to know yourself better and then taking the next steps toward being the best you which you can be. If you are ready to find your ikigai, send me a message or schedule an appointment today.