Ikigai

Ikigai (生き甲斐,) is a Japanese concept that pulls together all that is needed to reach a sense of fulfilment and that translates loosely as your purpose in life – finding it could change the way you live, work and lead

 

It’s something I often use in the seminars I run to help people get a better understanding of who they are and where they are going and, possibly, why they are going there

 

The Ikigai is at the convergence of four primary elements

 

What you Love (your passion)

What the World Needs (your mission)

What you are Good at (your vocation)

What you can get Paid for (your profession)

 

And, at the centre of all that, your Purpose – the world needs it, you are good at it, you love doing it and, at the end of the day, you get paid for it!

 

Two out of the four can lead to Passion, Mission, Vocation or Profession, while three out of four is almost there, but maybe with a feeling of emptiness, uselessness or uncertainty

 

Many of us go through life with our heads down, never really thinking about where we are going and why we are going there; it’s good to occasionally ask ourselves

 

What do I love doing

What does the world need

What I am good at

What can I get paid for

#leadership #personaldevelopment #purpose #boblarcher