You may have heard this word or seen a graphic on the subject. Is that “Ikigai” is a Japanese word that translates into Spanish as your reason for being, living and existing.
So, it is the reason why you get up in the morning, the light that guides you in dark moments and the spark that ignites your passions, and it is widely spread in the West for its simplicity and practicality.
- Where does the concept of “Ikigai” come from?
If we go back centuries, it comes from the Edo period, a period of history that ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868. The word is believed to have been coined by Sei Shonagan, a 10th-century writer who described a lifestyle in which people People live for pleasure and enjoyment. It also began to be used in circles of samurai warriors to designate those who were of worth and followed the code of honor.
- Finding Your Ikigai: 4 Steps to Discover Your Higher Purpose
If you have ever felt aimless and dissatisfied with life, this article is for you. This is a guide to discovering your Ikigai, the thing that makes you jump out of bed in the morning and keeps you going through the day.
It can be something tangible, like making and selling a product; or something intangible, like providing a service, helping, caring, protecting, inspiring, motivating… The list is endless.
Here are the four steps to finding it:
1° – WHAT YOU LOVE – Identify your passions: What is it that you are really passionate about? What do you like to do? They are probably the things that interest you the most and will be the best way to discover your Ikigai.
To achieve this, you can start writing your dreams and passions down on paper, as it will help you focus on them, giving you a sense of direction. Not leaving them only in your mind will be what will allow you to lower them to a more concrete plan, to continue with the following steps.
Example: I had a client who was a senior executive of a multinational company; his name is Martin. He had been in that corporation for three decades, although his love for plants and flowers never disappeared from his childhood memories, in which he had a small greenhouse in the back of his parents’ house. That was one of his great passions, although he never practiced it professionally.
2nd – WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS – Put your passions into action:
Once you’ve identified what you love, start looking at how you can connect that feeling to what the world needs. It can be your service, your creativity, your drive, your particular way of doing something specific.
To achieve it: Take the list of what you love to do, and write next to it at least 3 ways to transform each item into a specific action; something that you can achieve, and that, if you did, would make you very happy. Draw up a plan of small constant steps, to set some of these shapes in motion.
Example: Continuing with what I was telling you about Martín, he realized that most people love flowers and plants, only that there are those who say they have no luck with them, because they dry up. He discovered a space there to channel his love that was latent, and that he had never formally exercised.
3° WHAT THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO PAY YOU FOR – Make your passion your way of life
When you have discovered how to put into action what you are passionate about, there is a direct connection with the need that the world, your community and people have, and from there, you could transform that movement into a way of life.
To achieve it: Write down next to the list of specific forms of action, some ways that you can think of that you could offer that to different types of people, and turn it into a source of your income.
Example: That executive did a home analysis of the market he wanted to target. Then, allying with a nursery in the neighborhood where he lived that gave him plants on consignment (he paid a percentage of what he sold), he decided to dedicate 3 hours a day outside of his work to start his hobby. . He did it through a venture, with the help of one of his daughters: they advise, sell and maintain plants and gardens in residential homes, as well as flower bouquets and bouquets with some very attractive design touches.
Within a year of starting, they had seven employees, a store and a warehouse, because the demand was so great that they had to expand. Martín began to be in the business on Saturdays and Sundays, while his daughter did it from Monday to Friday.
4 – WHAT YOU DO REALLY WELL – Polish up what distinguishes you
Possibly you have lived many years thinking that you have a facility for certain things, a talent for another, a gift for certain tasks, although you have not exercised it or made it your source of income.
Well then: in this fourth step of Ikigai, you will reinforce points 1, 2 and 3, and you will write (next to the third step) what you consider stands out for you in what you have chosen.
If you observe, this fourth step is what marks your differential with other people, your “competitive advantage”, as it is called in the world of entrepreneurship and business. It is this unique and unrepeatable digital footprint that can help you find the space for action, even if the area where you want to venture is very competitive.
Some ideas: Start by removing any negative self-boycotting mental tendencies toward your abilities, or wanting to sabotage your plans. Instead, I suggest that you start by asserting yourself in what you do want to achieve. Make credible, measurable, possible, tangible goals and set them at a certain time: this way you will be able to land dreams -which tend to fly and remain only ideas- and you will be able to carry out actions step by step in line with your greater objective.
Ending the example of Martín, after two years with the business that continued to grow, he decided to leave his job as the top figure of the multinational, to dedicate himself full time to his plant and flower company, which, by the way, continued to grow with eight branches. for the third year. In this activity he found his Ikigai.
At the junction of areas one and two, your mission appears: what you propose and carry it out.
Right where two and three connect, is your vocation, that which you have carried deep in your heart, and which you may have put into practice in life, or not yet. It’s never too late.
Then, in the conjunction of three and four, your profession appears more clearly, which is what you do and what you can earn a living with, adding value to people as the unique and different being that you are.
And between areas four and one, there is passion: the fuel and energy that comes from putting into action what you do very well in line with what you love.
Once you have worked on the aspects of the four steps, you will form in the center, right at the intersection of those four spaces, the sense of Ikigai: you will have a clearer purpose of lifethe reason for being and existing.
Remember that if you live according to the purpose, the flow of life will be easier for you, because you will make your passion something meaningful, even for a living.
As you observe, your Ikigai, your Purpose, is there, waiting for you to make the choice to manifest it and put it into action. And that only depends on you.
Facilitator and Executive Master Coach specialized in senior management, professionals and teams; mentor and professional communicator; international speaker; author of 32 books. LinkedIn Top Voice Latin America. Professional Coach certified by ICF at its highest level, Certified Coach and Member of the John Maxwell Team.
Source: Ambito
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
