What Is Your Ikigai?

Ikigai is a Japanese word referring to our life purpose - having a sense of direction and feeling fulfilled from engaging in one’s passion.

Ikigai is at the intersection of:

• What you love

• What you are good at

• What the world needs

• What you can be paid for

1. What you love:

To feel fulfilled, we need to be engaged in pursuits that passionate us.

What lights your fire? What has meaning to you? What brings you joy?

2. What you are good at:

To feel fulfilled, we need to be competent at what we’re doing. This does not mean being the best - simply being skilled at our craft, and being able to do quality work.

What are you naturally good at? What talents have you developed so far in your personal and professional life?

3. What the world needs:

Doing something that we love and that we’re good at is nice, but it’s pretty much just a hobby if there is no real need for it, and/or if no one will pay for what we do.

What do you love and are good at, that is also needed in the world?

4. What you can be paid for:

Doing something that we love, are good at, and that is needed is great, but it’s going to be limited to a volunteer activity if we can’t make a living from it.

The intersection between what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for is your Ikigai.

If you don’t know what your Ikigai is yet, it’s totally normal. It can take a lifetime to discover what your life purpose it, and then develop it into a project that can generate an income. What’s beautiful is that you can work towards it step by step over the years.

And remember that coaching is the most effective form of support for figuring out your Ikigai and making it a reality!