According to Japanese culture, everyone has an ikigai, which translated to means: a reason to live or more precisely: a reason to get up in the morning. The French have a similar term raison d’etre, ie the reason for existence. If you want to determine your ikigai, ask yourself these four questions in the following order:
What do you like to do?
This question focuses on what is fun, interesting and motivating for you. The answer may come to you as you think about what you would do if you didn’t have to worry about making money or how you would spend your free week or vacation?
What are you doing well?
This question applies to your knowledge, talents and skills. These can be jobs that you are currently doing and receiving a salary for, but also some others. List all your skills, rewards and accolades and the tasks in which you excel.
What does the world need from you?
This is perhaps the most difficult question because you need to understand what you can provide to the world, your culture, your community or your family. Ask yourself, for example, what problems you would like to solve, what bothers you in your community, in which organization you would like to volunteer.
What can you charge?
Whether you like your job or not, make a list of the jobs you’ve done and the ones you’re currently doing......
When you answer all the questions, start looking for similarities and overlaps among them. Everything you love to do that you are good at means your passion. What you love and what the world needs from you signifies your mission.
Jobs for which you are paid and what you are good at indicate your expertise, profession, and your vocation is a combination of what the world needs from you and what you can be paid for.
The idea is for all four areas (mission, passion, vocation and expertise) to be in balance. At the heart of this diagram is your personal ikigai. He can be the key to your success and happiness - the reason why you will get out of bed every morning with a smile.
