Finding & Pursuing Your Passion

Why do you get up each & every morning?

Are you living a fulfilling life?

What is your reason for being?

IKIGAI (pronounced ick-ee-guy) is a term that originated on the Japanese island of Okinawa. IKIGAI is a Japanese concept meaning “the reason for being”, or what we call in America “the reason for getting up in the morning.”

To lose your sense of meaning or fulfillment in life can have detrimental effects.

IKIGAI is the result that one possesses when four things are combined:

• What you love to do
• What you’re good at
• What the world needs
• What you’re paid for

Your passion: What you’re good at & what you love to do
Your mission: What you love to do & what the world needs that you are able to contribute
Your vocation: What the world needs that you can contribute & what you can be compensated for doing
Your job: What you can be compensated for doing & what you’re good at

Between your passion and your mission are feelings of happiness & delight, but no monetary wealth.
Between your mission and your vocation are feelings of excitement & satisfaction, but a feeling of uncertainty.
Between your vocation and your job are feelings of comfort, but also of emptiness.
Between your job and your passion are feelings of satisfaction, but also of uselessness.

So where do you feel that you are?

Many people struggle with the fear of change, but change is the only constant in life. Everything around us is constantly changing. So why are people not afraid of feeling stagnant in life? If anything, change should be welcome with a sense of excitement and curiosity. More often than not, change comes with some failures, but not embracing change can result in continued efforts of things that will soon no longer bring fulfillment to life.

To begin to find your IKIGAI, think deeply about the things that you’re good at, as well as the things that you’re not good at, and categorize them into the following:

If you are having a difficult time thinking about things that you excel at, ask people that know you fairly well!

The left side of the quadrant [Passion & Potential] is where most of your time should be spent.
There are things that fall into the right side of the quadrant [Paying Bills & Daily Tasks] that you cannot necessarily disregard, but very little time should be expended on these.

The concept of IKIGAI does not have an expiration date, a timeline, or a time limit. You are never too old to find what gives you the most fulfillment out of life.

 

What is one thing that you could do or be today that would express an element of your IKIGAI?

 

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xoxo
AllyNikk/Allison

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Inspired by:
How to Find and Pursue Your Passion by Jay Shetty