1. A Japanese Concept for Finding Purpose and Meaning in Life

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that refers to a sense of purpose or meaning in life. It is often translated as "reason for being" or "the thing that you live for." The idea behind ikigai is that everyone has something that gives their life meaning and fulfillment, and finding and pursuing that thing can bring happiness and a sense of well-being.

The concept of ikigai is often represented visually by a circle that is divided into four quadrants:

1. What you love: This quadrant represents the things that bring you joy and make you feel fulfilled. It could be a hobby, a passion, or something else that you enjoy doing.

2. What the world needs: This quadrant represents the things that contribute to the well-being of others or the world. It could be a job, a volunteer activity, or something else that helps make the world a better place.

3. What you are good at: This quadrant represents your skills and abilities. It could be something that you are naturally talented at, or something that you have developed through practice and hard work.

4. What you can be paid for: This quadrant represents the things that you can do to earn a living. It could be a job or a business venture, or something else that generates income.

The intersection of these four quadrants is considered to be the sweet spot, or ikigai. It represents the things that you love, are good at, contribute to the world, and can be paid for. Finding your ikigai is often seen as a key to living a fulfilling and meaningful life.

Ikigai is often discussed in the context of work and career, but it can also apply to other areas of life. It can be helpful to think about your ikigai in terms of the things that bring you joy and purpose, and to consider how you can incorporate those things into your daily life.

As you look further into the future, possibilities increase, and the image gets blurred. Here is your first model which can help you find your future self in the present: the Ikigai model. It helps you focus on feelings, values and strengths, less so on material outcomes. Your ikigai can be fluid and you probably won’t find at once, so keep this model close by and adjust when you gain new insights.

2. The model

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means "a reason for being". The word refers to having a meaningful direction or purpose in life. Actions (spontaneous and willing) taken towards achieving one's Ikigai result in satisfaction and a sense of meaning in life. Ikigai can serve as a compass to navigate both career and life decisions:

• It's challenging. Your Ikigai should lead to mastery and growth.

• It's your choice. You feel a certain degree of autonomy and freedom in pursuing your Ikigai.

• It involves a commitment of time and belief, perhaps to a particular cause, skill, trade, or group of people.

• It boosts your well-being. Ikigai is associated with positive relationships and good health. It gives you more energy than it takes away.

How to use it:

1. Ask yourself the questions presented at the edge of the four circles.
   • Do what you love (passion)
   • Do what you are good at (talent)
   • Do what you can be paid for (wealth creation)
   • Do what the world needs (value creation)

2. Annotate your answers using sticky notes. This will create the map of your current Ikigai.

3. Use different sticky note colors to differentiate what is true today and what you want to achieve.

4. Hit the sweet spot: test it in daily life and use this map as your compass to life.

3. Find your Ikigai

Find what you love (passion)

1. What are your obsessions? Where are you way more active than others? What can't you shut up about? About what would you like to know everything? Follow your curiosity!

2. Perhaps you are known as the xxx-guy or the xxx-girl.

3. Another great guideline: where do you instantly see the flaws of others, and where do you know & feel you can do better with ease? What comes very easy to you and hard to others; that it is hard to understand their struggle because it is 'so easy'?

4. Still no luck? The word passion is derived from pain: put yourself in a challenging environment to see what lights you up. Of course, it's difficult to do that if you feel limited or are self-conscious about looking bad, so let that go and enjoy the experience. I dare you to be you (as the rest is already taken).Do what you are good at

You are born into the opportunity, as well as responsibility, to become legendary. How? Find your talents and maximize them by training. You have a unique skill set. It is your task to find and grow it in this lifetime. Guideline: Don't be the best. Be the only one. The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why. Mister Twain said that, so it must be true 😊

Do what you can be paid for

3/ Work hard. Be kind. Learn, earn, return. You'll find the future wherever people have the most fun. The task of the modern human being is to clearly and definitively seek and find knowledge. Not quick tasks. Become a person of depth, don't trust all-purpose glue: hard yards. Don't be a creature of complacency; complacency is like a disease. Nature does not intend you to sit idle.

What the world needs

4/ Measure yourself: how helpful am I to society? Carry workload for others, do the deep lifting as only you can do. Move from 'legitimacy in society' to constructing a 'meaningful legacy'. Move your goals from FFA (fame, fortune, applause) to JPF (Joy, peace, and freedom). Work on the four interior empires: heart, soul, mind, and health. Focus on craft, not on the cash. On the finesse, not the fame. To become: create, help, and adventure instead of acquiring, hoarding, and comparing. Be in the business to serve. Uplift others and become the hero the world desperately needs.

Conclusion

Quiz

How to apply this in my life

Food for thought

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