In the summer of 2019, I was introduced to the concept “Ikigai” by a dear friend of mine. Eager to explore further, I picked up a book by the same name. There was something intriguing about the book from the moment I lay eyes on it – maybe it was the interconnected circles on the cover that piqued my interest. As I spent the next few days reading and re-reading the book, I realised how much this simple yet powerful concept resonated with me. There were just too many ‘aha’ moments to keep count of.
Ikigai is a centuries old Japanese concept that represents the idea of finding your “reason for being”. It provides a simple approach to finding your purpose in life, and living in happiness through the interconnectedness of four fundamental components of life – ‘What you Love’ (passion), ‘What the world needs’ (mission), ‘What you are good at’ (profession), and ‘What you can be paid for’ (vocation). Suddenly, there seemed to be an answer to years of internal conflict I had struggled with, between what I loved doing in life and how I earned money.
Life in Flux
For the last seventeen years, I have experienced a mental tug of war between doing the things I truly care about and earning a livelihood. The need to make money always pushed me into ‘jobs’ or ‘professions’ that were interesting, but were certainly not my purpose in life. I was going through the motions, from one job to another, getting pulled further and further away from what I really cared about, which was making a difference to the lives of people. I didn’t know how, why or what difference I could make…I just naively believed that if I had enough money, I could use it someday to make a difference in the world.
In their book Ikigai, Garcia and Miralles write, “Our Ikigai is hidden deep inside each of us, and finding it requires patience”. . As the years went by, I gained the patience to re-learn, re-think, and re-wire everything I did to align with my desire to make a difference in the lives of people. And once I stumbled upon the Ikigai philosophy, everything started to make sense. The dots were connected, I felt centered and on the right path. My focus shifted from how much I earned and what people thought of me, to my renewed ‘purpose’ of helping people discover their own Ikigai.
A New Beginning
Through this journey of discovering who I am and what my purpose is, I found a path that led me to starting DiscoverU. I realised that there are numerous others like me, lost somewhere between a mundane job and a dormant passion. I set out to build DiscoverU as a career coaching platform that helps people find a reason to get out of bed each morning…their Ikigai.
We start by helping people answer fundamental questions such as ‘What am I good at?’, ‘What do I enjoy doing?’, and ‘What is important to me?’. This holistic approach helps each individual discover their own unique strengths, talents, and passion. Then, we work with them to find careers through which they can express that passion.
Living in Happiness!
To anyone who has not discovered their purpose yet, I’d say be patient but keep looking. Acknowledge that you have a purpose, and take your time to find it. It is possible to live a life of purpose and fulfill your passion. It is the only way to find true joy in what you do, and live in happiness.
In helping others find a career to express their passions, I have found my own way to live a life of consequence and make a difference. As we help them find their Ikigai, we delve deeper into finding ours.
