Tools to make a picture of your goals and missions
“Ikigai”, as it was mentioned before, is a Japanese concept that simply put, means ‘your reason to get out of bed in the morning. Ikigai is a combination of the words ‘iki‘, which means life or living, and the word ‘kai‘ (pronounced as gai), which represents value, effect, result, or usefulness. What is ‘ikigai’ exactly? It is that place where your passion, mission, calling and career intersect.
The place where the four circles meet is where you find your ‘ikigai’. You can only apply your ‘ikigai’ once you know what it is for you. For many people that require an extensive search of the self first. But if you want to make a start at understanding your ‘ikigai’, you could start by making filling the circles with words, ideas, pictures or sentences that fall under the ‘You like it’ ‘You are good at it,’ ‘The world needs it,’ and ‘You are paid for it’. Try to answer questions like; What makes you tick? What touches you?, What are you good at?, Which unique talents do you have and which can you further develop? What can you do that is of use to others? Is there something you can contribute to the world? What change would you like to bring about in the world? Look at the complete picture and try to find connections. If you are going to do it, take your time. Give ideas and impulses a chance and keep an open mind. That way, your ‘ikigai’ will eventually become clear.
It’s important to focus on the result or at least a way-point in your life. Don’t think about the process for getting there yet—that’s the next step. Give yourself permission to revisit this vision every day, even if only for a few minutes. Keep your vision alive and in the front of your mind. A good idea to keep this image bright and always in your mind is to create a collage of photos or to draw a picture with all these things that you want to have in your life and place it in a place that you can see every day.
