Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means “A Reason For Being”. According to Japanese culture, this gives a person a sense of purpose and a reason for living.
Ikigai is an interesting concept. It combines many of the things people intuitively want in life, while being practical. The four focus areas that intersect to provide a person with Ikigai are:
- What you love
- What you are good at
- What the world needs
- What you can get paid for
This paints a compelling picture on how to combine your passions with your career to obtain a truly fulfilling life. If you focus on just one or two areas, you are likely to feel like something is missing. Many people work a job that makes them good money, but they have no passion for it. Other people pursue passions that they enjoy immensely, but they are not able to earn an income doing.
By taking a look at the subsections on this chart, we can identify if we are spending too much time on certain areas and neglecting others.
- Passion = What you love + What you are good at.
- Mission = What you love + What the world needs.
- Profession = What you are good at + What you can get paid for.
- Vocation = What the world needs + What you can get paid for.
This emphasizes balance, which can be difficult to achieve. In this modern world we often focus on professions, and then in our spare time pursue our passions. A more balanced and fulfilling world is available if we are able to combine these areas and live a life that balances these 4 quadrants. While it is not always possible early on in your career, it is something that you can work towards over time.