Written by: Dale Darley, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise
Ikigai, the now famous way to find your purpose, is something I have struggled with. Each time I was shown it by a coach whose group I was in or program I’d been in served only to confuse what I thought it meant. The four circle diagram that we often see is not the original Ikigai either, but something modified by another coach circa 2014. Still, I can’t complain because to make it make sense to me, I, too, have modified it…
I was already familiar with Jim Collins From Good To Great Hedgehog. Which was course material for my Exec coaching course. The three questions asked were:
What are you deeply passionate about?
What can you be the best in the world at?
What best drives your economic or resource engine?
He said that it was understanding what you can be the best at. So, focusing on ONE thing right now that you CAN be the best at.
Ikigai, by contrast, asks four questions:
What do you LOVE?
What are you GOOD at?
What does the world NEED?
What can you be PAID for?
And where these intersect is no longer a hedgehog but an Ikigai. And the way that most people look at this is in the context of work.
We are not born for work, although it seems that is what we spend our lives doing. But what if you did ‘work’ that was meaningful, gave your life purpose and a reason for being? The chances are that even when you retire, you will still be doing it. I know for sure I’ll still be writing. Writing has saved my life, and I would like to think that I will still be journaling and writing books to entertain others until I head back to the soul place.
Like many Japanese words, there isn’t a direct translation into English, which is perfect as it gives us all room to decide for ourselves what it means to us. Iki is life, and the simplest translation of gai is value or worth. The value or worth you place on life could be one way to look at it. What makes you happy or brings you joy is another way. Think about all of the little things that come together to give your life meaning. This could be your work (whatever that means to you), your family, your spiritual life, or things you do for the greater good.
Having a life of worth and value is great, but humans are wired for connection, and Ikigai requires a place for the energy to flow. That purpose is being of service to your community (family, friends, tribe, customers, animals, etc.). If you hate the word service, think of it as sharing your gifts. Ikigai gives you a purpose because you share your gifts and make a difference in others lives (what the world needs).
Then you hit the what you can be paid for if Ikigai question. This, of course, could be many things, but what if Ikigai was about life value or life purpose? Paid can be translated in many ways. It might mean money, a reward, impact, happiness, fulfillment or how you invested your time or heart.
So is Ikigai about having ONE life purpose? I don’t think so. I believe that we come to Earth to learn our lessons and discover the gifts we share with others. We have many turning points, and these are the Ikigias that become our reason for being at that time.
Then there are the ways to deliver those gifts based on our knowledge, skills and experiences to date. That could be coaching, therapy, a book or a course. It could be offering a foster home to children, creating food banks or animal shelters. It could be a sporting career that you love, and when that career ends, you may coach others in it – that’s two Ikigais...
When I look at the themes of my life, they are constantly evolving. When my spine fractured, my Ikigai was to inspire others to know that they could heal naturally. When I wrote my first memoir, which was a collection of life stories, it was to inspire others to write theirs and for the readers to know that there are gifts in our strange lives. As I grow and evolve, I know that my Ikigai now helps others discover who they are, use their story, give it meaning (find it’s purpose), and go out and inspire others lives – to change the world. Most of my customers write books, create courses and programs. Your customers might learn about nutrition or some other healing modality from you.
Ikigai and purpose
Ikigai is about finding purpose, but it is much deeper than that, and in my ponderings, this is how I have extended the model for me:
Love and good at = passion – what drives you
Love and world needs = purpose – what pulls you
World needs and rewards = values and living by your values
Good at and rewards = other motivators and opportunities for growth
The net result is your reason for being.
Finally, let me ask you, and these questions are based on right now:
What is it that I find most important in life?
What makes MY life worth living?
What gives my life meaning?
What drives you?
What pulls you towards being your best self?
Where do I find fulfillment?
How do I give my heart’s desires more meaning?
How am I living by my values?
What are the stories that shape me that I can use to inspire others?
What are the greatest rewards of my life right now?
Get out there and live a happy life, which, wherever you are, doing whatever you are doing is your reason for being right now.
For more information, please visit my website!
Dale Darley, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Dale works with her clients to help them to discover the magic in their story through the power of writing, journaling, and energy work. Dale is an expert at getting your story out, finding the essence of who you are, what you want to become, and supporting you to get what you want through coaching and programs. She believes that writing heals, and her vision and mission is to create a community of people who find clarity, purpose, and meaning through their writing. That these people go on to inspire others to know what is possible in the world. Dale holds an MBA from The University of Glamorgan and an ILM Level 7 Executive Coaching certificate. She served in senior marketing management roles in the IT and manufacturing sectors before working for herself.
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