Have you discovered your Ikigai?

Change.

6 letters when put together have a strange effect.

For some, it paralyses them.

Too afraid of what could happen, they would rather stick with what they know.

For over ten years, my client was stuck in a rut. The monotony of the same job.

Day in, day out.

Was she good at it, yes?

She had become so good at it that she switched to autopilot. She had mastered all its nuances. It poised no new challenges or opportunities to grow.

She had pondered over the years, what her life would look like if she made a switch.

Transitioning from one career to another.

Something which would feed her soul.

After carefully weighing up the pros and cons, she was reconciled to the fact. “It was better to stay with what she knew.”

Every now and then she went through this same mental process, counting the days till she could access her long service leave.

It came and then it went.

Then, as fate has it.

She lost her job.

Suddenly those 6 letters became real.

That’s when she reached out to us.

Those letters which had paralysed her are now an opportunity for rebirth.

Life has given her a moment.

An opportunity to uncover what she is created for.

The Japanese call it Ikigai, meaning “a reason for being.”

Its the intersect, the space where these questions overlap in your life.

What am I good at?

• Ask yourself this question, what am I naturally good at?
• Do I have an opportunity to use this talent every single day?

What do I love to do?

• What gives me great joy and pleasure?
• When I finish the task, it gives me a great sense of satisfaction, personal achievement.

What does the world need?

• What opportunities do I see?
• Where is there a need that I can contribute my talents, skills and experience?

What can I get paid for?

• Where can I add value and be financially rewarded for my contribution.

So can I ask you, as we approach the midway point of 2018. Perhaps now take that moment.

Don’t wait for life to throw one at you, because who knows when and if at all it will come.

Have you uncovered your Ikigai?

Written by Phebe Cho

Especially curated for you: Find your purpose