Ikigai⋆ Introduction

"The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away." ****⋆ Ken Mogi

Welcome to your Ikigai⋆, a simple, yet beautifully profound Japanese philosophy, where the serene wisdoms of the East blend with the dynamic ambition of the West to create a tool nearly guaranteed to pinpoint your “reason for being”.

In Japan, Ikigai (生き甲斐) represents a deep, yet almost casually ubiquitous approach to living, focusing on finding joy in everyday moments and maintaining a steady harmonious balance with the world around you. In contrast, the Western adaptation of Ikigai uses a structured framework to align personal passions, professional skills, societal needs, and financial reward, driving those who develop their Ikigai towards individual fulfillment and lifelong success.

This template seeks to bridge these beautiful perspectives, offering you a unique tool to reflect on your deepest passions, chief priorities, and vision of the future, ultimately harmonizing your personal and professional life for the greater good.

<aside> <img src="/icons/thought-dialogue_gray.svg" alt="/icons/thought-dialogue_gray.svg" width="40px" /> How does Ikigai Work?

At it’s core, your Ikigai is the intersection of four fundamental elements, What You Love, What You Are Good At, What the World Needs (from your perspective), ****and What You Can Be Paid For. When these elements align, they form a foundation that lead into your Passions, your Professions, your Vocations, and ultimately your Missions in life. When combined, each of these 8 core aspects fuse to make up what becomes your Ikigai, a list of distilled purposes and core focuses you define as being central to your reason for being.

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<aside> <img src="/icons/thought-dialogue_gray.svg" alt="/icons/thought-dialogue_gray.svg" width="40px" /> What should I expect?

Embarking on the journey of discovering your Ikigai can be transformative, requiring deep introspection, honesty, and a willingness to acknowledge your strengths and vulnerabilities to maximize your results. As you fill out each section, take time to reflect on your experiences, dreams, and aspirations, but try to stay pragmatically honest and realistically ambitious. See the power in the fact that no one else can define the limits of your Ikigai, but you. The process isn’t just about finding answers, but about you leading the charge of your own life, along with what will ultimately realize your full potential.

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As you begin to fill each pillar of your Ikigai, I encourage you to keep your answers simple, yet thoughtful.

Think of descriptively potent words, or 1-5 word sentences & affirmations that will be easy to recall with, or without this document in front of you.

The true beauty of Ikigai is found in its ability to encompass both the simplicities and depths of your existence as a human, allowing you to uncover insights that often stay hidden beneath the surface of your daily life.

Use the coloured callout boxes provided to fill in your reflections, aim for anywhere between 5-20 entries each, and work your way down in order, ending with your Ikigai once all other boxes have been filled. Also, don’t worry if there is anything you feel the need to repeat over multiple areas. If it fits, it’s worth keeping it within a relevant scope of awareness.

Remember that this is a personal journey. You’re here to impress no one, but future you. Maybe your future, or active family too.

There are no right or wrong answers, only the level of honesty you bestow upon yourself.

Crafted with care,

ttunedpro⋆

IKIGAI | A Japanese Philosophy for Finding Purpose ⋆ Einzelgänger