IKIGAI: Find your IKIGAI

Before you start working on how to find your IKIGAI, know that no activity is excluded. Ikigai can concern all areas, as long as one finds pleasure and satisfaction in it and is competent in this activity.

If you are confused about how you will find it, this article is for you.

Start from the current situation

One method to identify your ikigai is to make an inventory. Write down the 10 things you spent the most time on this week. Once these things are written down, ask yourself if these things give meaning to your life by asking yourself the following questions:

Is it something I like to do?

Is this something the world needs?

Am I “gifted”, good at this activity?

Is it something I can get recognition for (financial, social, relational, etc.)

You probably won’t find the “magical” activity that gives meaning to your life in 10 minutes. Nevertheless, this type of analysis will allow you to identify sectors that really captivate you.
 In addition, the path to identify your ikigai is rarely linear and can evolve with age and experience. If you do not have a click while doing this first analysis, do not hesitate to be curious and to try new things, to continue to learn.

Think more broadly

Another way to work is to draw up an overview of your activities sector by sector. In this case, you can list things according to the 4 categories of the diagram above.

1. What do you like to do?

What are the activities in which you take pleasure, whether it is leisure, relationships, work, whether these activities are paid or not, etc.

2. In what area are you performing well?

These are all activities in which you are competent, whether these activities are fulfilling or not. Your skill level here can vary from “good” to “excellent”. Basically, this is what you know how to do, or even do very well.

3. What activities can bring you recognition?

Focus on activities for which you are or could be paid, but also those for which you can be thanked, appreciated, recognized, etc.

4. What are some activities that can bring positive things to the world

For this category, it is not a question of making a simplistic and general inventory of value-added activities for the world as a whole.

Instead, think about what can bring something positive to others, even if the scope of these activities is limited. These can therefore bring “little extras” or change the world.

Finally, if certain activities allow you to “tick all the boxes”, then your ikigai is at your fingertips! This will probably seem obvious to you once you identify them. 

Conversely, if nothing specifically stands out, continue to explore activities that pique your curiosity. This is how you end up finding your way, by experimenting with new things and stepping out of your comfort zone.