10 Guidelines Navigating Purpose
At some point in your life you may find yourself wondering “Who Am I”? What’s my Purpose? Humans search for meaning has been going on since the beginning of time so know you are not alone. I find the Japanese word, ikigai, best to help understand purpose. Ikigai itself is a combination of two Japanese words, "iki" meaning life and "gai" meaning worth or value. At its core, it’s about discovering what gets you out of bed in the morning. When we find our purpose in contributing to the lives of others, life isn’t always easy, but it’s immensely gratifying It’s the formula for fulfillment and well-being. Use the below guidelines to steer yourself toward a more joyful, purposeful, healthier and longer one as well.
1. To discover your ikigai, begin by reflecting on these 3 questions: “What do you love?” + “What are you good at?”+ “How can you help others?” If you are looking to define purpose in your profession, ask the 4th question “What can you get paid for?” Think of ikigai as a Venn diagram with a bunch of overlapping circles: Passion, Talent, Mission, Profession. The point in the center where all four circles meet is your ikigai sweet spot. It’s super important to understand that you might may find purpose in roles other than your paying job and that is ok!
2. Whether professionally or not, Purpose is rooted in contributing to the lives of others. You can’t die from too much self-focus but you certainly can't live from it. Have a bigger purpose than your own existence . Don’t live solely in your own 4 walls…even when you have kids someday.
3. Work can bring you great purpose. It may be that your talents, service and mission are also the thing that can make you money. Lean in to that and enjoy. Be careful of workaholism however. If your purpose is not what brings in revenue, know that is totally OK! Find purpose outside the workplace.
4. Earning enough money to cover your basic needs so you can afford things like a house, car, health insurance, vacations and financial security through savings is necessary for emotional wellbeing but money can’t buy purpose.
5. Listen to the signals your body is sending: Your body knows what is right and liberating versus what’s untrue and constricting. The body is wise – it wants to live in a way that makes it relaxed, which is a response to living your truest self or not. If you keep pursuing what is true, you’ll seek what makes your body relaxed and is also logically coherent. Anything we do that’s dysfunctional for any part of ourselves is dysfunctional for every part of ourselves. Living in a way that’s untrue for you can have real, physical symptoms manifest. When you live from a place of joy, you create value for yourself and others
7. Working towards finding your ikigai sweet spot shouldn’t be a burden – it’s not just one more task on the to-do list to cross off. It’s an ongoing journey, and while it may seem like a lot to take on, the process can be as large or as small as you’d like to make it. Mostly, learning to find and ultimately live your purpose takes thinking, reflection and self-examination, so give yourself the time you need to get where you need to go. Most importantly: Absolutely no guilt-tripping or negative self-talk as you find your way. It’s a process and a practice – ikigai, like Rome, isn’t built in a day.
8.. Your life doesn’t need to make sense to anyone else. Whatever makes you feel free and brings you joy, write it down and revisit it often. You have to start with yourself before you can do things for or with people. You are your best coach.
9. You can’t find someone else’s purpose for them. You can certainly support them in their process but purpose is ultimately an inside job.
10. Never let the quest for more distract you from the beauty of enough.
