"Your ikigai is at the intersection of what you are good at and what you love doing,” -- Hector Garcia
The Japanese have given the world so much: sushi, Samsung, martial arts, cherry blossoms, Harajuko fashion - the list of amazing things goes on and on. But recently, an article I found on Twitter really peaked my interest, and it was about Ikigai, a concept which equates to each human's reason for being.
It marries the four crucial parts of human existence: what you love to do, what you're good at doing, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. The concept posits that those who can find the sweet spot right in the intersectional middle of these four distinct necessities will live the most fulfilled life. And I completely agree.
In theory, this seems straightforward, but obviously it takes a lot of time (and money) to be able to hammer out all four of these things, especially the HOW to make that money of what you're both good at and what the world needs. But for me, I see a big reminder of persistence, of continuing on the path, and of not giving up. The Japanese, as I've understood it, teach Ikigai as a lifelong journey, not a destination.
You have to continue to see how you can help the world, how you can do something good and better, and how to make money at it. To those of you out there who have it figured out - congratulations. And to the rest of us, lets keep going until we are at this same state.
A quick Google search can bring up tons for you to read on Ikigai; I've already dived deep into it and find so much fulfillment and reassurance from reading up about it. What do you think? Do you agree with the ideology? Do you have other things you read to help make sense of the world? Let me know!