344: Finding Ikigai for Your Career

I talked about the concept of Ikigai back in episode #243. This past week, a colleague posted a graphic about Ikigai and it got me thinking that it was time to re-visit and expand on this concept on the podcast.

Here’s the purpose of Ikigai: It is the Japanese answer to a life of purpose. In practice, this concept of Ikigai is a lifestyle, which the Japanese live somewhat instinctively.

We here in America can learn from the Japanese in this regard.

Here’s a quote from the ikigailiving.com website: “Your Ikigai wakes you up in the morning and leads you away from a mundane, status-quo lifestyle. It empowers you and drives your actions and purpose.”

Ikigai is the intersection of

-What you love

-What the world needs

-What you can be paid for

And

-What you are good at

What I liked about the graphic my colleague posted was that it shows what I’m going to call “partial Ikigai” – what you end up with when you have two or even three of these things, but not all four. This is where I want to go today.

Here’s my invitation to you as you listen: For those of you who are living your Ikigai – this is an opportunity for you to sink into gratitude about that. To think through – perhaps even journal on – the ways in which you are at the intersection of what you love, what the world needs, what you can be paid for, and what you are good at.

For those of you who know you AREN’T in Ikigai and those of you who realize it by listening to this episode, I will give some tangible steps you can take at the end. I promise, there is a way to at least move towards your Ikigai without changing everything about your life.

What You Love + What the World Needs = Mission

At this intersection, you are engaged in work you love AND contributing something the world is in need of. You’re committed to the environment, let’s say, so you find yourself volunteering for several climate groups, save the whales, saving the rain forest. Perhaps you are getting paid for your work, but not at the level your education and experience call for.

What you DON’T have at this intersection is consideration of what you are good at or what you can actually get a paycheck from.

You are committed to the cause, you are fully bought-in to making the world a better place. BUT you are either doing volunteer work or not getting paid enough to live a respectable lifestyle. You also are doing work that you aren’t necessarily good at – perhaps loving the cause and your idealism so much that you are square-peg-in-round-holing it.

Result: Burnout and Poverty. You aren’t playing to your strengths in this role, which will, eventually, lead to burnout. You will be constantly “picking up” odd jobs or one-off assignments to earn enough to make ends meet. You will likely be denying some desires, such as travel, a home of your own, etc.

Solution: Is it possible for you to get a full-time job with one of the organizations you’ve volunteered with, or been in a smaller role with? Can you keep the cause you are passionate about, while shifting your role within that organization to one that compensates you and utilizes what you are good at?

Possible Compromise: Start with figuring out what you actually need to earn for the lifestyle you desire (be reasonable). Then consider volunteering for your causes – or supporting them financially.

What the World Needs + What I Can Be Paid For = Vocation

At this intersection, you have a very practical occupational decision – devoid of passion. You’re being pragmatic, but not taking into consideration what will actually fill your soul.

You’ve looked at a need, let’s say becoming a doctor. You know it pays well, so you go to med school. You have acquired a vocation.

The world needs doctors – but what the world REALLY needs is doctors who truly want to be doctors.

Result: Burnout and Dissatisfaction. You aren’t playing to what you love and what you are good at in this role. You’re making good money, but don’t have the time or energy to enjoy your earnings.

Solution: There’s nothing wrong with making logical occupational decisions – as long as your passion and skillset are also taken into consideration. Maybe you realize you would much rather conduct cancer research than be in a clinical setting. Perhaps you move into medical device sales.

Possible Compromise: If we’re actually talking about leaving the medical field, that can be tough because of the earnings potential. This example, in particular, is one where you really need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture – the quality and balance of your life. This one may require a bigger shift to get on the right path that the other combinations.

What I Can Be Paid For + What I am Good At = Profession

Here we have included your Strengths, but they are likely your Burnout Skills if you don’t also love utilizing them. This is another left-brained decision, because while practical, it won’t feed your soul.

I think a good example here would be someone who enters law school because they’ve always excelled at debate and they think all lawyers make a lot of money. Perhaps they go into private practice afterwards, because their desire to become a public defender or work for a non-profit has taken a back seat to the enormous law school debt they’ve racked up.

Result: Burnout and Yearning. You long for the non-profit work you were passionate about before law school. You have the trappings of wealth, but become disenchanted with the materialism. You are golden-handcuffed to your occupation.

Solution: Find a way to minimize use of your Burnout Skills and maximizing use of the skills you love to use and are good at. How can you shift your occupation to bring in the passion? Perhaps you sit down with your significant other to see whether serving as an attorney in a non-profit is actually financially viable. What can you do outside of your job to fill your soul, at least in the short term?

Possible Compromise: If you leave the law field, you could still volunteer in some capacity if you still want to use your legal talents in a capacity that fills your soul.

What I am Good at + What I Love = Passion

You are doing the work you love and utilizing your strengths. This decision was 100% right-brained, without consideration of what will make money and what the world actually needs.

Perhaps you’ve always loved working with animals, so you take on a role managing a local non-profit that rescues alpaca. You love the animals and seeing them rehabilitated and moving on to better situations.

Does the world need people doing this work? Yes. The bigger question is, does the world value people doing this work, and the answer may be no. Low pay, relying on grants or donations for basic necessities, and less-than-ideal working conditions are part of the job.

Result: Poverty and Yearning. You may find yourself yearning for more in your life – experiences such as travel or a nice home. You’re also frustrated, knowing that, while you are doing the work you love, you can’t seem to make a decent living.

Solution: Is there another animal the world values more than alpaca – that will pay better? Is there an organization with wider reach than your local non-profit, that may pay better and have more solid financial footing? Is there a role within the non-profit world that still uses your Motivated Skills but pays better?

Possible Compromise: Find a better-paying job with a cause and work you love – and then you can contribute financially or volunteer to help the alpacas.

Ikigai, then, is the intersection of all of these:

-What you love

-What the world needs

-What you can be paid for

-What you are good at

What if you need help in figuring these things out for yourself? Of course, I recommend working with a career coach like myself; I also want to give you some DIY tips.

What you love: Journal the aspects of your current and previous jobs as to what you loved about that work. Look at the activities you enjoy outside of work – what do you love about them? Finally, talk to family members and close friends for their insight.

What you are good at AND ENJOY DOING: I added that caveat because the things you are good at but DON’T ENJOY DOING are called burnout skills. We want to find your motivated skills. You can take my motivated skills activity as part of my Professional Purpose Course at: https://exclusivecareercoaching.com/free-resources

What the world needs: There is no shortage of information in this area; in fact, you may suffer from overload. Ask AI, read books, attend webinars or courses.

What you can be paid for: The US Department of Labor puts out salary data; you can also check out sites like Glassdoor.com or utilize AI to ask about salary expectations. I always recommend looking at job postings from the perspective of the skills and qualifications they are asking for relative to the position you are targeting – how can you maximize your desirability as a candidate?

The bottom line: As I said at the beginning, many of you listening to this will identify as squarely in the Ikigai – doing what you love and are great at, contributing what the world needs in a way that compensates you handsomely.

For those of you who identified one or more missing elements to Ikigai, consider working with a career coach or doing the self-work I just mentioned.

For most of you, Ikigai can be reached with a modification or two – not with starting over in a completely different job function or industry. Even adding one of the missing elements can improve your career satisfaction and move you towards Ikigai.

Others of you may be nearing retirement, but with no desire to put the car in park. Rather, this is your opportunity to achieve Ikigai in your second (or third or fourth) career, where perhaps high earnings doesn’t have to be the primary driver to the exclusion of true happiness and fulfillment.

Here’s that quote again from ikigailiving.com: “Your Ikigai wakes you up in the morning and leads you away from a mundane, status-quo lifestyle. It empowers you and drives your actions and purpose.”

Are you in the wrong job that chips away at you every day? The document and coaching programs offered by Exclusive Career Coaching will help you find a job that uses your zone of genius, recognizes your value, and pays you what you’re worth.

If you’re ready to take your job search to the next level by working with a highly experienced professional with a track record of client success, schedule a complimentary consult to learn more: 

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