How to Find Your Life’s Purpose Using Ikigai | Dexter Lam

I'm sure that at some point in all of our lives, we have struggled with finding purpose and meaning. And no matter what age or circumstance and situation you're in at this current point, you can always look forward. And that is why I want to share it with you today. A Japanese concept called Ikigai, which means a reason for being.

Now Ikigai is at the intersection of four key things, which is number one, what you love. Number two, what you are good at. Number three, what the world needs. And number four, what you can be paid for.

So number one, what you love. That is the thing that you naturally gravitate towards. Think about things in your life that you like to do as your hobbies or something throughout your life you've always been attracted to doing. These things you just love. And that is a clear way to see it: when you lose track of time and you're constantly doing this very thing, that's something that you love.

Now number two, what you're good at. A great way to hone in on what you're good at is you either already know what you're good at and have it verified in math, copywriting, or public speaking, whatever that skill is. If you're good at that, that is a great sign of connecting that second piece.

Now the third piece is what the world needs. This is something that is constantly going to be changing over time because, in the world, especially with technology, there are going to be new jobs created as well. Now you want to be positioned in a place where you can find something that the world needs at this point and probably within the near future as well.

And number four, last but not least, is what you can be paid for. Because if this is something that you can earn an income from, then you have your life set up. All these things combined are going to fill you with a sense of purpose and meaning and the ability to continue to have a livelihood at the same time.

Some of the reasons why people lack purpose is they are not motivated with what they're doing. If you continue to just chug along and do things that you don't really like, that don't really light you up, you're going to live like a drone. And you don't want to do that.

The reality is, many of us do that. We have to pay the bills because that's the responsible thing to do. In an ideal situation, we can invoke Ikigai as a way to make our lives even more meaningful.

No matter what stage you are in your life and the career path that you've been on, don't allow this mindset to box you in, thinking that you can't change industries or that you can't add to your skill set, reinvent yourself, and shift your identity. Ikigai is one of the greatest ways for you to do this because when all of these things line up together, you will have greater meaning, a better sense of waking up in the morning with energy, and contribute to the world because you know that other people need it, you're good at it, you love it, and you happen to get paid for it.

So that is the concept of Ikigai. If this is something that you love, please follow for more content. I share information about decision-making frameworks, building self-awareness, and finding purpose. I hope you have a wonderful day.

Sincerely,
Dexter Lam