The case for Ikigai
Do you want to work for the rest of your life?
The answer is usually no. Until it isn't.
At each Ikigai workshop, we open with this question: "Do you want to work for the rest of your life?"
The strong, almost unanimous response is a resounding no — with a capital N and a capital O. Then one participant says, quietly:
- “Yes — if it's like a hobby.”
So we go back to everyone else, and the answers become more thoughtful and more meaningful. They are not rejecting work. They are rejecting the terms of the work they currently do.
- “I just don't want to be working for a boss.”
- “We call the work that we do hanap-buhay, but how come it feels more like hanap-patay?”
- “I want to be a housewife because I want to be able to homeschool our kids.”
- “I want work that does not require me to come in a fixed number of hours and days in a week.”
- “I actually like what I do in my business, but I just wish the financial side of it wasn't so stressful.”
- “Work is life. Work is part of life.”
The initial no came with an assumption: that the work they will do for the rest of their lives is the work they are doing now, in the exact same circumstances. Their personal definition of work led them to that answer.
Which raises a better question: if we loved what we do, wouldn't we want to keep doing it for the rest of our lives?
A reason for being
Ikigai describes four aspects of work.
In Japanese, Ikigai translates to “a reason for being.” It is not one thing. It is the meeting point of four — joy, excellence, purpose and financial peace of mind.
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01
Joy
Doing something that you love and enjoy. This brings excitement, passion and energy.
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02
Excellence
Using and applying your unique strengths and talents. This brings confidence and validation.
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03
Purpose
Filling a need in the world and being of service to others. This brings fulfillment and meaning.
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04
Financial peace of mind
Being meaningfully compensated. This brings security and the freedom to choose.
That sweet intersection of all four aspects of work — that is where Ikigai lies.
“Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
The last question
If all your needs will be met, how would you be spending the rest of your life?
So maybe the answer to this question and the work you are currently doing are separate. For now. The thing you love and the livelihood that pays your bills are not one and the same — yet. That's as good a place to start as any. You've already defined your goal and your love, and while you can't devote all your time and effort to it yet because you still have to do the work that pays, at least you could get started.
But what if I tell you that you could hack this, so that you get to do the work you love and have that dream, without having to work for money anymore?
Enter financial freedom. This is the foundation of The Ikigai Hack.
“And what we learned from experience is that the moment you begin working with joy, excellence and purpose — becoming very good at the thing you love that also serves the world — then the money follows. And Ikigai is realized.”
Work is God's will for us. It is love in action.
Want to make the world a better place? Live your Ikigai.
Take the first step
Find joy, meaning, excellence and financial peace of mind.
The Ikigai Hack leads you to it — a mini MBA and a cozy personal retreat rolled into one.