How To Find And Do Work That You Love (Ikigai)
Ikigai (pronounced ee-key-guy) is a wonderful Japanese concept that essentially means “a reason for being.” It’s made from two Japanese words: iki, meaning “life” and kai, meaning “effect, result, worth or benefit.” Combined: “a reason for living.”
Ikigai can describe having a sense of purpose in life, as well as being motivated. Feeling ikigai as described in Japanese usually means the feeling of accomplishment and fulfillment that follows when people pursue their passions. Activities that allow one to feel ikigai are not forced on an individual; they are perceived as being spontaneous and undertaken willingly, therefore they are personal and depend on a person’s inner self.
Examples of ikigai are often related to aspects of social identity including work and family life but it’s often explained as something more than that. It’s the idea of seeking a purpose in everything you do in life. Hobbies, friendships, community and travel all add to your ikigai.
The concept of ikigai as a purpose in life with both personal and social dimensions is captured by the well-known ikigai diagram.
This Diagram includes
- What you love
- What you are good at
- What the world needs
- What you can get paid for
As a Software Engineering student I can find how far my ikigai completes,
- What you love : I love making software programs. when I am little I made scripts in my pc. And started to learn coding. I tried to make computer games through learning graphic libraries, Web and windows programming.
- What you are good at : I am good at coding, cricket.
- What world needs : The world needs good software engineers, and there is a good demand for them.
- What you can get paid for : I only get paid from the coding work.
So when combined, these terms mean that what I am doing now gives me life worth, meaning, or purpose.
