There's a plethora of content on finding your purpose. Some of it great and some a waste of time. Here we found a great tool to help you along your path.
Daniel MacDougall
What is the best way to find out what to do with your life?
There is so much content on this topic, and most of which is commendable. I’ve spent most of my life pondering this question. Why am I here, and what should I do with my life?
Whether you are at the inception of your life’s journey or entrenched in a loathing job with no alternatives, consider the Ikigai Template to offer insight.
The Ikigai Template.
Ikigai is a Japanese concept that translates to “a reason for being”. Serving as both an idea and a way of life. A guiding tool towards a purposeful existence.
Here is a free download of the template so you can begin. No sign-up hassle or obligation.
Life pushes us in so many ways, and we travel down an undesirable path. How did we get here? This introspection has come up so many times in my life, and currently, I have been at a standstill for many years.
But, with this simple template, I have narrowed down a starter path. I found the things in life I value, and have called a plan to action on how to achieve what I truly desire.
The Ikigai template is a straightforward exercise, consolidating your strengths, passions, needs, and sources of happiness into one tool.
To begin, start with filling the outer circles. Don’t force any connections. Each area should be distinct. Once you have completed the four outer circles, look for connections and proceed to the next section, where the circles overlap.
What you Love:
All the things you love. It can be anything: family, pets, building homes, gardening. What things have always drawn you in and never bored you?
What does the world need?
What does the world need according to you? Don’t think about what you see online or through social media. Just what matters to you personally. This can be anything from: energy, better social programs, social skills, honesty, empathy, more plants. The list goes on.
What you can be paid for?
What you do for a profession, or what you would like to do for money. Manager, accountant, software, sports & rec, engineering….
What you are good at?
Here are your strengths. List what you are good at in life. Examples can include: conversationalist, strength training, designing, music, bringing people together, landscaping... Remember, these are all entirely up to you.
The next step is to find the similarities between the circles and write them in the smaller overlapping area.
Passion
Find the similarities between “what you love” and “What you are good at.” list them in this section.
Purpose
What you love and what the world needs.
Vocation
What the world needs and what you can be paid for
Profession
What you can be paid for and what you are good at.
Don’t stop here. Once again, find the similarities between these four inner sections, and write the connecting phrases in the four smaller sections. Here we are narrowing it down even more.
Once you have completed this step and found the connection between what you have written, fill in the middle.
Think of the template like a spider web from the outside in. Every section connects with the surrounding others. You are narrowing down those connections to find your meaning in the middle.
My meaning in the middle of this year is "self-discovery". I’ll start there.
Weekly Side Quest:
Fill out the template to find your Ikigai. Don't any shortcuts. And, thankyou for being apart of Mellowpath.
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Author's note: none of the writing was generated or made by AI. Our mission is provide a human touch to our journeys together. Thankyou always, Mellowpath…