Ikigai

Finding your ‘why’ can be really useful in terms of figuring out your future career path, but sometimes it can be difficult to make the final link between your why and a graduate job.

One of the ways you can start to link together the labour market and your ‘why’ is the idea of Ikigai! (and yes, I like that it rhymes, too…)

In Japan, the concept of having a ‘purpose’ is known as ‘Ikigai’. ‘Iki’ meaning life, and ‘gai’ meaning value/worth. It is commonly accepted that people with a clear sense of purpose are generally happier. There are also a number of studies that show people with a clear sense of purpose have a better life expectancy than those who don’t – so having a purpose can make you both happier and potentially live longer! This can link nicely to your career, as finding a job which satisfies your purpose can help you feel more fulfilled in your life.

We’re back with Jay Shetty – author, life coach, and former monk – who shares how you can discover your purpose.

We’re obviously not telling you to quit your job and become a monk, but you should give yourself space to ask questions about your purpose, what fulfils you, your likes and dislikes, passions, interests, skills, and how you see your role in the world. Ikigai can be a helpful tool to understand your life’s purpose(s). You can then apply these to your career search, but more on that later.

The four circles of Ikigai

• What you love
• What you are good at
• What you can be paid for
• What the world needs (this is not necessarily doing something that someone might define as “good”, but somewhere where your skills are useful)

You’ll notice a lot of similarities with the Golden Circles – this model goes one further and considers the impact you’ll have on the world around you as well.

Linking to careers

This model is all well and good if you want to become more self-aware, but how does it link to your career? When you’re looking for jobs, you can think about:

• The type of role you want to be in (do you prefer to be told what to do, or want to have responsibility and be a leader)
• The sector you’d like to be in (do you have passion for a particular subject or sector)
• The responsibilities of the role you’ll be in (you can think back to your strengths and super strengths, but what are you good at, and what do you feel comfortable doing)
• The type of business you want to be in (do the values and purpose of the business match yours)

Finding your purpose can make you a happier and more fulfilled person, and help in your professional life. It can help you:

• Consider the work lifestyle that suits you
• Create strong social connections at work
• Establish a healthy and sustainable work-life balance
• Pursue career goals
• Enjoy your job!

We often hear people talk about ‘finding their calling’ in a particular career or job – this might be the case for you, but, as is true of many of us, you might also have no clue at all what your career calling is at all! All of this is absolutely ok – it’s all about having a better understanding of jobs you might enjoy, be good at, and bring you fulfilment.

Over to you

Think about your current job, one you’ve been in, or a professional task you’ve done.

Ask the questions to yourself to uncover the four aspects of Ikigai.

Please share any observations in the usual way please!