by Merlyn Gabriel Miller

Ever wondered what you were placed on this Earth to do?
If there is a special destiny that you have to fulfil, or job that you would be best suited to?

The Japanese concept of Ikigai can help you discover your passion, and answer those questions.

So, if you are at the stage now where you are wondering, “What should I do with my life?”, here is the info you need. And the IRFY exclusive Ikigai quiz that will make everything crystal clear.

Let’s get started!

What Is Ikigai?

The word Ikigai, means “reason for being”. And according to the Ikigai theory, 4 aspects have to be present for you to live a purpose driven life: Share on X

Doing what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs and you can get paid for.

So, let’s dive in a little deeper to find out how you can use this formula to create the life that is right for you.

1. What You Love

What is your passion?
Which things add value to your life, and makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning?

Give it some thought, and write down all the things you love.
Don’t worry about “how to make money from this” just yet.

Love skiing? Write it down.
Sleeping late? Add that too.
Manga, dragons, cupcakes, reading travel blogs, aliens, movies, rock music, arguing with the neighbours, dancing naked…. Add it all to the list.

You’ll see why later on.

Write down all the things you love FIRST, before proceeding to the next step.

Customise it – Make it your own

2. What You Are Good At

Don’t be shy now.
We all have skills that are valuable, and that people would be willing to pay for.

Here are some ways you can identify your skills:

• Do people ask you for help or advice? What about?
  This is your first clue as to which skills you bring, that are unique and that people want.
• What can you do so well that people are willing to pay you for it? These can be odd jobs you’ve been asked to do, or regular jobs that you’ve had.
• Is there a hobby that you are really good at?
  Like playing the guitar or building model planes? Are you a bridge champion, or quiz master?

Write it all down.

3. What The World Needs

What the world needs generally falls into these 8 categories:

• Information
• Education
• Consulting
• Products
• Solutions
• Maintenance
• Service
• Entertainment

One of the most lucrative business avenues, if you want to create your own company, is providing a solution to a common problem. If you want to find out which, start with your own struggles. Chances are that others have the same issue, and will pay you to solve it for them,

And of course, the big issues, like ending war and hunger are valuable goals. But maybe not the right ones for you. But who knows?

What’s funny is that sometimes, people don’t actually need a thing. The need is imaginary and can be created. Share on X

Just think about it.

No one would die without an iPhone, but passionate Apple fans could convince you otherwise. Especially the teenagers. They need it to keep up with their friends, the trends and to fit in.

It’s not exactly a genuine need, like food or water. But the way some people cling to their phones, you’d think they would actually die without them.

So, “need” is a relative term here.
Don’t take it literally.

4. What You Can Get Paid For

So, you have skills.
But who’s going to pay you for them?

This is where people tend to get stuck. They focus too much on what potential employers want, and not on what they want to contribute.

Maybe your skills are the kind that rarely show up in the job ads. And you think that there is no way you can use them to get a job. But that doesn’t mean they are useless.

Some people have actually made a living from passing gas. Farting melodies, in front of screaming audiences. Weird, isn’t it? How even the most ridiculous skills, can become a source of income.

There is no set formula that will tell you what skills are valuable. Share on X Your previous jobs can give you a clue, and browsing job ads can tell you about the current job market. But that is not all there is to the equation.

Maybe you are not the corporate type and don’t actually want a regular job. You could be better suited to running your own business, creating inventions or entertaining. In which case, the answer to the question, “Who is going to hire me to do this?”, is YOU.

But either way, you have to find out what you bring to the table. What is unique about you, that clients or customers may be willing to support with their hard-earned cash.

One way to find out, is by doing this short, IRFY exclusive, Ikigai Quiz.

QUIZ: Find Your Ikigai

Like you have already seen, needs can be created. And what people are willing to pay for, is astounding.

So, the first two points, what you love and what you are good at, are the ones you need to focus on. The others will fall into place once you’ve got these figured out.

Here is how to do it, in 5 easy steps:

1. Sort The Things You Love Into Categories

Are a lot of the things you love art related?
Tech or science?
Service or maintenance?

Once you have sorted your “love” list, you’ll see that some areas are more prominent than others.

Maybe you have two points in the art field (love movies and music), but you have 13 in tech. Then obviously, tech is what you love the most.

Count the number of entries in each category, to find the top two categories that you love.

2. Sort Your Skills Into Categories

Just like above, sort through your skills list to see what categories they fall into. Find the top two categories of skills that you have. Then proceed to the next step.

3. Find Overlap Between LOVE And SKILLS

If you love art, and you are good at it – congrats!
You’ve found your mission right there.

But what if there is no direct overlap?
What if you love art, but absolutely suck at it?
Or you are great at service, but don’t really love it?

Then go to step 4.

4. Combine LOVE With SKILLS

What if you love art, but you’re good at tech?
Then, use what you are good at, to do what you love.
Use tech, to do art.

Industrial design, graphic design, creating beautiful gadgets or tech solutions that help people create art, are just some ideas. There are many ways in which you can combine art and tech.

If you are great at service and love animals, you could be a vet, a dog groomer or pet sitter. Got mad writing skills and love travel? Be a travel blogger or write for a travel magazine.

In short: Do what you love, with the skills that you have. Share on X

5. Find Great Combinations

There is a reason why I asked you to narrow your “love it/great at it” lists down to the top 2. Because now we are going to find ways to combine your top categories into a tailor made mission.

Say you have 13 entries in the ART category in your love it list, and 9 in Tech. And on your skills list, you have 15 entries in service, and 11 in consulting. These are your top 2 categories, on each list.

Then combine them this way, always starting with your skills:

Service + art (provide a service in the art field)
Service + tech (provide a service in the tech field)
Consulting + art (do consulting in the art field)
Consulting + tech (do consulting in the tech field)

See how this works?

And this is just the easy method of combining what you are good at, with what you love. Of course, you can further combine them, like:

“Provide consulting and services in the technical design field”.

The possibilities are endless.
So, mix and match, until you find your passion.

Final Remarks

They say that learning a new skill takes about 10,000 hours. That’s more than 3 years, working over 8 hours per day.

So, even if you are not the world’s greatest guitarist today, you could be. If you have the drive to put in the work needed. And in 10 or 20 years – who knows. Maybe you will be the greatest guitar player the world has ever seen.

But until then, you’ll need to find another way to make a living. One that you will enjoy, and that you can use to pay for your guitar lessons.

Here is the golden tip: Lead with your skills!
Those are what will determine your chances of success.

If I need my PC repaired, I will call someone with the skills to do the job. Not someone who just loves playing games on their computer.

Your passions makes the work more enjoyable, and you’ll be more motivated to do it. But your skills are what will set you apart. Your skills, not your passion, is what people are willing to pay for. Share on X

By the same token, if you hate what you do, you’re not going to last long in the job. And eventually, your performance will take a hit, as well as your mental and physical health.

So, combining what you love with what you are good at, is essential. Once you find out how to do that, the rest will click into place. And you will have found your Ikigai.