How To Discover What You Are Good At: IKIGAI

byownonlboss

2.2K followers

5 years ago

We all are quite knowledgable about a lot of things and most of us have studied for many years to a profession. You might have worked for years in a certain job even too. Is this all that life is about?

Remember me?
Do you remember me still? I have been a little away, both because of holidays and because I had to spend some time on figuring myself out. Want to freshen up on that process? Here's a previous blog about this topic.

One of the commentors on that previous blog told me that she struggled with the same "what should I do with this. She said she was changing the question of how to make money or how much to earn, towards how she could help people.

This is something I have recently also come to conclusion about. I don't really am after the money, for I have a good life here where I am. Whether I got a normal job or not isn't bothering me. It isn't either about a quick win, that ends up in a big lose later either. I want to create something that lasts and creates a long-term future.

Hence now I ask myself, IN WHAT WAY CAN I HELP OTHERS?!

IKIGAI
For this we have to look at things within ourselves. We have to look at our skills, the learned and the things that come natural. We have to look at our passions and interests. Not every interest, skill or passion will be something you can directly build a business around or will be as successful as the other. Or can they?! I will come back to that in a bit.

Some passions or interests are just that, a small spark that bring joy in your life, but making your whole interest a deal-breaker might turn you off. You can lose interest or it is an area where it will be difficult to create a business.

IKIGAI is a Japanese method of not only finding your passion, but also what passion, interest or skill can be put to good use.

The IKIGAI tool isn't perfect, it is still very focussed on you, but you can use it to research your methods better or you could start something that could turn differently when you have build it up big.

With IKIGAI you are going to look at:

1. Things you are good at - skills or that what comes natural (passion and profession)
2. Things you love - this one might be harder to figure out (passion and mission)
3. Things the world needs - looking at what you previously wrote (mission and vocation)
4. Things you can be paid for - brainstorming the ways you could create an income (vocation and profession)

Now you can look very deeply at all the ways you can get paid for it, or you could just get started after doing the research between what the worlds needs and what you are good and passionate about.

The reason I am saying this, is because things might:

1. Change for you still
2. Turn out differently on the paying side
   

Change

You might along the way figure out that the thing you thought you were passionate about or could find a lot of "what people need" in, turned out not to be like you thought it would. You can change and this is perfectly okay. Start and figure out if it is something you like or not. Go back to the IKIGAI diagram you wrote and figure out what else.

Turn out differently on the paying side

You might simply not be able to figure out the ways how to get paid for that what you love. The thing is that when you start building your website, social media and other places you are going to be active at, you will slowly but surely become an authority. And as an authority you have an immensively amount of influence. Especially through social media you will become an influencer in your niche.

While you maybe think you are going to make lots of money promoting affiliate products, you might become such a big influencer instead and suddenly people come to you with their money asking you to speak at conferences or giving you the stuff you need to survive or do better on the things you love.

Especially when you also start creating a following of people who love your content, who care about you and become a super-fan of you and your business.

I have by now figured out in which direction I am going to be for the coming time. On that topic I will come back tomorrow in a new post. For me it is also still trial and error, but I am enjoying every little bit of the journey!

Now I come to the CTA part of my post and need to ask you a question:

Have You Become An Influencer Yet?

Your comment below is my inspiration to continue. Please answer the question below or at least leave a 'hi' below! VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!