How to Find Your Ikigai
Have you ever wondered what you're doing with your life? Have you ever tried to pursue the grand ideas in your head, only to have them smash into the brick wall of reality? If so, you might need to begin a noble quest, one that each of us should go on at some point in our lives: the quest for your ikigai.
Ikigai is Japanese for "life purpose". It's a combination all of your interests, passions, skills, and experiences with what the world needs and what will support you. You may have seen the concept demonstrated in Venn diagrams like the one above. You can start or resume the search for your at any point in your life, because we can continue the mission in heaven once we discover it. Many saints are doing this, and that is why we ask for their intercession.
Jack of All Trades Ikigais
If you have a "Jack of all trades" brain like me, your ikigai can help you hone in on what matters most to you. It can help you discover, or even blaze, your own trail. Your ikigai could be some well-known profession like a doctor, lawyer, or architect. Or it could be a very unique specialization that combines everything you love to do with what the world needs and what will generate income.
If your interests and abilities don't neatly fit into any of the professions offered by society, don't worry. Our economy is evolving and new jobs are being invented every day to meet the custom needs of emerging markets. Never has there been a better time to be a Jack or Jill of all trades. That's not due to the ephemeral nature of work these days. It's due to the need for bridge builders, people who are efficient in two or three skills and find connections between them. These are the people who will be able to offer unique solutions for the new problems emerging in new markets like AI and 3D printing.
As the full idiom goes, 'A Jack or of all trades may be a master of none, but that's still better than being a master of one.' This is true, first of all, because a Jack (or Jill) of all trades isn't actually efficient in "all" trades. He or she usually is legitimately skilled at a handful of trades, maybe five at most. Through the combination of those five trades, he then forms his own unique value proposition.
For instance, a handyman could be the only one in town who can do basic plumbing, roofing, framing, electrical wiring and windows. His "Jack of all trades" business then becomes his specialized business. A customer who needs two out of those five jobs done is going to choose him over a handyman who, say, specializes in only one of the two jobs the customer needs done.
The Personal Ikigai Quest
When I started writing this post, I thought my ikigai was even more layered than the anecdotal handyman mentioned above. I thought it involved writing, driving gig work, gaming, American football, community revitalization, the Catholic faith, and a general interest to improve the human condition for all of us. It's a handful, I know. But, to be honest, I began this article in attempt to distill all of these interests into one common purpose. Writing it all out has helped me do just that. I'm hoping this discernment process helps my readers in some way as well.
God puts passions and interests on our hearts for a reason. We shouldn't be forced to compromise and choose just one of these passions, because they could all come together in a way only God can see right now. Christ wants us all to live an abundant life. His guidance helps us figure out how all of our passions, interests and skills come together to serve one cohesive mission. That's why I believe your ikigai is just another way of saying 'God's will for you'.
The Role of Faith
If the Catholic faith is one of your interests, don't discard it from your discernment process when trying to figure out your ikigai. The world needs holiness, and that's what an interest in the faith is all about. I often try to speak generically about faith like I'm supporting religious syncretism, but I've noticed how efficient the Catholic faith is in encompassing all interests in God and faith. It is the best kind of religious syncretism, because it doesn't leave us so confused about what to believe. It gives us Christ and his Church to guide our search, while remaining the most universal religion in the world.
Therefore, the Catholic faith is the ideal interest for someone who has a wide spectrum of interests. Because of its universal nature, it can be the common thread running through everything we do. The Catholic faith encourages love of God's creation. With the Catholic faith as my foundation, I can imbue everything I do with that love.
Catholic faith implies Catholic living, because "faith without works is dead" (James 2:17). Let's not downplay the importance of living a Catholic life in modern society. Holiness and virtue are like vitamins for the soul, and they're contagious. When others see us living holy, virtuous lives, they are filled with deeper joy, hope, and sense of purpose thanks to the example we set for them. Helping people believe in humanity is no small matter, and living an authentic Catholic life of faith does just that.
We live in a culture where people value practical skills more than transcendent values. Thus, holiness---which focuses on these transcendent values---isn't valued as much as it once was. Holiness is not a skill, but a virtue. The difference is subtle, but important. A skill requires repetition and consistency to master, just like a virtue, but a skill can also be wielded for ill purposes. A virtue, by its own virtue, can only serve what is good---due to its intrinsic relation to those same transcendent values our culture has grown to ignore.
Catholics throughout history and throughout the world have significantly contributed to every profession, every area of study. Filled with love of God's amazing creation, they have filled people with a hope deeper than any other the world has seen. This is what holiness can do for society, for our culture, for the world. It's time we started valuing it more.
Conclusion
We don't have to choose a well-trodden path in life. We can blaze a narrow one of our own that provides the bridges people need to move from problems to solutions. Personally, I have found that writing and the Catholic faith have helped me tremendously in this regard. Even if you're not a writer or Catholic, I encourage you to explore writing and Catholic faith a little more. You might be surprised by how much they can help you find your ikigai.
For similar thoughts and idea, check out this video: The Psychology of People Who Want to Do Everything.
If you want to see where the search for my life purpose led me, check out the three books I've written. It was satisfying to finally complete them, because I'm confident that's what God was calling me to do.
Comments