Ikigai. I fell in love with this word when I heard it years back. It’s the Japanese word for ‘a reason to live’, ‘a reason to jump out of bed in the morning’.
I felt so wistful when I read this, because I still was not sure what my Ikigai was.
Ikigai, I read, is that sweet spot of convergence of the following:
· What you love (your passion)
· What the world needs (your mission)
· What you are good at (your vocation)
· What you can get paid for (your profession)
Based on the above, I decided to do to shortlist possibilities and find my path.
I was volunteering for a spiritual organisation that offered the possibility of human transformation.
I realised that the world needed more of it. I was passionate about people, I could connect naturally and I realised that there were areas I could bring this all together professionally. My exploration led me to coaching. I trained in it and am working with people to help them reach potential. Some years later, as I was researching colleges for my daughter, I realised that student mentoring was fascinating and I loved doing it, with great results. At nearly 50, I had not one, but two reasons to get up daily.
What’s your reason for getting up in the morning?
