Written by

Eefje

Image of Ikigai sweet spot: love, what the world needs, paid for, good at.

Find your ikigai

IKIGAY IS a Japanese concept to find harmony in your life. It can also be used as a tool to focus activities in your company. It’s something that can exist next to your vision and mission.

Ikigay is the sweet spot of 4 elements:

1. what you love to do
2. what you are good at
3. what the world needs
4. what you get paid for.

If one of those factors is not included, then you will not feel balanced. Ikigai separates the can dos from the should dos.

  1. Some companies run on passion (what they love and what they are good at), but don’t have a clear mission (what the world needs). The latter is very imporant to feel like you contribute to the bigger picture. That you have actual added value in this world. Mission gives purpose and importance.
  2. What you are good at is the one element that you can change most easily. Every day we can become better in what we do. But if you are not good at what you do, it will come with a lot of competition and insecurity. If you love it though and you managed to get an income out of it anyways, make sure you become better quickly.
  3. If you do what you are good at and you get paid for it, it’s just a job with an income or revenue. If you don’t love what you do and you don’t have a purpose, you will feel empty. And so will your employees. Find that mission!
  4. At last: monetize your work. Make sure you have a good income or pricing strategy and secure that cash flow.

For me personally, ey’yo is very close to my ikigai. I LOVE marketing, I am able to pay my bills and I’m good at it. All it lacks is a bit of what the world needs. Obviously some people need my marketing services, but it’s not necessarily contributing to the bigger picture. In my 1, 3 and 5 year business goals I do have a section for ‘doing good’. To start with, my preferred customer profile is companies who have little impact on our environment and big impact on people and businesses. But my ikigai is hungry for more of what the world needs. That’s why I’m always looking at new ideas to do good.

One day, I can say: I’m living my ikigai. What about you?

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