There has been one problem that has plagued humanity since the dawn of time. This one problem has puzzled the greatest minds on earth thousands of years ago, and still do today. This complex problem is currently responsible for an immense amount of fear, disappointment, and shame in your current life. Luckily for you, great minds in Ancient Japan developed a powerful framework which we believe will be your guide to a fulfilling life, if only you know how to read it.
Today we are going to dive deep into the problem of life fulfillment through the Japanese framework known as Ikigai. Ancient thinkers grappled with this existential challenge, and, whether we acknowledge it or not, we do too.
My personal journey led me to Ikigai, a profound 4-stage framework, when I yearned for a more enriching life. Tired of the conventional path of school and corporate ladders, where I felt someone else dictated my trajectory, I sought a change. I wanted to be in control and invest my time in meaningful pursuits aligned with my passions. School and early career left me feeling disconnected and burnt out, prompting me to turn to ancient wisdom..
Ikigai delivered on its promise, providing me with a clear sense of purpose.. The reason this exercise has been so effective for me is because of how it made my vision crystal clear.
Your vision is one of the most important things to solidify at each stage of life. Without a vision, there is no direction in which to aim your focus. With the right vision, you will be pulled along on the journey and make progress effortlessly. Having a clear vision allows you to enjoy life for what it is: a journey. Think about what you are currently a part of, and what it is which you desire to become a part of. Remember, your life is greater than just your experiences, and you have the ability to impact the world in a positive way. You have the potential to fulfill a purpose greater than yourself, and the world is excited for you to try.
The ikigai exercise allowed me to define my current vision through its 4 core concepts.
Right now I am about to take you through all 4 of these crucial concepts, and explain exactly how you can apply this wisdom into your current situation.
This was exactly what I was lacking in my life. I did not dedicate enough time throughout my day to engage in that which gave me positive emotion. I convinced myself I needed to work hard, but never realized that while working hard, I could be working on something I cared about! This limiting belief was difficult for me to break at first because I did not believe there were jobs out there connected to my passions. I only started to believe this was possible after doing a great deal of personal research. Stick around till later in the video and I will give you a special tip on how to leverage AI to cut down on this painstaking research time.
Ask yourself if you are positively or negatively contributing to the future of the Earth and Humanity through the actions you are taking today. Again, I felt disconnected from this in my life. I was working an engineering job where I was using a fraction of my potential. I knew that I had the skills and drive for something more. Looking around me, all I saw were problems with how society was structured and the ramifications of that structure upon the lives of my close friends and family. It is not easy to figure out what the world needs, but in my life I was able to through the observation of the world around me. By evaluating what I saw others struggling with, I was able to identify the impact I wanted to have. You too can observe life through others' shoes, and formulate a list of problems which you deem to be worth solving. I promise, there is nothing more fulfilling in life than working on a problem that when solved, improves the life of yourself and the people you care about.
The third category felt pretty restrictive for me. I had the limiting belief from my education that I could only get paid to be an engineer. In reality, this is not the case. The amount of money you get paid is directly proportional to the value you bring others. Your lever for providing more value is possessing more critical thought and unique skills, which directly relates to the last category.
Last but not least, you have to consider what you are good at. What unique skills do you possess? Something that I struggled with was only considering the skills which I developed in college. Do not fall in the same trap as me. They do not need to come from a formal education. With the plethora of knowledge on the internet today, you can learn just about anything you put your mind to. If the topic is connected to what you love, you will experience much higher motivation to learn. Skills can always be learned, so do not feel like you need to perform this exercise with the limiting view of your prior experience.
So there you have it, the ikigai framework. Simple as that. In theory, this is a wonderful exercise. The problem is, in practice, it's pretty hard to execute. It takes hours of research to figure out what the world is willing to pay you for. It might take months of self reflection to find your true passions. Even longer to gain a grasp on what is truly worth solving about our world. And I have not even mentioned the difficulty in planning your path to retrieve new skills. With all of these obstacles, it is easy to push this framework to the curb and go on living a suboptimal life.
I can not tell you how many people I have shown this framework, and the results are pretty much the same. Their eyes light up with excitement, looking forward to redefining their goals and establishing a new fulfilling career. Only to get overwhelmed by its difficulty and not return to the tough questions it proposes. Because of the amount of people who have put their goals on the sideline, I thought long and hard about how to make this process easier.
After months of deliberation and experimentation, I am proud to announce the creation of the CareerAI software! This powerful AI tool takes the Ikigai framework and makes it far easier to use. Simply answer 10 questions to explore underlying passions, unlock new career paths, and receive daily tasks to begin building industry relevant skills. This software takes the best parts of the Ikigai framework, the parts which helped me establish a life full of meaning, and makes them easily accessible to you. Best of all, I have made the CareerAI software with plenty of free to use features. Try the CareerAI software for free today!
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