Hello,
And welcome to this Insight Timer talk about finding your passion and your reason to be.
I'm Jackie Wright,
Otherwise known as The Cockney Coach,
And I'm an NLP Master Practitioner and a student of Stoicism.
Now,
I'm always researching ways of living my life in an even more purposeful way.
And a couple of years ago,
I came across an interesting concept from Japan.
So in this talk,
I'm going to go diving into the fascinating concept of Ikigai.
Now,
Ikigai is a Japanese term,
And it means a reason for being.
It's the idea that each of us has something that gives our lives meaning and purpose.
So today we'll explore how you can find your Ikigai and live a more fulfilling life.
First of all,
I'll cover what Ikigai is all about.
It's a simple concept that's made up of four parts.
And if you've ever listened to my other tracks,
You'll know I love things to be simple and have an easy to follow structure.
So what is Ikigai all about?
The translation of the word is a reason for being.
So it's all about finding a direction and purpose for your life.
It was during a time when I was looking for my purpose that I discovered this simple Japanese concept.
Ikigai is about finding the perfect balance between four things.
What you love,
What you're good at,
What the world needs,
And what you could be paid for.
It's the sweet spot where your passions and talents converge with the needs of the world.
So just imagine a Venn diagram with four overlapping circles,
Each one representing one of these elements.
Your Ikigai,
Your reason for being,
Is right at the centre.
So what I'm going to do is describe these four areas and my invitation to you is to write each of these down on a blank sheet of paper,
One for each sheet.
And this will be the start of your Ikigai journey.
Now you can just pause the track here if you want to and get a pen and paper or some kind of journal or revisit the track when you're ready to make a start.
So the first of the four is what you love.
This is your passion.
It's what excites you and makes you feel alive.
Just think about the activities that when you do them make you lose track of time.
Now for me it's doing anything creative.
It could be baking,
Knitting,
Crochet,
Art,
Teaching.
Anything where I'm using my hands and my brain to create something that may be a little bit challenging.
The second one is what you're good at.
Now these are your strengths and skills.
It's important to recognise what you excel at and how you can use these talents.
I know I'm good at many things and some things I'm really good at but it's a really interesting exercise to actually take time to think of and just list what you're good at.
We take a lot of things that we are good at for granted and forget that we often have many unspoken and unrecognised talents.
So it was useful to take time over this.
When I did this task it took me a couple of weeks.
It ought to take me a few days to think about what I love doing and my passion but actually looking at what I was good at that did take much longer.
I thought of a couple of things and then I left the page for a day or two leaving my unconscious mind the task of noticing what I was good at and so by the time I finished the exercise I was astonished at my list.
I gradually added to it over those weeks and I really hadn't taken any of that into consideration.
I had lots of things that I did I did not really recognise.
So it's a really useful piece of self-appreciation and love.
Looking at what you're good at it's amazing how much you take for granted.
So that's the first two exercises.
They took a little while and then the third one.
What the world needs.
Okay so this is all about finding a way to contribute to the world.
It's about making a difference and having a positive impact on others which is absolutely something I'm sure is in your heart.
I knew that the learning I had from being a student of NLP and stoicism had actually touched many lives for the good and I knew this because I used it when I was talking to my coaching clients.
I'd made some really positive impacts there and with my family and my friends and in my marriage and in my relationship with my mum.
So I knew that many people would benefit from a simple to understand and implement concepts that could change their lives for the better.
I knew that I had to find a way to share it in ways that would have the widest reach at a time when actually I was getting ready to retire.
So the last concept which is what you can be paid for.
Now this is the practical side of Icky Guy.
It's not about becoming rich and famous it's about how you can actually monetize what it is that you do.
That was something that I was already doing and it really helped me to understand how I could benefit more.
It's really about finding a way to make a living doing what you love and are good at and isn't that something that we'd all love to do.
So I found with this exercise that my ultimate purpose was to share what I know with everyone that would benefit and it was at this point that I became a teacher on Insight Timer and the rest is history because this platform is absolutely perfect for what I want to share.
So that is your four-part process to go through for Icky Guy to find your reason for being and finding your Icky Guy is a journey.
It requires self-reflection and exploration.
So I'm just going to summarize those steps for you now to get you going on that journey.
Number one you want to reflect on your passions.
Take some time to think about what you love doing.
What activities bring you joy and fulfillment.
Number two identify your strengths.
Consider what you're good at.
What skills and talents do you have that you can use to make a difference.
Number three explore opportunities.
Look for ways to combine your passions and strengths with the needs of the world.
How can you contribute to society in a meaningful way?
And lastly take action.
Once you've identified your Icky Guy,
Take steps to pursue it.
As I say in one of my other talks,
Nothing happens without action.
So this might mean making changes in your career or starting a new project or simply dedicating more time to what you love.
So to wrap this up,
Finding your Icky Guy can lead to a more fulfilling and meaningful life.
It's about living with purpose and passion which is something we all want to do.
I hope today's talk has inspired you to start your journey towards finding your Icky Guy.
So thank you so much for listening and if you found my talk useful or even inspiring,
Please leave me a comment and a review.
I love hearing about your experiences and I'll always respond.
So until the next time,
Keep exploring,
Stay inspired and as always,
Much love.
