Ikigai

It’s a relative minority of people who think deeply about who they are—let alone about how they want to show up in the world. Quite frankly, it’s easier to be reactive—yelling at people on Twitter and focusing on making enough money to insulate yourself from the issues affecting everyone else.

Knowing who you are isn’t a weekend exercise. It’s a lifelong process of inquiry. Tough questions are involved. What you’re best at. What you love. What the world needs. And maybe toughest of all, how you’re going to take action.

The Japanese term for this, ikigai, captures this well. It takes time. Years. But I believe that if you can devote time to regularly contemplating this, it’s your best shot of ending up where you truly want to be.

GG