Close your eyes and picture your dream life. Where are you? Who are you with? What are you doing, feeling, smelling, and tasting? If you can envision it and desire it, then it’s within your grasp. It’s already yours.

Navigating life in our teens and twenties can be daunting. No one hands us a roadmap, and we’re all stumbling through it for the first time. Like many, I struggled to define my dream life and career path. How are we supposed to know?

Enter “Ikigai,” a Japanese concept meaning “reason to live”. “Iki” translates to “life,” and “gai” to “worth.” It entails discovering your life’s purpose and defining its value. Ikigai can be a tool to guide you on your life’s path and get you to know yourself a bit better.

This concept encompasses four realms:

1. What You Love

2. What You’re Good At

3. What You Can Be Paid For

4. What the World Needs

Within the overlap of these domains lies passion, vocation, profession, and mission. For instance, my affinity for discussing self-improvement coupled with my aptitude for writing – the fusion of these elements could lead me to discover a passion for blogging about wellness.

The key is to find the intersection across all four realms igniting your “why” or Ikigai.

As you search for your why, authenticity is key. Be honest with yourself, reflect deeply, and embrace who you are. I’ve found that reconnecting with my inner child proves immensely beneficial; it represents the purest essence of oneself, untainted by societal norms or judgments. Reflect on the activities that ignited your spirit as a child, the sources of joy. Follow that path relentlessly.

You might be wondering “Have I discovered my Ikigai?” Honestly, I’m still figuring that out -and that’s okay. However, through this process I’ve learned a lot about myself, including my strengths, my passions, and offering glimpses into potential career paths that align with my essence. It’s a voyage of self-discovery, one that has illuminated aspects of myself I never knew existed.

Keep in mind that your Ikigai is not a fixed destination but rather a dynamic evolution. As you travel through life, undergoing personal growth and transformation, so too does your Ikigai. It morphs and adapts alongside you, serving as an anchor amidst the turbulent currents of change. It’s a guiding light, offering solace and direction even as the landscape of your existence shifts. Embrace this fluidity, as there is beauty in the perpetual quest to align your passions with purpose.

Granted, not everyone has the luxury of pursuing their Ikigai, but if you do, seize it. If you’re looking for a sign to start that new thing -consider this it, a gentle nudge from the universe urging you to take that leap of faith. What’s holding you back? The only obstacle is yourself. Embrace the inevitability of stumbling, the awkwardness of the initial steps – for every journey starts with a single stride. This is your daily reminder: take that leap, start that journey, and inch closer to your Ikigai with each passing day.