Why do you wake up every morning?
You could choose not to, you know…
Every day we give it another go is another opportunity to improve our circumstances and to enjoy our circumstances.
We can’t control what we were born into, however, we can control what we do.
We have the freedom to think anything we want, and with enough effort and luck, we can make our life anything we want it to be.
ikigai
The Japanese practice of ikigai helps you find your reason for living, shaping how you live now and in the future.
How it works is by creating a venn diagram of four components:
What you live
What you are good at
What the world needs
What you can be paid to do
In the center is what you should be doing in your career and in your life.
To help get you started, here is my ikigai…
what i love
I love when other people are happy. It puts a smile on my face knowing I had something to do with that.
The reason I founded an on-demand photography company is because of the possible joy it creates. You can’t put a price on a feeling.
Although we tried to ($279 for the shoot above).
what i’m good at
I am good at whatever I do.
If I don’t want to do something, I am not going to do it.
However, if I want to do something, I am going to fucking do it.
Before I was a photographer I wasn’t.
Before I was a web developer I wasn’t.
Before I launched my own startup I hadn’t.
Before I launched an NFT I hadn’t.
When you are good at a lot of things, it means making sacrifices.
Saying “no” to something you know you can do, something you know will make you money, something you know may make you happy.
This enables you to say “yes” to what really matters.
what the world needs
Life is so hard. It gets harder the longer you’ve been doing it, too.
More responsibilities, more disappointments, more regret.
It all piles on…
At times, it can seem insurmountable.
It can feel like life is always going to be like this.
“I’m too old. Too tired. Just spent.”
It’s almost easier to just give in and accept our circumstances.
What makes it easier is doing it together.
how i get paid
I will be getting paid for this post. Not today.
Sometime in the future, the act of finding my ikagi will pay me for the rest of my life.
Spending 45 minutes today will change my life forever.
On a more practical level, the ways I can get paid are numerous:
Booking your Capture photoshoot
Selling subscriptions to this newsletter
Teaching companies how to find their ikagi
Creating an NFT built around the ideal of ikagi
The monetization opportunities are limitless.
your turn
Take the 45 minutes to change your life.
What’s your ikagi?