Are You Ready to Find Your Purpose?

Having lived and worked professionally in Japan for several years, I have a deep love for its culture and people. One of the fascinating ideologies that Japanese culture holds is that even though there is a hierarchy within the company, no matter what level you are on, there is always an integral purpose for your work.

I also noted that no matter the job, the employee was extremely passionate about their job or at least knew almost every single aspect of their role itself. They knew that the company relied on them to get the work done, and if they didn’t complete their tasks, they would let both themselves and others down.

Most interestingly, I found that everyone had a purpose. They had a real reason for getting up in the morning. The motivation to do their job to the best of their abilities. No matter the job or the task.

They still had the same issues we face in day-to-day life either it being at home or work but the higher purpose was always in front of mind and they refused to give up.

This got me thinking about their purpose. How can they maintain the same level of commitment and passion to their purpose and take it to work day in, and day out? How can they maintain the level of commitment to their purpose with passion and come to work every day? I know that they may not be happy about their job environment or industry but how can they continue their level of commitment? Then I heard about ‘Ikigai.’

Ikigai (生き甲斐, pronounced [ee-key-ɡa-i]) is a Japanese concept meaning “a reason for being”. Everyone, according to the Japanese, has an ikigai. Finding it requires a deep and often lengthy search of one’s self. Such a search is regarded as being very important since it’s believed that the discovery of one’s ikigai brings satisfaction and meaning to life.

I started to wonder if there is anything similar we can apply to our Western culture? Is there something else we can further learn about ourselves and find our purpose, enabling us to work towards our passion and not just to live for the sake of living? I believe that we can adapt this concept and further our own careers, which in turn, will change our personal lives for the better. Understanding your ‘ikigai’ can lead you towards understanding why you are doing what you are doing, how you can better focus your life towards your desired outcomes and most importantly live a happier life.

I often speak to people who are either in the wrong job or cannot comprehend why they do the job they do. They are living a life that has fallen in front of them, rather than one that they lead. It’s often the case when you see someone changing jobs consistently or someone who has no passion for their work and ultimately creates a negative atmosphere in their company’s culture.

In this financial environment, waiting for them to change may no longer be an option.  If you can align your company values with your current and potential employees and all together, work for a higher purpose, ikigai’, imagine the possibilities you could achieve.

Why is this important?  We are hearing loud and clear that companies are ready and willing to hire but they continue to make fundamental mistakes.  If they can change your recruitment process and use specified assessment tools to assist them with their selection wouldn’t this create the change they are looking to gain? Would they be a step ahead of their competitors?

“If you can hire people whose passion intersects with the job, they won’t require any supervision at all. They will manage themselves better than anyone could ever manage them. Their fire comes from within, not from without. Their motivation is internal, not external.” Stephen Covey