Hey, it's Rachel Cook, your modern mentor. And if you are part of the mass of humanity on the hunt for a greater sense of purpose at work right now, then today's show is for you. We're going to do a deep dive into the Japanese concept of Ikigai or life purpose. And I'll share with you some highlights from the journey that I myself went on.

Iki guy is a Japanese concept that combines the term iki, meaning alive or life, and guy, meaning

benefit or worth. In combination, it refers to your life's worth, or its purpose. It's a new to me

term I recently picked up in a piece

from positive psychology. And in this moment, it resonated with me big time. Who isn't on the

hunt for purpose these days? We have talked and talked about the great resignation as people

have continued to leave their jobs, noting a feeling of, meh, at work.

They want something more.

And now that resignation may be evolving into the great sabbatical, as Danica Lowe notes in her

recent fast company piece on the subject.

Lowe shares this quote from DJ Dadaana of the sabbatical project.

The pandemic is forcing people to make a change

and to think about life, about themselves, in a way they probably wouldn't have ever done normally,

about how precious and short life and our time is. So if you're one of the many who is searching

or longing, then let's talk about how you might tap into your

personal Ikigai. First, let's talk about the components of Ikigai. It's made up of four key

elements. There's what you love, your personal preferences, what you're good at, your skills and

talents, what the world needs, a space for your skills and talents, and finally,

what you can get paid for, the commercial viability of all that stuff. By exploring these four

areas with a sense of curiosity and wonder, you may pick up some important insights about yourself.

It's more art than science. There's no precise formula, and your answers likely will evolve over

time, but just start where you are. I realize I've done much of this work myself over the years,

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