Ikigai

Most people are walking through life in the dark.

They follow a plan they didn’t set, chasing goals they never questioned.

When you were a child, a teacher probably asked you, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

And from that moment, you followed a plan written by someone outside of yourself.

But you have always been fully aware and in control of your mind.

Snap your fingers and decide to follow a different story.

Follow your ikigai.

It is a Japanese concept that means "reason for being."

To find your ikigai, answer these four questions.

First, what do you love to do?

Once you make all the money you need, your children’s trusts are set up, and your parents are retired, what do you see yourself doing?

What would you wake up excited for, even if the paycheck stopped?

Next, what are you good at?

What do you execute so flawlessly that people come rushing to you, begging you to do it for them?

Then, what can you be paid for?

Look at your Stripe dashboard over the years. Which offers have continually made you the most money?

Finally, what does the world need?

Karma is absolutely real, and the only people who ignore this are afraid of confronting the consequences of their actions.

Finding your ikigai means finding what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.

When these four things align, everything changes.

You stop chasing goals that feel empty.

Instead, you find purpose.

This takes time and reflection — but the alternative is continuing to stumble in the dark.

Understand: You will continue to repeat your same mistakes until you learn.

So I’ll ask you again:

What do you really want to be?

Now is the time to answer.