How to Find Your Purpose: The Simple Daily Practice Behind Ikigai

What if the pathway to your purpose was simpler than you thought?

The Japanese concept of Ikigai — which translates roughly as your reason for being — sits at the intersection of four things: what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. When all four align, you've found it. That sweet spot where your life and work feel not just meaningful, but alive.

It's a beautiful idea. But it can also feel frustratingly out of reach when we're too busy, too tired, or too stuck to even know where to begin.

That's where a surprisingly simple practice comes in.

The Examen: A Daily Compass for Your Life

In the book Sleeping with Bread, authors Dennis and Matthew Linn describe an ancient reflective practice called the Examen. While it has its roots in Ignatian spirituality, the practice transcends any single tradition — it's a tool for anyone seeking greater self-awareness, regardless of their spiritual background or beliefs. At its heart, it simply asks two questions at the end of each day:

 ➤ Where did I feel most alive today?

 ➤ What left me feeling most drained?

No complicated frameworks. Just two honest questions, asked consistently.

Over time, your answers become a compass. The moments that light you up begin to reveal your gifts, your passions, and what truly matters to you. The moments that drain you show you where you're pushing against your nature rather than flowing with it. Day by day, the picture of your Ikigai gets clearer.

From Stalled to Activated

Most of us weren't taught how to listen to the purpose that calls to us. We were taught instead to walk a well-worn and well-known path — and somewhere along the way, we may have lost the thread of what actually lights us up.

The journey of self-discovery is central to my skill-building programs, games, and the coaching I do — helping people move from stalled to activated, stepping into their full potential, that's been there all along.

The Examen is one of the tools we can use. It's gentle, it's accessible, and it works — because it doesn't ask you to invent your purpose from scratch. It simply asks you to pay attention to your own lived experience. Your answers are already there.

Your Ikigai isn't something you figure out once and frame on the wall. It's something that unfolds and evolves over time, slowly, honestly, and naturally, one day at a time.

Are you interested in exploring this further? I'd love to connect. Reach out to learn more about our skill-building programs and games or one-to-one coaching.