Wondering, “Is this all there is to life? What happened to all my ambitions? All my drive?” We’re ready to start answering it. In our own way. Not some version foisted upon us by a corporate ladder or fashion rules based on age.

This is our era of becoming. Our wake-up call. So let’s explore it further.

Coming alive is a lifelong process. It’s not just a reaction to a sense of disillusionment or frustration in your life. It requires ongoing reflection and choice...about your version of the good life and your priorities.

When you commit to coming alive, you’re willing to proactively ask and examine, “What’s brought me here? Am I still making life-giving choices? Or am I feeling weighed down like that entire drawer of jeans that no longer fit?”

If you Google the Japanese term “Ikigai,” you’ll see a popular Venn diagram. The diagram features four prompts: what you love, what you’re good at, what you can be paid for, and what the world needs.

This image, while useful, doesn’t actually reflect the true meaning of ikigai. It’s a Westernized adaptation of ikigai that’s better referred to as the Purpose Venn diagram...NOT ikigai. Ikigai is simply your reason for being...the thing that gets you up in the morning, which may or may not have anything to do with your economic status or career. The concept of ikigai is both personal and social, and a bit closer to self-actualization with an understanding that the sum of small joys in everyday life results in a more fulfilling life as a whole.

When you reach this impasse--when you know you’re not happy where you are, yet you don’t quite know what to do next–-remember that you’re not alone. And even more important, know that this is a necessary part of your evolution and growth. This is true for your career and any other area of life. Because these experiences force us to eradicate our old models for understanding ourselves and our world.

Like music, the experience we have as employees is about a series of interactions, it conjures different emotions, and it creates an overarching feeling of how we relate to our work.

Seeing that the number of years you have ahead of you in life is roughly equal to what’s behind you becomes motivational fuel...it catalyzes an urgency to course correct that which makes you sad, frustrated, or angry.

Whether your desired changes are radical or smaller, there are consistent themes that emerge: failure, loss, pain. Do these sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone.

Let’s take a ride on that wild past-present-future continuum and check in on a girl I once knew, in the days when the late aughts still felt fresh and new...at a time where if someone described 2020 to you, you would have laughed and laughed because NO WAY.

In our last episode I talked about transition – the shift in bullshift, how our values and brains change and how you can harness fear into taking the risks you want to take to getting the midlife you want. We talked about such party conversation starters as the hedonic treadmill, a Fucket list, and a midlife gap year. We were busy!

Today we’re going to dive into perspective and potential.

If I asked you about your identity – if I said “What are you like? What are your values?” – does that feel like a static question or a fluid one?

It probably feels like something set. We often believe we have a set identity, and an inherent set of values. But... plot twist: We create our identities…then we start creating stories about our identities. WHAT?