Recharged, Redirected, & Rested
“My whole plan is to get recharged, redirected, and rested…
I’ve got to figure out where all this passion, energy, and inspiration goes.
I don’t want it to be on a football field.
I’m excited to see where this takes me.”
-Chris Peterson
Chris Peterson shocked the college football world in early December when he suddenly announced that he was stepping down as Head Football Coach at the University of Washington. At the age of 55 and for no clear reason, the successful coach walked away from a coveted job that so many others aspire to. In a later interview, Peterson offered the quote above, providing insight into the mind of a man who clearly understands the connection between his goals and his values while offering sage advice for the rest of us.
To be clear, I’m not advocating that you suddenly resign from your job! The financial implications of that decision would be difficult for most of us to manage. However, I do advocate that you engage in the same process of self-discovery that Coach Peterson must have taken. He understands that to be truly fulfilled, he must dutifully and intentionally consider the intersection of the following questions:
What do I love?
What am I good at?
What can I get paid for?
What does the world need?
In my opinion, Coach Peterson most carefully considered the final question in determining that the world doesn’t NEED another football coach, but instead that he could use the skills he learned as a coach to positively impact a larger subset of society. And don’t we all have something to share with the world? Your gifts are probably different than Coach Peterson’s, and their uniqueness is what makes them valuable.
The Japanese have a word that describes this intersection of those four questions: Ikigai. Loosely translated, Ikigai means “reason for being” and it can be a powerful state of mind that frees you up to pursue dreams, goals, and personal fulfillment on a grand scale.
While the four questions are your starting point, I’m most interested at what happens when some of the ideas intersect with each other. I see so many different people that are in many different areas in my travels. I’m believe that most people are still working on finding that something to reach their Ikigai. Most of us hide our true persona, I know I am guilty of this. Every couple of weeks I post this blog and ask you to take a deeper look into yourself and have never fully disclosed much about me and were I am in life, and that is not fair to you. Full disclosure I sit somewhere just left of center. Unsure the world needs someone like me offering career coaching advice, but the response I get from all of you tells me otherwise. I am more than OK with not yet having found my Ikigai, as I find joy in the journey
every day!
What about you? Do you find the sweet spot of Ikigai in the work you do? If not, are you content in knowing that the journey is just as important as the destination? To help you begin your journey towards Ikigai, our team has created an online course that I believe will assist you in becoming the best possible version of yourself AND lead to career success, personal achievement, and fulfillment both personally and professionally. I hope you click the link below to begin.
Searching for Ikigai,
Jason Boaz, PGA, ARWC
PGA Career Consultant
Illinois and Wisconsin Sections of the PGA of America
PGA Certified Golf Professional
Advanced Resume Writing Certification
608.318.5355
Click HERE to sign up for the February 17th Webinar
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