How to Find Your Passion With This Secret Japanese System.

I used to feel hopelessly lost in life.

It’s a Monday morning. I got up and immediately felt the dread come over me as I realized it was a school day.

“Another day of working towards something I hate, for a goal that isn’t even mine” is the thought that immediately rushed to my mind.

I knew the traditional ‘school, college, 9-5 route’ wasn’t for me. I hated every second of being there.

Every minute I was out of school was spent trying to break the cycle: building a marketing agency, then a dropshipping business, then trading stock options.

No matter what I tried, I simply could not get myself to stay consistent. I only hated school a slight bit more than working on my business.

In trying to break this cycle I was unknowingly trapping myself in a cycle of misery.

I would tell myself,

“As soon as I start making money, I can pivot to something else that I actually enjoy”.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The Reality of Passion

My story is a common one.

You hate going to school or your 9-5 and want to find something you truly enjoy that can not only make a TON of money but also have a positive impact on the world.

You hear from big-name entrepreneurs all the time, “You don’t need to find your passion, just start a boring business.”

And they’re right…kind of.

You can’t paint or play the harp and expect to become a millionaire. Being a starving artist isn’t going to get you ahead in life. (and trust me, I’ve been there)

So how can we find something we love, that the world needs, that we can also make a full-time living from?

The Secret Japanese System to Find Your Passion Fast

Looking back on my journey, it took me 3 years and lots of trial and error to find my passion and build a business around it.

Just recently I came across a Japanese system (even recognized officially by the government of Japan) that would have sliced my journey to the ‘land of fulfillment’ in half AT LEAST.

It’s called Ikagi, which roughly translates to “purpose”. It’s an ancient concept that dates back to the Heian period in Japanese History. (794 - 1185 AD)

This system will short-cut your path to finding what you truly want. It’s not an easy task, but once found it will change your life forever.

When I found my passion for writing, self-improvement, and productivity - my life changed forever.

Finding your passion is the key to happiness and lifelong fulfillment.

Enough history, here’s how you can use it to find your passion. (and become truly fulfilled)

A Guide to Ikagi

the concept is simple; find the intersect between the 4 areas and you will find fulfillment.

• What you love.

• What you’re good at.

• What you can be paid for.

• What the world needs.

Here’s how you can find out each for yourself.

Find What You Love.

Let’s start with the most important of the four; you must love what you do.

Ask yourself these questions:

• What is it in the world you couldn’t go without doing?

• What do you often wish you were doing?

• What are you passionate about?

Look at how you are currently spending your time, what is it that you wish you were doing right now?

Example:

Action:

• Ask yourself the 3 questions above. Brainstorm what it is you truly love to do.

Find What You’re Good At.

Ask yourself, “What am I naturally good at?”.

On the journey to finding my passion, the first place I looked was school.

I came to a realization.

I’ve been able to ace almost every English class I’ve ever taken since middle school without effort.

I never considered myself a top student (I’ve been too focused on business haha), so this stuck out like a sore thumb.

“Maybe I should try my hand at writing?”, I said to myself.

Action:

• Look at what you’re naturally good at.

  • If you don’t feel you are naturally good at anything (or you would not like to pursue it), research skills that you’d like to build.

Find What You Can Be Paid For.

It’s important to be business-minded when figuring out your passion.

Remember, we’re not starving artists.

Your passion must be something you can get paid for that people are already paying for.

In the digital age, almost any skill, talent, or ability can be sold.

I sell my productivity coaching to entrepreneurs who are looking to become high-performers & scale their businesses. (shameless plug)

I solve a common business problem (time management), with something I’m passionate about. (productivity)

Here are some examples:

If you enjoy making people laugh, sell it!

• You could do stand-up, become a content creator, etc.

If you have an amazing physique, sell it!

• You could train people in person, train people online, sell products online, become a model, etc.

Action:

• Research ways people are currently making money that is in-and-around your passion.

Find What the World Needs.

Similarly to “what you can be paid for”, your passion must be in-demand.

• What can you teach people about your passion?

• How are people currently making money in that area?

I asked myself these questions and quickly found that I could join the booming industry of self-improvement & productivity ‘influencers’.

Don’t be discouraged if you see people already doing what you’d like to do. Be more concerned if there aren’t any.

It is better to tap into something that is already working than create a new hamster wheel altogether.

Example:

If you are an athlete, it may make more sense to create a youtube channel around your life as an athlete than to put all your chips in on going to the league.

Case Study: 

Deestroying: Youtuber & Athlete (5.22m subscribers)

He recently said in an interview that he almost joined the NFL as a Kicker, but decided against it as it didn’t make sense financially.

This goes to show the power of building a personal brand and that you don’t have to do what everyone else is doing.

Be creative.

Action:

• Find existing money channels around your passion.

• Answer the question, “How are people making money already?”

• Take action and start building!

Final Thoughts

I know this whole process can be daunting.

I can promise you one thing; if you don’t embark on your journey now, you will regret it. 

Just take a look around you.

Well…maybe you shouldn’t go rob airports like the Mob in the 70s, but you get my point.

In all seriousness, most people are miserable in life. 

They follow the dreams of their parents, play the safe route, and wonder why they hate life at 40.

Chase your dreams and find your Ikagi to live a happy and fufilling life.

Thanks for reading!

See you next week,

Matt “Ikagi” Harriman

PS:

Whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can help:

1. Grab my FREE self-reflection guide to break your burnout & make consistent progress in life & business easy.

2.  Book a 1-1 Strategy Session to gain clarity on your routine, habits, and systems.