I Discovered My Ikigai and Never Want to Retire!

Picture this: a hammock gently swaying in the breeze, sun on your face, a tall glass of iced lemonade on the table beside you.

That thought of retirement. The promised land! That’s what we are led to believe. You spend years climbing the corporate ladder, and at the end of the day, that hammock is the ultimate reward. It’s freedom.

Maybe not. It wasn’t for me.

I’ve had a great life traveling the world since 1990, working in different countries, and working online for the last 25 years. But I still thought retirement would be idyllic.

So, about 5 years ago, I was taking my camper van down to Spain on the ferry and decided that would be the start of my retirement. Traveling through Spain. One of my favourite countries…

• In the mornings, I went hiking.
• At lunchtime watched a bit of Youtube.
• In the afternoons I relaxed in the sun.
• And in the evenings… watched more YouTube.

It was great the first week. Ok the second week. But it wasn’t too long before I was bored. Completely bored. Not only bored, but after a couple of months, I was depressed. That initial excitement had evaporated and was replaced by a sense of ‘is this all there is’ for the rest of my life? I remember looking around an enchanting castle in the mountains at Guadalest and having no enthusiasm for any of it. Or anything else.

What was I missing?

“The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The work of life is to develop it”

I was missing a purpose. A reason to get excited about the day ahead. I had nothing to inspire me.

I didn’t know about Ikigai at that time. But when I learned about it, I realized it was the real recipe for a satisfying life. I’d pretty much been following it for 35 years – traveling the world and working on projects I enjoyed – until I decided to retire.

So, what is Ikigai?

It translates to ‘a reason for being.’ It’s the sweet spot where four elements overlap and give you the perfect work life balance.

These elements are:

1. What you love – what gives you joy, makes you excited, something you can do for hours on end without even thinking about the time? In other words, your passions.
2. What you’re good at – what unique set of skills and talents do you have? What can you do better than others? Cooking? Programming? Public speaking? Fixing up motorbikes?
3. What the world needs – how can you contribute something meaningful to the world? What problems can you help people solve, even in a small way? Maybe fixing computers, helping the elderly? Or giving advice on something.
4. What you can be paid for – What value can you give people that they’re willing to give you money for? In the West, we think of money more than anything else, but here it’s equal.

So, let’s look at my ikigai:

So, what I decided to do now is where these overlap. I am making YouTube videos to help people quit the rat race and show people how to use AI to speed up the process.

It fits in with what I love, what I’m good at, and what people need. Later on, I will monetize with a course to help people speed up that process, but that isn’t my priority at the moment.

Once you have figured out your ikigai, you might want to think about changing your career, but it could mean starting a side hustle, freelancing, or voluntary work. See what fits you.

Finding your Ikigai doesn’t mean you’re going to hit the jackpot in all four areas. It’s about exploring the intersection in the middle to find that core purpose that inspires you with meaning, to make you want to jump out of bed in the morning with a big smile. It’s about finding what makes you tick.

Looking back at my corporate career, I had three jobs that ticked all the boxes: my apprenticeship, customer service, and teaching engineers. They were interesting and varied.

But I had two jobs which didn’t. My engineering job was monotonous wiring, and working in a computer center was boring as there was no work.

And that’s the trouble with working for a company. You are put where you’re needed rather than given a job that inspires you. And when you retire, it all disappears and can make you feel empty.

For the last 25 years, I’ve had financial freedom, so I could choose to take on projects I was passionate about. Without knowing it, they have been at the intersection of the four elements of ikigai most of the time.

For example, my export business in the Philippines was using business skills I love and became good at. It served our customer well and gave work to many people. We also got great profits.

I’m not saying everyone should abandon their golden years dreams and start a new career or business. But I’m saying have a look at Ikigai and see if it can point you to a more fulfilling life, whatever your age. It might unlock a sense of purpose you didn’t know existed.

Trying to retire taught me that I wasn’t ready to stop learning and evolving. And doing this project now energizes me.

Think about it, statistics show that a very high percentage of retirees struggle with a lack of purpose and direction once they finish their career. You don’t have to be one of those statistics.