For those who can't find what they want to do. What learning how to find what you want to do has taught me

── The story of a man who went in circles even after repeated self-analysis. A story to read by the campfire ── From "The World's Easiest Way to Find 'What You Want to Do'" (by Jinpei Yagi)

■ "I don't know what I want to do"

Naoki is 32 years old. A company employee.

"Is there nothing you want to do?"

Every time he is asked that, he struggles for words.

It's not that he hates his current job. But if asked if this is what he truly wants to do, he doesn't know.

Is it okay to continue like this until retirement?

Isn't there something out there that suits me better?

He has been carrying that vague anxiety for years now.

"Make what you love your job," people often say.

But he doesn't know what that "thing he loves" is.

He has hobbies. But if asked if he wants to make them his job, he feels that's not it.

He has read several books on self-analysis. He has tried many diagnostic tools as well.

But it was always the same.

Right after doing them, he thinks, "I see." But after a while, he returns to the same old vague anxiety.

No matter how many times he digs into himself, he just goes in circles.

"In the end, maybe there's just nothing I want to do."

When he thinks that, he feels a little scared.

November. He came to a campsite alone. He wanted to empty his head.

■ "Are you trying to start a fire with only the spark?"

Naoki was trying to start a fire.

But even when he lit the tinder, it would go out immediately. No matter how many times he tried, it wouldn't last.

An old man came out of the administration building. He looked at Naoki's hands and squatted down next to him.

"Are you trying to start a fire with just the tinder?"

"Huh?"

"You have the tinder. But you have no firewood. And you haven't created a path for the air to flow, either."

The old man arranged thin pieces of firewood over the tinder. Then, he created gaps between the pieces of wood so that air could pass through.

When he lit the tinder, this time the flames spread to the firewood, and the fire grew larger.

"A fire won't start with just one thing. Tinder, firewood, and air. Only when all three are present can it finally burn."

Naoki watched the fire.

For some reason, he was thinking about his own search for "what he wants to do."

■ There is a way to find what you want to do

"Actually, I have something I'm struggling with," Naoki said.

"I can't find what I want to do. No matter how many times I do self-analysis, I just go around in circles."

The old man watched the bonfire for a while.

"Do you think that what you want to do is something you have to search for?"

"Isn't it? Isn't there something out there that is perfect for me?"

"A certain book says this: What you want to do isn't something that's just lying around somewhere. There is a formula for how to find it."

"A formula?"

"That's right. The reason you can't find what you want to do isn't because you lack talent. You just don't know how to find it."

Naoki was surprised. He had thought that what you want to do is something you are destined to "encounter."

"The formula is this: what you want to do equals what you like, multiplied by what you are good at."

"What you like, multiplied by what you are good at..."

"You were trying to find what you want to do using only what you like. It's the same as trying to start a fire with just a spark."

■ "Like" and "Good at" are different

"Are what you like and what you are good at different?"

"They are completely different."

The old man continued.

"What you like is what you are interested in. It's what you feel you want to know more about."

"What you are good at is what you naturally do well. It's what you don't find a struggle to do."

"These two are separate things. But many people mix them up."

Naoki thought.

It was true; he had only been looking for "what he liked." He had asked himself, "What do I like?" But he had never thought about "what he was good at" or "what he could do naturally."

"It's hard to notice what you are good at yourself. Because you can do it so easily, you don't think of it as a talent."

"It's what people tell you, 'You're really good at that.' It's what you do without any effort. That is what you are good at."

Naoki was struck by this realization.

At work, he was often told, "Naoki, you're good at listening to people."

To him, it was just something natural. But perhaps that was something he was good at.

■ The third piece of firewood, "What is important"

"But that alone is not enough," the old man said.

You can find what you want to do through what you like and what you are good at. But for what you truly want to do, you need one more thing.

One more thing?

Something important. What you value in life. That is your sense of values.

The old man looked at the bonfire.

What you like is the spark. What you are good at is the firewood. But that alone doesn't determine which direction the fire should burn.

What is important is the direction—what you are burning that fire for.

No matter how much you do what you like and are good at, if it is misaligned with what is important to you, you will not feel fulfilled.

Naoki thought.

What do I want to value?

Money? Stability? Or—the feeling of being useful to someone?

When I think about it, what makes me happiest is when someone says 'thank you' to me.

Listening to people and seeing them feel relieved. That might be my 'important thing'.

What you like, what you are good at, and what is important to you. Only when all three are present does what you truly want to do ignite.

It is the same as the spark, the firewood, and the air.

The flame burned quietly and powerfully. A fire where all three were present.

■ The next morning, Naoki wrote down the three things

Morning. Frost had fallen.

Naoki opened his notebook. He created three columns.

'What I like,' 'What I am good at,' and 'What is important to me.'

What I like: I am interested in people's growth and the movements of the heart.

Things I am good at. Listening carefully to what people have to say.

Things that are important. The feeling of being useful to someone.

I lined the three things up.

Then, something began to emerge vaguely.

"A job where I listen to people and help them move forward."

That was the outline of what I "want to do."

It is not clear yet. But it was different from the going in circles I had been doing until now.

It was different from when I was only looking for a spark.

It felt like the fire only started once the three pieces of firewood were combined.

From now on, I just need to verify this outline little by little.

That is what Naoki thought.

An old man came out of the administration building. He was carrying firewood.

"Are you heading home?"

"Yes. I learned a lot about how to arrange the firewood."

The old man smiled a little and began preparing today's bonfire.

A spark, firewood, and a path for the air. He was carefully arranging the three.

As if he knew that with just one, the fire would not start.

■ The source book for this story

📕 "The World's Easiest Way to Find 'What You Want to Do': A Self-Understanding Method to Free Yourself from Life's Fog" by Jinpei Yagi (KADOKAWA)
https://amzn.to/4erv7zW

A book on a self-understanding method that solves the worry of "not knowing what you want to do" using a "formula" rather than intuition.

Based on the author's own experience of struggling to find what they wanted to do, this book systematizes a method that anyone can practice. It has become a bestseller with over 1 million copies sold in the series.

This is a book that teaches those who continue to search for themselves indefinitely how to put an end to it.

Just three key points from this book:

1. You don't 'search' for what you want to do; you 'find it using a formula'.

The reason you can't find what you want to do is not because you lack talent or luck. It's simply because you don't know how to find it.

'Things you like x Things you are good at x Things that are important = What you really want to do.' If you organize yourself according to this formula, the outline of what you want to do will come into view.

2. 'Things you like' and 'things you are good at' are different.

Things you like are areas you are interested in and want to know more about. Things you are good at are things you can do well naturally.

These two are separate things. In particular, things you are good at are often so natural to you that you don't notice them. They are found in the things people tell you, 'You're really good at that.'

3. 'Things that are important (values)' determine the direction.

With just likes and strengths, you cannot determine what you are doing it for. What you value in life—those values determine the direction of what you want to do.

No matter how much you do what you like and are good at, if it is misaligned with your values, you will not feel fulfilled.

For those who want to know more deeply: What is important in this book is the 'order' in which you find these three things. The author recommends starting by deciding on 'things that are important (values)' first.

Values are, so to speak, your destination. You cannot decide how to get there if you haven't decided on your destination. Only when you have a clear idea of why you work and how you want to live do your likes and strengths gain meaning.

The more tired people are of searching for what they want to do, the more they try to start from 'things they like' and end up getting lost. But the true starting point is the question, 'What do I want to value?' If you are interested in this story, please pick up the original book.

#TheWorldEasiestWayToFindWhatYouWantToDo #IDontKnowWhatIWantToDo #SelfAnalysis #CareerChange #AStoryOfABookToReadByTheBonfire

📝 This article is a reconstruction of the book's content, incorporating the author's own unique story and personal experience. For the detailed content of the book, please be sure to pick up the original.