How I Found 'What I Want to Do' Before Becoming a Freelancer

Back when I was on leave, I was struggling with whether to return to my old job or change careers.

That was when I encountered a certain book.

I didn't have anything I 'wanted to do'.

Even if something I 'wanted to do' suddenly came to mind, I couldn't get passionate about it, and it would just remain a hobby.

Maybe one day, I'll find something I truly 'want to do.' Until then, I'll just work as a means to 'earn money'.

Thinking that way, I kept waiting for that 'someday'.

However, that 'someday' never came, and I ended up on leave.

When life became painful, my life changed thanks to meeting this book.

It opened up the path for me to 'become a freelancer'.

🕊 A Fateful Encounter

The book that gave me the spark to walk the path of a freelancer was one that taught me 'how to find what you really want to do'.

• Title: The World's Easiest Way to Find 'What You Want to Do'

• Page count: 224 pages

• Release date: 2020/5/28

• Author: Jinpei Yagi

• Size: 13.1 x 1.7 x 18.9 cm

• Publisher: KADOKAWA

This book is a volume that leads to hints for a better life.

By putting into practice the method of analyzing 'what you want to do' logically rather than intuitively, anyone can deepen their self-understanding.

This book provides a clear and systematic guide on why you cannot find what you want to do and the specific methods for finding it.

🕊Impressions

I will write down my thoughts after actually reading it.

📝I was waiting for Prince Charming

Maybe I will find what I want to do someday.

Waiting passively like this is like waiting for Prince Charming on a white horse.

Don't you think that finding what you want to do is something that will just hit you with intuition one day?

I have lived my whole life believing that was the case.

However, no matter how long I waited, that day never came, and before I knew it, years had passed since I entered the workforce.

Since what I want to do hasn't come to me, I'll just work to earn money for now.

I tried hard to do that, but the strain became too much and I had to take a leave of absence.

This was exactly the state of waiting for Prince Charming on a white horse.

That was when I encountered this book.

This book posits that what you want to do is not something you find fatefully by relying on intuition, but something you can find through logical steps.

For someone like me who believed in a fated encounter yet to come, this was truly a bolt from the blue!

The idea of verbalizing, analyzing, and organizing what I want to do had never even crossed my mind.

📝"What you want to do = what you like x what you are good at" is insufficient

I didn't have anything I wanted to do.

To be precise, I "did not correctly understand" what I wanted to do.

The combination of what you like (passion) and what you are good at (talent) is what you want to do.

However, this book states that this alone is not enough.

Wait! What does that mean!? you might think. It's an eye-opener.

It says that "what you really want to do" requires things you like (passion), things you are good at (talent), and things that are important (values).

What is "what is important"?――

It is how you want to live.

"I want to live doing what I love," "I want to live kindly toward others," and "I want to live with passion" are examples of "what is important."

For example, have you ever had the experience of working hard with reckless abandon on something you like and are good at, only to think halfway through, "Huh, this is a bit tough"?

Actually, that was me.

It was supposed to be what I wanted to do, but it became painful, and I lost confidence, wondering, "Why can't I keep going?"

But I thought that maybe, in reality, I was missing "what is important."

I have a strong tendency to value "white space" in terms of space and time, such as "I want to live freely" or "I want to live everything with room to spare."

Because of that, working hard and recklessly in a straight line toward "what I want to do" didn't suit me. (Sorry for being a softie.)

Based on this formula, you identify the three elements you possess to find what you really want to do. This book provides the guidance to lead you there.

📝 To you who are worried that you have neither "things you like" nor "things you are good at"

I think there are some who feel, "I don't really have anything I like or anything I'm good at."

However, please rest assured.

By executing the "self-understanding method" that this book teaches, you can discover the "things you like" that you had submerged in your unconscious, and the "things you are good at" that even you hadn't noticed.

I want you to read the book for the details on the HOW TO, so I will explain it roughly.

For example, you write down as many answers as you can think of to numerous questions, such as the characteristics of people you like or respect, and things you found fulfilling in your past experiences.

I will deepen my self-understanding by digging further into these answers, extracting elements, and analyzing them to see if there are any commonalities.

This book kindly and thoroughly teaches a method for conducting self-analysis based on experiences from your life so far and your feelings toward certain matters.

I also lacked confidence and thought, 'I don't really have anything I like or am good at,' but tons of things I hadn't even realized came out, which deepened my self-understanding and boosted my self-esteem. It's amazing.

🕊 Summary

That was the fateful book I encountered while on leave.

By deepening my self-understanding, I learned about a side of myself I hadn't even noticed, and I feel like my future life has opened up a little.

This was the catalyst that gave birth to the option of freelancing for me.

Why don't you also try finding 'what you really want to do' from these three elements?