According to the Japanese philosophy of IKIGAI, a mission is something we love to do and something the world needs. It doesn’t matter if we’re not good at it or if we can’t be paid for what we do. For example, humanitarian movements in which people help others around the world without any personal interest are called missions. Many of those people may not be skilled at being missionaries, and even less often do they get payment. But what they do is altruistic, beautiful, and the world needs more people like that. Their spirit feels fulfilled.

When speaking of IKIGAI, finding our mission in life is the last of our goals. It is also the most difficult because it generally requires putting others before ourselves. In our selfishness, we always try to satisfy our personal interests rather than those of humanity.

Thus, we first study, prepare, and acquire skills. These skills are channeled in two ways:

• The skills for which we can be paid (profession)
• The skills we love to do (passion)

In both cases, the self prevails—first me, then the rest. It is important to find our profession and our passion in life. The next step is to find our vocation and our mission. This means we should think of others and consider how to help humanity.

Personally, I am like most people—I have found my profession and my passion. Now it is time to find my vocation and my mission. Some people only find their profession in life. They never discover their passion. Less of that, their mission.