Find what
you want
to do.

Chapter 1: Five Myths That Keep You from Finding "What You Want to Do"

Before explaining the Self-Discovery Method, we first need to bust the myths surrounding the search for "what you want to do."

If you stay trapped in these five myths, no matter how hard you search, you'll come up empty-handed.

In reality, a huge number of people are caught in these traps. Some people find "what they want to do" simply by breaking free from these five myths alone---that's how deeply rooted they are.

So let's debunk them one by one.

Myth 1: It Has to Be Something You Can Commit to for Life

You've probably heard someone declare with great enthusiasm: "I've found what I want to do for the rest of my life!"

But finding "what you want to do" and turning it into a "lifelong calling" is impossible.

Finding "what you want to do" doesn't mean finding your life's permanent vocation. It means finding "what you most want to do right now." They say that people in their twenties today have a 50% chance of living to 100. In an era like this, is it really necessary to find something that will hold your interest forever? Society is changing at breakneck speed---the iPhone was invented barely over a decade ago. Clinging to a single "thing you want to do" in such times is actually a risk.

For Japan in a certain era, "perseverance" may have been a virtue, but the keyword of our age is "change." Rather than staying in one place forever, this is an era of adapting fluidly to shifts in society. Even after deciding on "what you want to do," you might develop interest in a completely different field. When that happens, I think it's perfectly fine to switch. The experience you've accumulated will absolutely carry over to whatever comes next.

The most dangerous thing is having nothing you want to do, drifting through life in an empty haze.

If you've been thinking "I need to find something I can commit to for life," let me tell you: the starting point is simply finding "what you most want to do right now."

If you devote yourself to "what you most want to do right now" every single day, you'll never get bored. And in the end, that is "what you want to do for your whole life."

POINT

Myth: It has to be something you can commit to for life.

Truth: Just do what you most want to do right now.

Myth 2: When You Find It, You'll Feel a Sense of Destiny

"When you find 'what you want to do,' you'll feel this sense of destiny---you'll just know." This myth is another powerful barrier in the search.

In reality, when most people find "what they want to do," their initial reaction is just "Hm? This might be interesting"---they're merely at the curiosity stage.

When I first developed the Self-Discovery Method, I didn't have some lightning-bolt "This is it!" moment. It was simply "This seems kind of interesting!" Later, as I turned that interest into work, kept thinking and growing, and helped others along the way, I gradually came to feel "This is what I want to do." I didn't start out thinking "I was born for this job!"

Research backs this up. A study conducted at the University of Rajasthan in India compared the satisfaction levels of love marriages versus arranged marriages. Within the first year, the scores were "love marriages: 70 points" and "arranged marriages: 58 points"---love marriages were more satisfying. But over the long term, the results flipped: "love marriages: 40 points" and "arranged marriages: 68 points."

Why did this happen?

The researchers found that in love marriages, "the couple falls naturally into marriage through romance and stops putting effort into the relationship afterward, causing satisfaction to decline." In arranged marriages, "the couple begins not knowing if things will work out, so both sides put effort into getting closer, causing satisfaction to rise."

You could say it's the difference between love marriages, which assume "love exists from the start," and arranged marriages, which believe "love grows over time."

The same applies to finding "what you want to do." Think about it: between someone who believes "what I want to do already exists somewhere" and someone who believes "what I want to do is something I cultivate through exploration," who do you think will ultimately find work they're satisfied with?

Choose the wrong answer and you'll end up as someone who job-hops endlessly searching for "the destined one."

I'm not saying job-hopping is bad. If you feel your current environment doesn't let you create value, by all means explore other options. But harboring the fantasy that "the job tailor-made for me is out there" is dangerous.

No job exists that makes you happy about every single aspect of it. Every job has annoying or tedious parts. Sometimes you have to do things you'd rather not in service of "what you want to do," but finding ways to enjoy even those parts is part of the work.

Searching for a "destined" thing to do is also a waste of time. By nurturing the small seeds of interest inside you and finding ways to make the work in front of you interesting, you'll discover "what you want to do."

What you'll find in this book isn't a "destined" calling---it's something your heart can accept, something you've explored and chosen for yourself.

Let go of the fantasy that "somewhere out there is the perfect job for me" and search for a reasonable "what you want to do."

POINT

Myth: When you find what you want to do, you'll feel a sense of destiny.

Truth: Even when you find it, at first you'll only be at the "curious" stage.

Myth 3: It Has to Be Something That Benefits Others

Many people believe "what I want to do must be something noble that helps others." If you hold this misconception, even when you find what you want to do, you won't be able to tell the people around you: "This is what I want to do!"

The truth is, when thinking about "what you want to do," whether it helps others is irrelevant.

Whatever your "thing" is, as long as it interests you, other people are interested in it too. By connecting with those people, "what you want to do" will inevitably become work (a business).

The reason a passion can become work is that other people find value in it. So the right approach is to persist in doing "what you want to do"---and ultimately, it will benefit others. Please immediately abandon the idea that "what I want to do must be something impressive that earns others' admiration." Forcing yourself to suppress your desires and toil for others is nothing but self-sacrifice.

Suppressing yourself, working for others, and mistaking that for "what you want to do"---that's unsustainable. My clients have told me that working in a state of self-sacrifice seems to last three years at most. So before those three years are up, it's better to understand yourself and explore other options, because self-sacrifice has a shelf life.

On the other hand, doing "what you want to do" is something you can sustain without stress---and that's how you can contribute to others over the long term.

When you do "what you want to do," you enjoy it yourself while continuously helping others, earning growth and gratitude. You exist in a healthy state where self-interest and service to others coexist.

POINT

Myth: It has to be something that benefits others.

Truth: Living for yourself is also helping others.

Myth 4: You Have to Take More Action to Find It

You've probably heard this advice: "If you don't know what you want to do, just get out there and try things."

Many people have tried this approach, but I can tell you definitively: it's wrong. The main reason people don't know "what they want to do" is that they have too many options.

Choosing "what you want to do" requires two elements:

The first is options. Options means knowing what types of work exist. This is important. With the spread of social media, the number of job types we're aware of has exploded. All kinds of people are sharing information with us, giving us an abundance of choices.

The second is selection criteria. No matter how many options you have, if you don't have the ability to choose among them, you'll never make a satisfying decision.

Imagine you're shopping for clothes (see Figure 1-1). At a clothing store, you can browse all the styles you want. But what happens if you don't have clear selection criteria? You'll be swayed by things like "This is really popular right now" or "It's cheap"---information that has nothing to do with "what I actually want to wear"---and make your choice based on that. For something as low-stakes as clothes, this approach is no big deal. But when it comes to choosing your work, that's a different story entirely.

Figure 1-1

If you choose your career based on "what's hot right now" or "what pays well"---criteria that have nothing to do with what you actually want to do---it's not hard to imagine the consequences.

When you don't know what you want to do, the answer is not to add more options. You already have more than enough. What you need is to clarify your selection criteria. Selection criteria exist only within yourself, so to clarify them, you first need to understand yourself. No matter how much you search externally, you'll only be overwhelmed by the sheer number of options, and your ability to act will grind to a halt.

POINT

Myth: You have to take more action to find it.

Truth: Understanding yourself is how you find what you want to do.

Myth 5: What You Want to Do Can't Become Your Job

The biggest obstacle when searching for "what you want to do" is thinking: "What I want to do probably can't become a job." As long as you hold this belief, you will absolutely never find it.

Here are two crucial mindset shifts:

• "What you want to do" lives inside you.
• The means to achieve it live out in the world.

Understanding these two points upfront is essential.

For example, if you ask a senior colleague at work, "What is my thing?"---they won't have the answer, because only you know what you want to do.

But if you ask that same colleague, "I want to become a singer---what should I do?"---they might give you advice or introduce you to a friend who's a musician. While only your own heart knows "what you want to do," the means of achieving it exist in the outside world.

When I was first thinking about how to teach the Self-Discovery Method to more people, I had no idea how to turn it into a business. I sought advice from people doing similar self-discovery work, and their suggestions helped my business take shape---that is, it became profitable.

Because I want to spread the Self-Discovery Method worldwide, I also learn from people who've already accomplished similar goals. In Chapter 7, I'll explain specifically how I turned what I wanted to do into a career through trial and error.

At the stage of thinking about "what you want to do," you don't need to worry about whether you can achieve it. Someone is already doing work in that area. While you can't copy someone else's work, you can absolutely model their methods. And of course, after reading this book, you're welcome to model mine.

If you had to figure out the means of achievement entirely on your own, finding "what you want to do" would be nearly impossible. So at the searching stage, don't factor in the means---that comes later.

POINT

Myth: What you want to do can't become your job.

Truth: What you want to do lives inside you. The means to achieve it live in the world around you.

Once you break free of these five myths, you'll be standing at the starting line of "finding what you want to do" (see Table 1-1). In Chapter 2, drawing on my own experience of finding "what I want to do," I'll explain the difference between those who find it and those who don't.

Table 1-1

---

Chapter 2: Why We Get Lost Searching for "What We Want to Do"

Getting Fired from a Convenience Store Job---Then Turning My Life Around by Finding "What I Want to Do"

During spring break of my freshman year in college, I traveled to Nagoya with a friend. While eating dinner at a family restaurant, my phone rang. I checked the number---it was the manager of the store where I worked part-time.

Since I almost never got calls from work, I answered with a puzzled "Hello?" The manager said: "Mr. Yagi, your motivation at work has been low. You frequently call in sick before shifts, and you barely sign up for shifts. You don't need to come in anymore."

It came out of nowhere, so all I managed was "Yes... yes..." and just like that, I was fired.

This was about two months into my part-time job at that convenience store.

The store was near Waseda Station, and the hourly wage was 1,000 yen---pretty good conditions, which was why I'd applied. My reason for applying? "The job looks easy." Not exactly brimming with motivation.

Once I actually started working, there was an overwhelming amount to learn: stocking shelves, selling stamps, preparing snacks, making rice balls, handling dry cleaning pickups, processing electronic payments. It "looked easy," but there was so much to memorize that I ended up being bad at everything.

What I remember most vividly was the sheer number of cigarette brands. Having to instantly pick out the right pack from nearly a hundred varieties displayed on an entire wall and hand it to the customer at the register---that was agonizing.

I gradually started thinking: "Why am I selling my time for 1,000 yen an hour? I don't want to go to work anymore."

During shifts, I'd stare at the clock on the wall behind the register, thinking "Only five minutes have passed?"---counting down the minutes in misery.

That's the state I was in when I got that phone call.

Honestly, before working at the convenience store, I'd looked down on that kind of work. I thought: "How can people waste their lives on a job anyone could do?" So when I was fired from the very job I'd looked down on---for not being good enough---I didn't even know how to comfort myself. I was depressed for a while.

Living solely on the allowance my parents sent was tough without a part-time job. But having been fired from a convenience store, I truly couldn't think of what else I could do.

While agonizing over what I was capable of and browsing the internet, I stumbled upon a website called "Strengths Diagnosis." I thought, "Maybe if I take this, I'll find something I can do," so I paid the fee and took the 40-minute assessment.

According to the results, I was:

• Very bad at routine work
• Drained when talking to strangers or groups
• Resentful of following others' instructions

Clearly, I was completely unsuited for convenience store work. On the other hand, I learned that my strengths were:

• Coming up with ideas
• Feeling no strain during work that required thinking
• Communicating my thoughts to others

Simple as I was, seeing these results restored my confidence. "Getting fired from the convenience store wasn't because I'm a failure---it was because the job wasn't right for me."

So I decided I didn't want to do part-time work anymore. I wanted to do something that used my strengths. Since I was good at communicating my ideas, I started writing a blog.

At the time, lots of people online were saying you could earn tens of thousands of yen a month from blogging. I started with the casual thought: "Earning a few thousand yen would be pretty great."

Writing on my computer was genuinely fun---not painful at all. Luckily, the tenth article I published---"The Best Ramen Shops in Takadanobaba"---went viral, getting nearly 10,000 views.

I thought, "Maybe this could actually work," and dove deeper into blogging. I could write whenever I wanted, with no one nagging me. It was pure joy. I blogged during university lectures, skipped lunch to write in the library, and snuck in writing even during seminars.

Gradually, I started earning money from the blog. First 3,000 yen a month, then 10,000 yen. Six months later, I was making 90,000 yen a month---more than the convenience store had paid, and I was earning it doing something I enjoyed.

A year and a half later, my monthly income exceeded one million yen.

That's when I became convinced: "Doing what you're bad at only exhausts you. Doing what you're good at lets you produce results quickly and joyfully."

Since I was already earning this much during college, I figured there was no need to job-hunt, so after graduation I went straight to financial independence. At the time, I honestly thought: "Earning a million yen a month at 22---life is easy." But life had other plans. The blogging that had started as fun gradually turned into "work I did for money."

The purpose of my blogging was "money." If you asked me what kind of articles I wrote, my only answer was "articles that make money."

That way of working wasn't fulfilling. I was making a lot of money, and to everyone around me I looked successful. But if you asked whether I was happy, the honest answer was no---not at all. Every day, I was just a machine that produced money by tapping keys (see Figure 2-1).

Figure 2-1

I felt that "if I keep working like this, my life will be boring," but because the money was good, I couldn't quit. "Is this really okay?" I spent about a year wrestling with that question while continuing to blog.

One morning I woke up and something felt off. My mind was foggy, my body sluggish, and I had zero motivation to work. Sensing something was wrong, I went to a ramen shop I frequented nearby and ordered a rich broth ramen---but I couldn't taste anything.

I searched my symptoms online and discovered I was in a state of mild depression.

It seemed the prolonged stress had pushed me into depression. Fortunately, the symptoms went away after about a week of rest---but the underlying problem hadn't changed at all.

That's when I truly realized this way of working wasn't sustainable. I resolved to seriously think about what I really wanted to do.

I read book after book, attended interesting seminars, and explored what I truly wanted to do.

One day it hit me: "Wait---I actually love exploring my inner world." The more I learned, the more I understood myself, and that made me genuinely happy.

Come to think of it, I'd always loved psychology and philosophy. Even though I didn't like studying in general, "Ethics" was the one subject in school that I enjoyed. That's when I realized: "If I could make this my work, that would be amazing."

There are many people out there like my former self---people who don't know their strengths, don't know what they want to do, and are wandering in the dark. I thought: Wouldn't it be great if I could share what I've learned with them? Before that point, my blog had no consistent theme. But from then on, I started blogging about "self-discovery," with the purpose of "helping people who, like me, feel lost in life."

As I blogged, readers started saying "I want to learn more!" The magazine ANAN reached out, wanting to feature my Self-Discovery Method. Eventually I created a course on the method, and it filled to capacity. Now I'm writing this book to share the systematic Self-Discovery Method with even more people. I believe that "self-discovery"---something that defines the very essence of our lives---should be taught in schools.

We spend sixteen years in school from elementary through college, yet students never learn to explore what they love, what they're good at, and what they value. Isn't that strange? That's why, through this book, I want to share what I've learned and practiced about how to live authentically by doing what you want to do.

POINT

Finding "what you want to do" changes your life.

The Trap in "If You Don't Know What You Want to Do, Just Start Trying Things"

Why must you first understand yourself before you can find "what you want to do"?

Because the world has become too complicated.

Have you heard of "VUCA"? It's an acronym formed from the first letters of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity.

VUCA describes a state where the external environment of everything has grown more complex, unexpected events occur constantly, and the future is therefore difficult to predict.

When options multiply, choosing what you want to do becomes harder.

Have you heard of the "Jam Experiment" from Columbia University? When a supermarket offered 24 varieties of jam for tasting, only 3% of samplers bought a jar. When the selection was reduced to 6 varieties, the purchase rate jumped to 30%.

When faced with too many options, people tend to choose "not to choose"---which is why 24 jams don't sell (see Figure 2-2).

Figure 2-2

The same applies to people who can't decide what they want to do. Frozen before a sea of options, they choose "not to choose," putting off the decision indefinitely and drifting through life.

And if you think "I don't know what I want because I haven't been proactive enough" and start blindly trying all sorts of things that interest you, you'll only add more options---making it even harder to know which one to pick.

POINT

Not knowing what you want to do is because there are too many options.

The One Difference Between "People Who Stay Lost" and "People Who Find Their Path"

So in this complex world, how do we choose our direction?

The most dangerous approach is making decisions based on the logic of "Which path is most advantageous?"

We live in an era of rapid change. What seems advantageous today can quickly become worthless---this happens all the time. In 1989, 32 of the world's top 50 companies by market capitalization were Japanese. But by 2018, how many Japanese companies do you think remained in the top 50 (see Table 2-1)?

Table 2-1

By 2018, only Toyota remained among the world's top 50 companies. In just 30 years, society had changed that dramatically.

The choice that seems "advantageous" to you right now may be worthless in 10 or 20 years. Among my friends, those who jumped on bandwagons---"Cryptocurrency seems profitable!" or "Programming seems lucrative!"---quit the moment they realized there was no easy money to be made. Unsurprisingly, their careers haven't gone well, and they remain perpetually lost, always wondering: "What should I do? Which option is more advantageous?" (see Figure 2-3). In an era of constant change, rather than using your head to judge "which is more advantageous," you need an entirely different criterion.

That criterion is the inner compass of "What do I want to do?"

Figure 2-3

In today's world, when you face countless options, trying to choose based on "What should I do?" (i.e., what's most advantageous) will paralyze you. But choosing based on "What do I want to do?"---your inner standard---makes the decision simple.

Choose based on what interests you, what naturally draws you in, what aligns with your values (see Figure 2-4).

Figure 2-4

Only by filtering through your own inner compass can you narrow the infinite options down to a manageable few.

Unlike the VUCA world out there, your inner world doesn't change much. So once you've made your decision, you won't waver. No matter how the times shift, you'll be able to act with confidence.

The root cause of your current indecision is that you're using the wrong selection criteria.

If you only care about "What should I do?" and judge based on what's advantageous, you'll never find an answer. Because when circumstances change, the answer changes, and you'll be lost forever.

An answer derived from the wrong criteria will produce work that means nothing to you---work that will never ignite your passion.

When I was choosing based on what seemed most advantageous, I was perpetually lost. Scrolling Twitter, I'd be moved by whatever some influencer said. Every success book I read would sway me in a new direction. Because I was constantly being pushed around by other people's ideas, I always felt like I had no center. Because I was always lost, my work suffered too. During those years without a sense of self, the inability to see my future filled me with deep anxiety.

If you're in this state, you need a fundamental shift in thinking. Stop basing your decisions on the external, "other-centered axis." You must switch to the internal, "self-centered axis."

Precisely because we live in an era of constant change, it's all the more important to have an unwavering axis within your own heart.

When you do, even in this complex world, you can live according to your own convictions without being swept along by every current. In the next chapter, I'll explain how to establish this inner compass.

POINT

People who stay lost make decisions based on "What should I do?"

People who find their path make decisions based on "What do I want to do?"

---

Chapter 3: The Fastest Formula for Finding What You Want to Do: The Self-Discovery Method

Not Knowing "What You Want to Do" Is Simply a Vocabulary Problem

Now, in order to clarify "what you want to do," let's learn the Self-Discovery Method I've developed.

Before diving into the specifics, there's one important premise I want to share: The reason you don't know what you want to do is that you haven't learned to categorize your words properly.

If you start thinking with vague, undefined language without first clarifying what the words actually mean, you'll get lost in a maze. Trying to think with fuzzy language will absolutely prevent you from finding "what you want to do" (see Figure 3-1).

• What is a "life compass"?
• What is a "self-centered axis"?
• What does "being true to yourself" mean?

Figure 3-1

Every client who comes to me says the same thing: "I did self-analysis through career prep courses and books, but I still don't know what I want to do..."

Some people read self-analysis books and answer mountains of questions in an attempt to find "what they want to do," but most of it is wasted effort. One client had answered over 500 questions before joining my program---and still hadn't found what they wanted to do.

After talking with them, I discovered a common thread: their minds were a mess.

They'd reviewed past experiences for self-analysis and collected lots of clues about "what they want to do," but they didn't know how to put the pieces together. They had jigsaw pieces but no idea how to assemble them into a complete picture. What they truly needed was a clear sense of purpose: "What exactly am I supposed to discover from answering these questions?"

Without that awareness, no matter how many questions you answer, you're just collecting scattered fragments---never arriving at the conviction that "This is what I truly want to do!"

In this book, I'll show you how to take the pieces in your hands and assemble them into a complete picture.

When that picture is finished, you'll be free from confusion. Things like "I want to make money," "I want to eliminate poverty," "I want to become a YouTuber," "I want to start a business," "I want to live well," "I want to play guitar," "I want to chat with people"---none of these are "what you want to do" as defined in this book. They're merely similar-sounding phrases.

You might find that confusing, but keep reading and it will become clear.

Throughout this book, I'll explain the Self-Discovery Method while progressively clarifying what "what you want to do" truly means.

POINT

Not knowing "what you want to do" is because you haven't learned to categorize your words.

Finding What You Want to Do Through Logic, Not Intuition

To find "what you truly want to do," you need three elements. Once you clarify these three, anyone can discover a way of working that they love.

If you're dissatisfied with your current work, it's because you're missing one of these elements. Once you identify which one is lacking, you just need to fill in the gap.

I've read over 300 books on psychology and self-analysis, and I've never found one that distills the method for finding "what you want to do" into a comprehensive framework. The books out there each address only one of the three elements---they're incomplete.

I still vividly remember the day I first synthesized the Self-Discovery Method. I was incredibly excited, thinking "Finally, I can explain this clearly!" I was scribbling furiously on a whiteboard, passionately explaining it to a friend.

One client who'd learned the method told me: "I'd been agonizing for six months, but after using your framework, I found my direction in a single day."

In Chapter 1, I mentioned a common misconception: many people fantasize that finding "what they want to do" means "encountering a destined job somewhere out there." Self-analysis books are full of stories about people who, through some stroke of fate, became certain: "This is what I was born to do!"---and then devoted themselves to it single-mindedly. I'd guess those people make up maybe 1% of the population.

The remaining 99% of us---ordinary people like me---have to find our "true calling" piece by piece, like assembling a jigsaw puzzle, fitting together fragments of feeling.

A person with natural style can pick out a great outfit by intuition, but someone without that instinct will just choose something bland. The person without natural taste who wants to dress well needs to first learn the principles, then assemble the look piece by piece.

I didn't have the intuition to just know what I wanted to do. And precisely because of that, I was able to think it through and create a method anyone can use. For someone who never hesitated about what they wanted to do, creating the Self-Discovery Method would have been impossible.

That's why, in the Self-Discovery Method, I don't use vague instructions like "listen to the voice of your heart." Instead, I provide clear criteria and explain each one.

Next, I'll explain the three pillars of the Self-Discovery Method.

POINT

Myth: Find it through intuition.

Truth: Find it through a systematic framework.

Finding "What You Want to Do" Through the Three Pillars of the Self-Discovery Method

Now it's time to explain the three pillars that support the Self-Discovery Method. They are:

1. What you love (passion)

2. What you're good at (talent)

3. What matters to you (values)

Combining these three elements produces two formulas (see Figure 3-2):

Figure 3-2

In Formula 1, "What you love x What you're good at" gives you "what you want to do." But without "what matters to you," it's incomplete.

When you add "what matters to you" to "what you love x what you're good at = what you want to do," it becomes: "What you love x What you're good at x What matters to you = What you truly want to do." I'll explain this in detail.

POINT

There are two formulas for finding "what you want to do."

Formula 1: What You Love x What You're Good At = What You Want to Do

Let's start with "what you want to do." Many people assume "what I love = what I want to do," but that's not quite right. "What you want to do" means doing what you love in a way that plays to your strengths. To understand this definition, we first need to define "what you love" and "what you're good at" (see Figures 3-3 and 3-4).

"What you love" refers to fields you're passionate about (see Figure 3-3)---things like psychology, environmental issues, fashion, healthcare, robotics, or design. For those considering employment or career changes, think of it as your "industry."

Figure 3-3

Characteristics of "what you love" (passion):

• You feel interested and want to learn more
• Anything related to it feels fun, and you wonder: "Can this really be my career?"
• Questions like "Why?" and "How?" keep bubbling up (e.g., "Why do robots move?")

The field that sparks your interest, makes you want to engage with it, and ignites your passion---that's "what you love."

"What you're good at" refers to things you naturally do better than others---things that feel effortless and enjoyable.

Because these come naturally, they're called "talents" (also referred to as "traits" or "personality characteristics"). Examples include: seeing things from other people's perspectives, competing with others, learning, gathering information, deep thinking, and analyzing.

Figure 3-4

Characteristics of "what you're good at" (talent):

• Doing it feels enjoyable
• You do it well without deliberate effort
• It's easy to get absorbed because there's no stress
• It feels like "being yourself"
• You do it naturally even outside of work
• You wonder why others can't do something that seems so obvious

Of course, like "what you love," doing "what you're good at" also feels enjoyable. Some self-analysis theories lump "what you're good at" into "what you love." But I think separating them makes things much easier to understand and organize, which is why the Self-Discovery Method distinguishes the two.

Something frequently confused with "what you're good at" is "skills and knowledge." They look similar but are completely different (see Figure 3-5).

Figure 3-5

"What you're good at" includes things like "being able to assess risk," "being sensitive to others' feelings," or "being able to think deeply about a single topic." "Skills and knowledge" includes things like "speaking English," "programming," or "digital marketing."

Both are commonly called "things you're good at," but they differ in two key ways. First, "what you're good at" is innate, while "skills and knowledge" are acquired through learning. Second, once you learn to use "what you're good at," it applies to any job, while "skills and knowledge" only work in specific contexts (having programming skills is useless if your job doesn't require them).

Table 3-1

Of the two, "what you're good at" is more important. Because it's applicable to any job, once you've mastered its use, it remains your weapon regardless of how the times change.

In contrast, "skills and knowledge"---while necessary---can become obsolete as the world evolves.

Some people also become imprisoned by the skills and knowledge they've acquired, limiting their freedom. For instance, when considering a career change, someone might think: "Is there a job that uses my health practitioner certification?" Filtering by existing "skills and knowledge" narrows your options and may prevent you from ever finding what you truly want to do.

In many cases, "skills and knowledge" were originally just a means to enrich your life, but somewhere along the way they became the end goal. When hard-won skills and knowledge end up making your life less free, the cart has gotten before the horse.

Skills and knowledge are means to achieve what you want to do. If using those skills becomes the goal itself, of course life becomes tedious. That's precisely why it's essential to understand "what you're good at"---the innate strengths you can use anywhere, anytime. After finding "what you truly want to do," you can always acquire the "skills and knowledge" you need later.

POINT

Being shackled by skills and knowledge makes you less and less free.

Discovering what you're good at (your talents) makes you freer and freer.

What "What You Want to Do" Really Means

"What you want to do" means doing what you love in a way that plays to your strengths (see Figure 3-6):

Figure 3-6

For example, "I love fashion!" is not "what you want to do" as this book defines it. Fashion is a field of interest---it belongs to "what you love." And "I enjoy making things!" isn't "what you want to do" either---it's "what you're good at." Combining the two---"I want to create things related to fashion"---that is "what you want to do" (see Figure 3-7).

Figure 3-7

In other words, "what you want to do" is a combination of What (what you love) and How (what you're good at).

• What = Fashion
• How = Creating things
• What x How = Creating things related to fashion

Many people only think about the "What" and end up choosing the wrong job. "I love food, so I'll go into the food industry!" doesn't work, for exactly this reason. If the actual work doesn't align with your strengths, you'll suffer.

So if someone says, "I love books, so I'll work in a bookstore!"---hold on. You may love "books" (What), but that doesn't mean you're suited to "the actual tasks of bookstore work" (How). When thinking about "what you want to do," what matters is whether the specific job content (How) suits you (see Figure 3-8).

Figure 3-8

For me, "what I want to do" is "building a self-discovery framework and teaching it to others." "Self-discovery" is "what I love"---I'm endlessly curious about understanding people. "Building frameworks and teaching them to others" is "what I'm good at"---organizing what I learn each day and sharing it comes so naturally to me that I'd do it even if it weren't my job.

• What = Self-discovery
• How = Building frameworks and teaching
• What x How = Building a self-discovery framework and teaching it to others

Here's an important point: even if two people share the same "what they love," if their "what they're good at" differs, "what they want to do" will be completely different.

For example, if someone else also loves "self-discovery" but their strength is "listening to people and guiding them," their "what they want to do" would be counseling and guiding---not building frameworks and teaching. Even if both people wrote books, compared to my systematic approach, they would lean toward evoking emotional resonance---resulting in entirely different books (see Figure 3-9).

Figure 3-9

And even if two people share the same strengths, if they love different things, "what they want to do" will differ. For instance, someone equally skilled at "building frameworks and teaching" but passionate about "sports" would find their calling in "building sports-related frameworks and teaching them" (see Figure 3-10).

Figure 3-10

That's the definition of "what you want to do" in this book. Now let's clarify the difference between "what you want to do" and "who you want to become."

A phrase similar to "what you want to do" is "who you want to become," but these are completely different things. Ask someone "What do you want to do?" and they might say "I want to become a YouTuber." But "I want to become a YouTuber" is literally "who you want to become"---it's not "what you want to do." I don't recommend thinking about your calling in terms of job titles, for two reasons.

Reason 1: Thinking about "who you want to become" makes you fixate on the image, not the work.

When you think about "who you want to become," you focus on the glamorous image of the job. Many kids dream of becoming YouTubers because they think "It would be so cool to have tons of followers!" But the actual work of a YouTuber involves planning, filming, and video editing---only people who "don't mind doing this unglamorous work" succeed. Plus, reaching the "attention" they fantasize about takes ages. If you're not interested in the actual work and are only chasing the image, you'll burn out fast.

In contrast, thinking about "what you want to do" means focusing on the work itself. Only if you enjoy planning, filming, and editing will being a YouTuber make you happy.

Incidentally, some parents ask their children "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I don't recommend this question, because children tend to name jobs with glamorous images.

A better question is "What do you enjoy doing most right now?" This reveals what the child is genuinely interested in, making it easier to connect them with work they'll actually enjoy.

Also, by the time today's children enter the workforce, many new jobs will exist that don't exist yet. Conversely, some current jobs will have disappeared.

This applies to your career choices too---the job you want right now might not exist in 10 years.

Reason 2: Thinking about "who you want to become" limits your means of achievement.

If you think "I want to become a comedian," you'll assume "I have to make it on TV," locking yourself into existing paths. If you don't think you can shine on television, you'll give up on becoming a comedian entirely. But someone thinking about "what they want to do" would say: "I want to make people laugh!" Even without TV, they could think of "using YouTube" or "creating comedy manga" as alternatives. By framing it as "work that makes people laugh," paths they never imagined come into view. And even if one path is blocked, they can try others.

For instance, one of my clients, Mr. T, told me: "More than anything, I want to be an actor."

He asked: "I've been working part-time while performing in stage plays, but I'm not earning anything. Should I give up on what I want to do?"

From there, we had this conversation:

Yagi: "Mr. T, what is 'what you want to do'?"

T: "I want to become an actor."

Yagi: "That's 'who you want to become.' What do you want to do as an actor?"

T: "Hmm... I can't put it into words perfectly, but I love being on stage and performing. I want to move audiences."

Yagi: "I see. Then couldn't you move audiences even if you aren't technically an 'actor'?"

T: "...That's true. I've been fixated on succeeding as an actor, but maybe it doesn't have to be that specific title."

Yagi: "If you give 'acting' five years and it doesn't work out, it's fine to let go of that. But please don't give up on 'moving audiences through performance.' Let's find other ways to achieve that together."

When Mr. T thought about "who he wanted to become," he was locked into the idea of "being an actor and earning income through stage work." When acting didn't go well, his only option was to give up.

But thinking about "what he wanted to do"---"moving audiences through performance"---opened up paths he'd never considered: performing on YouTube, becoming an entertainer at a themed restaurant. Even if one path is closed, he can keep trying others.

It's okay to let go of "who you want to become" (a job title). After all, pouring effort into a dead-end only wastes time and energy. But never give up on "what you want to do"---because a path to achieving it surely exists somewhere.

POINT

Don't define "what you want to do" by a job title ("who you want to become").

Formula 2: What You Love x What You're Good At x What Matters = What You Truly Want to Do

Now that you understand "Formula 1: What you love x What you're good at = What you want to do," let me share something deeper---"what you truly want to do."

Formula 2: What you love x What you're good at x What matters = What you truly want to do

Even if you make "what you want to do" (from Formula 1) your work, you'll feel a certain level of passion. But it's still incomplete. A two-legged chair can't stand---it needs three legs. Similarly, your way of working only qualifies as "what you truly want to do" when all three elements are present (see Figure 3-11).

Figure 3-11

The final element of my Self-Discovery Method is "what matters to you." Most people are more familiar with the term "values."

The "what you want to do" from Formula 1 represents action. "What matters to you" represents a state of being.

For example: "I want to live freely," "I want to live kindly toward people," "I want to live with peace of mind," "I want to live with stability," "I want to live with passion"---these are all "what matters to you." Notice that every example describes a state, not an action. In English, you might say it's the difference between Doing and Being.

"What you truly want to do" requires not just the actions of "what you love x what you're good at" but also this state of being (see Table 3-2).

Table 3-2

No matter how much you do "what you want to do," if you're constantly working overtime with no personal time and feeling miserable, that way of working isn't right for you---because it doesn't satisfy "what matters to you."

Maybe you originally wanted to work while having free time to spend with family. If instead you're stuck in a job that demands constant overtime, you'd be unhappy. But for someone who believes "work is the most important thing in my life," that same situation would be ideal---and they'd actually be frustrated by a culture that strictly separates work and personal life.

The state where you're doing "what you want to do" and "what matters to you" is also being fulfilled---that is "what you truly want to do" (see Figure 3-12).

Figure 3-12

From "What Matters" (Values) to "Work Purpose"

"What matters to you" has two orientations: facing inward (toward yourself) and facing outward (toward others and society). When directed inward, "what matters" determines your life purpose. When directed outward, it determines your work purpose. In my case, it looks like (Figure 3-13):

Figure 3-13

"Work purpose" is enormously important. The tangible sense of contributing to others becomes a powerful motivator at work. My happiest moments at work are when I receive feedback from clients saying "I found what I want to do!"---those instants when I think "I'm so glad I do this Self-Discovery work!"

So how do you find a work purpose that makes you feel "doing what I truly want to do creates this kind of value"?

If you clarify "what matters to you" (your values), your work purpose will emerge naturally.

For instance, I deeply value "passion." Doing something I'm passionate about is, for me, the most fulfilling and valuable use of time. I want the people around me to have that same sense of value, so my work purpose is "helping more people live with passion." Because I find it genuinely valuable myself, I pour everything into sharing it with others.

And people who resonate with my value of "passion" keep coming to my Self-Discovery programs.

When directed inward, "what matters to you" shapes your way of living. When directed outward, it shapes your work purpose.

To do valuable work, start by clarifying your values.

POINT

What you want to do = What to do?

What matters to you (values) = Why do it (life purpose)?

Work purpose = What kind of relationship do you want with the people around you, and what kind of environment do you want to be in?

Concrete Examples of "What You Truly Want to Do"

For the question "Why do you work?"---the answer is "what matters to you." For "What work should I do?"---the answer is "what you love." For "How should I work?"---the answer is "what you're good at." Together, these three elements define your What, How, and Why (see Figure 3-14).

Figure 3-14

Using my own work as an example (see Figure 3-15):

• What = Self-discovery
• How = Building frameworks and teaching
• Why = I want to live with passion

This becomes:

• What x How x Why = Because I want to live with passion, I build a self-discovery framework and teach it to others.

Other examples follow the same pattern (see Figure 3-16).

Figure 3-15

Figure 3-16

Earlier, many people felt lost when told to find "what they want to do" because they didn't know where to start. But how does it look now? If you identify each of the three elements separately and then combine them, doesn't it feel achievable? Rest assured---I'll walk you through the practical application step by step.

POINT

Combine the three elements to find "what you truly want to do."

Why This Makes You Unbeatable at Job Hunting and Career Changes

If you don't know what criteria to use when job-hunting or switching careers, clarifying the contents of the three circles shown in (Figure 3-17) will eliminate your confusion.

Figure 3-17

Try filtering the countless companies in the world through these three lenses. Very few will remain. And if you've clarified all three elements, you'll become unstoppable in interviews---because you'll be able to answer the following questions with solid reasoning:

• What you love → Why did you choose this industry?
• What you're good at → How will you produce results in this role?
• What matters to you → Why did you choose this company?

POINT

Understanding yourself through these three lenses makes you unbeatable at job hunting and career changes.

Self-Discovery Rule 1: Making "What You Love" Your Job Is the Wrong Idea

So far I've explained the three pillars of the Self-Discovery Method. Now I'll introduce the three rules for putting it into practice.

Influenced by YouTube slogans, many people embrace the idea "I want to make a living doing what I love." But this book isn't telling you to "make a living from what you love," because "what you love" is ultimately just a means of achieving your work purpose.

Of course, satisfying even one element---"what you love"---is great. Working on something that interests you is obviously better than working on something that doesn't. But making "what you love" your purpose is a mistake.

The phrase "make a living from what you love" has a huge problem: people who try to make their passion their job often fail because they've lost sight of their work purpose.

Let me illustrate with a restaurant example. When you walk into a restaurant, have you ever felt that "something's off"?

If so, it's because the restaurateur lost sight of their work purpose and went off track. For instance:

• Do they want diners to become "healthier"?
• Do they want the restaurant to be a place of "possibility" where people connect?
• Do they want guests to feel the "comfort" of being at home?

These might be the restaurateur's "work purposes." When you think about fulfilling that purpose, the "food" is merely a means. Someone who only makes "dishes they personally enjoy" for self-satisfaction will never run a good restaurant. Customers don't come just for the food---they come for the value embedded within it: "health," "comfort," "a relaxing atmosphere."

If the values aren't clear, the restaurant becomes a "come one, come all" establishment where chain-smoking businessmen and young families with children end up side by side. Neither group is comfortable, and eventually no one comes at all.

In an age with countless restaurant options, an establishment that tries to welcome everyone will attract no one.

Making what you love your job can satisfy you, but it's hard to deliver value to customers. And since your income includes the value you provide to customers, the restaurant won't earn well.

Sticking with the restaurant example: as times change, continuing to do "what you love" in the same way becomes difficult.

With COVID-19, restaurants face extremely tough conditions. What should they do? Rather than clinging to the current format, return to the work purpose: "Why did I open this restaurant in the first place?"

If it was to provide "comfort," think about what you can do to deliver that.

If it was to provide "possibility," think about what you can do to deliver that.

The answer might be something entirely different from running a restaurant. For someone whose only thought was "I love cooking"---adapting to change will be agonizing. They won't know what to do next and will be stuck.

I love understanding people, but I've never thought I'd do this forever. Eventually, the world may no longer need self-discovery.

When that day comes, I'll ask myself: "How can I help more people live with passion?" and begin looking for the next thing I love to make into my work.

At the end of the day, "what you love" is just a means. You mustn't cling to it. That's why the Self-Discovery Method's rule is: start from the "work purpose" that emerges from "what matters to you," then find "what you want to do."

POINT

Rule 1: "What you love" is a means. Find "what matters to you" first.

Self-Discovery Rule 2: Before Looking for "What You Love," Find "What You're Good At"

"When searching for what you want to do, set aside financial constraints and whether you can actually do it. Just think about what you'd do if anything were possible."

You see this advice everywhere in books about finding your calling. It sounds convincing: "Maybe the reason I haven't found what I want to do is that I've been worrying about whether it's possible!" I saw this advice too, during my own period of not knowing what I wanted. So I started thinking: "If I could do anything, what would I do?"

After much deliberation, I still came up completely blank. Words would start to form in my mind, only to be squashed by thoughts like "But I don't have the money..." or "Isn't it too late to start?" In the end, I still couldn't find what I wanted to do.

Sure, if you could strip away all constraints, you'd probably find what you want to do. But in reality, constraints are everywhere. If we could simply ignore them, we wouldn't be struggling in the first place.

So what should those of us who can't just ignore these constraints do?

In Rule 1, I explained that "what you want to do" is a means---you should find "what matters to you" first. Next, to break free from the constraint of "I can't turn this into a job," let's find "what you're good at."

This is a conclusion I've reached through teaching the Self-Discovery Method to many people: the key is to find "what you're good at" before looking for "what you love."

Many people agonize over "not knowing what they want to do" because they've gotten the order wrong.

As I mentioned earlier, the biggest reason people can't find "what they want to do" is the mental block of "even if I find it, I won't be able to make it my job."

Flip that around: if you had confidence that you could turn anything into work, finding "what you want to do" would be easy. To build that confidence, it's crucial to identify "what you're good at."

"What you're good at" means "the way you naturally work well"---or put another way, "strengths you can leverage in any situation." If you're confident in your strengths, you can apply your natural way of working to any passion and make it your job.

With that confidence, you break through the mental block, and "what you want to do" reveals itself naturally. That's why you need to identify "what you're good at" first. In fact, before I found "what I truly wanted to do," I thoroughly honed "building frameworks and teaching"---my core strength.

For me, blogging was something I wasn't sure was "what I wanted to do," but it was something I was good at and could produce results with. Writing came naturally, so even without much effort, results followed.

Those results gave me the confidence to think: "If I can do this, I can probably turn anything into work." And that confidence is what enabled me to find what I loved and turn "what I wanted to do" into my career.

Here is the order in which you should find "what you truly want to do":

1. What matters to you

2. What you're good at

3. What you love

POINT

Rule 2: Before looking for "what you love," find "what you're good at."

Self-Discovery Rule 3: Don't Think About the "Means of Achievement"

The one thing you must not do during the self-discovery process is prematurely fixate on "means of achievement."

Don't jump ahead to thoughts like "I'll blog," "I'll become a YouTuber," "I'll learn programming," "Which company should I join?," "I'll go freelance," "I'll start a business," or "I'll study English." You can think about all of that after you've found "what you truly want to do."

This is like deciding whether to fly or take the train before you've even chosen your destination. First decide the destination---"what you truly want to do"---then figure out how to get there.

"Which company to work for" is also just a means of achieving "what you truly want to do." Even if you find a company that temporarily feels "perfect," as times change, the people, performance, and work content will all shift.

A "company" is nothing more than a means. If you make it the center of your working life, you'll find yourself confused when things change: "Wait, what was I working for again?" But if you design your career around your own life purpose, when a company is no longer the right vehicle, you can switch jobs or go independent without hesitation. Let me say it again: a company is simply a means of moving closer to your life purpose. If you feel it no longer serves that purpose, change the means.

If you've decided on a travel destination, choosing the best transportation becomes easy (see Figure 3-18). Likewise, once you've clarified "what you truly want to do," the "means of achievement" will follow naturally. There's no need to worry about it from the start, especially since the means can be changed at any time.

Figure 3-18

First, clarify "Formula 2: What you truly want to do."

POINT

Rule 3: Blogging, YouTube, starting a business, changing jobs---these means of achievement can be figured out later.

Let me summarize the order for finding "what you want to do."

First, find "what matters to you" (your values). Then define your work purpose: "What am I working for?" For me, my work purpose is "helping more people live with passion." "What I want to do" is the means of achieving this purpose.

Second, search for "what you want to do" through "what you're good at." This is to build the confidence that "as long as I use my strengths, I can do any job." Then find "what you love." In my case, "what I'm good at" is "building frameworks and teaching," and "what I love" is "self-discovery." So "building a self-discovery framework and teaching it to others" is "what I want to do." And "to help more people live with passion, building a self-discovery framework and teaching it to others" is "what I truly want to do."

Finally, once you've determined what you truly want to do, decide on the "means" to achieve it. In my case, my means include "running programs," "writing books," "publishing YouTube videos," and "blogging."

These steps are summarized in (Table 3-3): "To help more people live with passion, I build a self-discovery framework and teach it to others, using my self-discovery program as the primary means."

Table 3-3

After reading this book, you'll have this same clarity, and life will never feel aimless again.

Starting on the next page, let's find "what matters to you" (your values) together!

---

Chapter 4: Finding Your Life's Compass: What Matters to You

How to Work Without Ever Running Out of Motivation

How can you maintain a steady flow of motivation and stay passionate about your work?

A mentor of mine once told me: "Business" and "work" mean the same thing. The essence of "business" is "never getting bored." No matter how prestigious or lucrative a job is, if it's something you're not interested in, you'll get "bored." Likewise, if you only do what you want without adapting to the needs of the times and your customers, they'll get "bored" too. My mentor taught me that good "business" is something neither you nor your customers ever tire of.

Not getting bored yourself is the absolute baseline. Thinking about how to use the work you love and never tire of to bring joy to others---that is what real work looks like.

One of my clients was a nurse. She told me: "I'm happy to receive patients' gratitude, but the work itself is so exhausting that I can't keep going." This shows that no matter how needed you are, if the work itself drains you, it's unsustainable.

When you do "what you want to do," making yourself happy simultaneously makes others happy. That's why the more you want to contribute to others, the more you need to find what you want to do. Conversely, if you do something you enjoy but it's not what customers need, it won't last either. And it's not really work---it's a hobby. Hobbies generally cost money. So you'd still need other work to earn a living.

Some people think "If I keep doing what I want, it'll eventually become my job"---but this is wrong. If you don't first think about who you're doing it for and how, no amount of doing what you want will be anything more than self-indulgence. The prerequisite for good work is that neither you nor the people you serve ever get bored.

So how do you find such work? The most important element is "what matters to you" (values). When your life purpose---"I want to live this way!"---and your work purpose---"I want to have this kind of impact on others!"---align perfectly, you'll fall in love with your work naturally.

In my case, "living with intense passion and helping more people live with passion" is "what matters to me" (my values).

To share this beautiful state of "passion" with more people, I chose this work---supporting people in finding what they're passionate about. In other words, when you work with "what matters to you" at the center, you're fulfilled and never bored, and your clients are fulfilled and never bored.

POINT

Work centered on your values keeps motivation flowing indefinitely.

Understanding the Difference Between "Goals" and "Values"

Something easily confused with "what matters to you" (values) is "goals."

Think of it this way: "what matters to you" (values) is the direction you keep traveling in throughout life. A "goal" is a checkpoint along that path. Goals exist to confirm how far you've come.

Values indicate the direction you're heading. Goals determine the distance (see Figure 4-1).

• Values → Direction
• Goals → Distance

Figure 4-1

Running without knowing which direction to go is like a hamster sprinting on a wheel.

Some clients come to me with this frustration: "After achieving my goal, I felt completely burned out." This happens when you set goals blindly without first clarifying your values. Even when you reach the goal, you don't feel happy---and you instantly lose your next one.

I once set a goal of "earning one million yen per month" and worked hard toward it.

I reached it without much trouble. But as I described earlier, after achieving it I felt burned out and had zero motivation to keep going, eventually becoming depressed. I consulted some business-owner friends, and they said: "Your goal is too small, Yagi! Aim for 10 million yen per month!"

I actually took their advice and tried setting "10 million yen next month" as my goal---but I still had zero motivation.

Looking back, failure was inevitable. What I wanted wasn't money---it was something behind the money.

After that experience, I completely changed how I set goals: first establish your values, then set goals that are necessary to fulfill those values. For example, my current values are "living with intense passion and helping more people live with passion."

The money I need is only enough to keep studying self-discovery and cover my living expenses. Doing the math, 500,000 yen per month would let me study to my heart's content with no distractions. So I don't set goals of earning more than that---even if I did, I wouldn't have the motivation to pursue them.

Now, my goal is to get more people to take my Self-Discovery program and achieve results (see Figure 4-2).

If the number of students increases, income naturally rises too. But ultimately that's just a "number"---what it really reflects is how much impact I'm having on others.

Figure 4-2

Do you have the motivation to pursue the goals you've set? If not, it's because those goals are misaligned with your values. Check whether you've planted your goal flag off the path you're actually meant to walk (see Figure 4-3).

Figure 4-3

When you find what's genuinely valuable to you, you won't struggle with motivation anymore. If you're currently suffering from lack of motivation and can't figure out how to get fired up no matter how hard you think about it, the path you're on is wrong. What you need isn't a technique for boosting motivation---you need to clarify your life purpose (your values) and then set a goal that doesn't require motivation hacks.

POINT

Values are the direction you keep traveling in throughout life.

Goals are checkpoints along that path.

How to Tell "True Values" from "Fake Values"

When searching for your values, I want to flag one thing: there is no "correct answer" for values.

Even if no one else agrees with you, as long as you feel "I want to live this way!"---that's your true value.

Don't mistake "I should live this way"---a fake value---for your genuine one (see Figure 4-4). These are "other people's values" that parents, society, and the external world have unconsciously imposed on you. If you haven't identified your own values, you'll live according to others' expectations without even realizing it.

Figure 4-4

One of my clients fell into exactly this trap. Growing up, his parents constantly told him "You must keep improving," instilling in him a value of "pursuing growth." Because of this, he'd always chosen jobs based on "whether they'd help him grow," gritting his teeth through exhaustion in the name of personal development.

I asked him: "Do you want to grow?" He replied: "I feel like I have to grow." "Have to grow" and "should grow" aren't feelings from the heart---they're fake values his parents installed.

When I asked "What do you think is a life purpose you could pursue indefinitely?", he thought long and hard before arriving at the value of "discovery." He realized that not repeating the same thing, having new "insights" (discoveries) every day---that was his happiest state.

Once you understand what your values are, check whether any fake ones have snuck in.

Take each value and ask yourself: "Is this something I want to do, or something I feel I should do?" If "should" or "have to" appears in your answer, it's someone else's expectation for you---not your genuine desire. Pursuing it will only lead to regret.

POINT

"I want to..." is a true value.

"I should..." is a fake value imposed by parents and society.

Five Steps to Finding Your True Values

The following five steps will help you uncover your true values:

1. Answer 5 questions to identify value keywords.

2. Create a values mind map.

3. Transform "other-centered" values into "self-centered" values.

4. Rank your values to determine priorities.

5. Define your work purpose, and work will flow naturally.

Just follow the steps---it's not difficult. After completing them, identify up to five values that resonate most deeply with you, then rank them. This ranking will serve as your life's compass.

I can confidently say I live for these five values:

1. Aesthetic sense: Living a beautiful life.

2. Passion: Being absorbed in what I want to do.

3. Results: Pursuing results and bringing good results to others.

4. Curiosity: Acting on my interests.

5. Simplicity: Living a clean, uncluttered life with minimal hesitation.

When someone asks "What's your life purpose?", I answer immediately: "To live a beautiful life." When asked "What's your work purpose?", I can answer instantly: "To help more people live with passion." The goal of finding your values is to reach this state of certainty (see Figure 4-5).

Figure 4-5

POINT

Through five steps, create your values ranking.

Two Approaches When You Can't Answer the Questions

You might face a situation where you want to answer the questions but simply can't find the words. People often ask me: "Does not being able to answer well mean I don't understand myself?" Actually, that's not it at all. You just haven't found the thinking method that works for you yet.

Here are two approaches I use whenever I'm struggling to think clearly.

One is "Writing Meditation," and the other is "Question Dialogue." I'll explain both, and you can choose whichever suits you.

Writing Meditation: Get a sheet of paper and write the question you want to answer at the top. Set a timer for 3 minutes, and during those 3 minutes, write down whatever comes to mind without stopping.

The key rule is: you cannot stop writing for the entire 3 minutes. If nothing comes to mind, literally write: "Nothing's coming to mind. What should I do?" Writing Meditation emphasizes that consciously moving your hand is more important than thinking before you write. The physical act of writing triggers thought, and unexpected answers will emerge when you least expect them.

If regular note-taking is writing with your brain, then Writing Meditation is writing with your body.

• Writing with your brain = regular notes
• Writing with your body = Writing Meditation

Figure 4-6

Research shows that typically about 27% of unemployed people find new work within 5 days. But when unemployed people used Writing Meditation to process their emotions over 5 days, a remarkable 68% found new jobs. This demonstrates that Writing Meditation is highly effective for self-dialogue.

Because it's such a powerful tool for answering self-discovery questions, please make use of it whenever you're stuck.

Question Dialogue (see Figure 4-7): As the name suggests, this method uses questions in conversation to deepen self-understanding. People generally fall into two types: those who deepen their thinking through solitary reflection, and those who deepen it through dialogue with others. Question Dialogue is better suited to the latter.

Figure 4-7

Ask a friend or family member to read the questions aloud to you. Questions like: "Which famous person do you admire?" "Which friend do you like most?" "Which manga character do you like?" "What do you like about them?" Then have a natural conversation about the topic. As the dialogue unfolds, you'll notice your thoughts gradually crystallizing.

The advantage of Question Dialogue is that it lets you see your own ideas objectively.

When you think alone, you might dismiss your answers as "obvious---everyone thinks this way." But the goal of self-discovery isn't finding things that seem obvious to everyone. What you need to watch for is answers that are "obvious to you but special to others."

When using Question Dialogue, you'll naturally notice these distinctions. I recommend using the questions from this book to have discussions with friends and deepen your self-understanding. You'll surely make discoveries you've never noticed before. Please enlist your friends and family to help you understand yourself better.

Now let's begin finding your true values.

Step 1: Answer 5 Questions to Identify Value Keywords

To find your values, here are five carefully selected questions with sample responses. Answer all five. When thinking of value keywords, refer to the "100 Examples of What Matters (Values)" list in the appendix.

Question 1: Who do you admire, respect, or like? What specifically do you admire about them?

When thinking about someone you respect, looking at what they do isn't very useful---because their "thing" and yours are different. If you try to imitate what they do out of admiration, you'll end up in the "who you want to become" trap from Chapter 3. So let's think about the people you respect from the angle of values.

Anyone is fine, as long as thinking of them makes you feel "I want to live like that." A boss at work, a friend in life---anyone.

Once you've brought someone to mind, ask yourself: "What is it about them that I find appealing?"

For example, I deeply admire Dai Miyamoto, the protagonist of the manga BLUE GIANT (by Shin'ichi Ishizuka). Why? Because he "has big dreams and is completely absorbed in pursuing them." He aims to become the world's greatest saxophone player, practicing every day, steadily accumulating the skills and knowledge he needs. That moves me profoundly. When I asked myself "Why do I think Dai is so cool?", I realized it's because I too am "working hard toward a dream I'm genuinely passionate about." This reaffirmed my value of "passion."

The people you respect reflect your values. If you admire multiple people, think about what qualities they share. If you find common values across them, those are extremely important values for you.

Question 2: What experience from childhood or adolescence has had the biggest impact on who you are today? How did it shape your values?

Generally speaking, childhood experiences form the foundation of your values. What experiences shaped the way you think now?

The most impactful experience for me happened in second grade. My homeroom teacher was the complete opposite of my image of what a teacher should look like, and the shock left a lasting impression.

She had her long hair in an extravagant perm, wore jangling jewelry on both hands, and dressed in tight black ripped jeans. Her tone was forceful, and when she was angry, she was terrifying. But she was an incredibly loving teacher who cared about every student in the class. The influence she had on me was this: don't be bound by convention---follow your own aesthetic sense. Her compass was internal. If she'd been constrained by school rules, she never would have dressed that way.

I thought: "She's so cool. I want to live like that." From this experience, I formed the value of living according to my "aesthetic sense." Or rather, the seed was already in my heart---and contact with her made it sprout.

What deeply memorable childhood experiences can you still recall?

Experiences that resonate with your values tend to stick in memory because they carry intense emotions. From the experiences that come to mind, think about what values they taught you.

Question 3: What do you feel is lacking in today's society?

Looking at the world, what frustrates you? Feeling frustrated means you're picturing a better society in your mind, however vaguely. But because that ideal isn't being realized at all, you feel dissatisfied.

Bridging the gap between ideal and reality---that's "what you want to do." I've always been puzzled by the question: "Why does everyone hate their jobs so much?"

Every day I feel frustrated: it should be so simple to look inward at what you truly want to do and make that your work... In other words, I believe what society lacks is "passion." I feel strongly that the world would be a better place if more people could live with passion, which is why I've made helping people live with passion my life's work.

What frustrates you might be completely different from what frustrates others. For example, when asked what society is lacking, my clients have given answers like:

• Flexibility
• Thoughtfulness
• Adequate time
• Health awareness
• Time for self-reflection

From these answers, you can identify their values and work purpose. So---what do you feel is lacking in today's society?

Question 4: Ask the people around you: "What do you think I value most in life?"

Ask them to share specific examples.

In reality, your values are already at work in your daily life. Even if you haven't noticed, the people around you have. Just as you use a mirror to see your own face, use the people around you as mirrors to see your values. Please ask someone close to you what they think your values are---you'll be surprised by what you discover. I tried this with my wife and a colleague.

My wife's answer: "Simplicity."

"Whether it's your work plans, your way of thinking, or your lifestyle, you really value simplicity. Because you understand that life is finite and you don't want to waste time on unnecessary things, you want to live a completely simple life. You only maintain relationships with people who matter, and you only buy simple, practical things."

My colleague Mr. Inoue's answer: "Getting to the root of things."

"I think what you value most is getting to the root of things. Self-discovery itself is essentially getting to the root of life, which is probably why you chose work you're passionate about---pursuing the essence and truth of things and producing results."

After hearing from people close to you, look for common threads. My values seem to be living "simply" and "passionately pursuing" what I truly want to do. This further confirmed my values.

Please ask the people closest to you. And if they share their observations, I suggest writing down what you perceive as their values in return. You might become great partners in advancing each other's self-discovery.

Question 5: If you were raising a child or advising someone, what would you most want to tell them? What would you least want to tell them?

This question is particularly useful when thinking about values as they relate to work purpose. If you have something you want to pass on to children or others, it means you want to influence the people around you---which connects directly to "work purpose."

Write down what you'd want to tell them, then think about the value keyword behind each piece of advice:

• "You should create income sources that don't depend on an organization" → Independence
• "You should exercise daily to maintain a body that lets you enjoy life" → Passion
• "Continuing work you hate will gradually erode your confidence, so start doing what interests you" → Authenticity
• "Simplify your possessions and relationships, keeping only what truly matters" → Simplicity

Also write down what you would never want to tell them. Ideally, these are things that make you think "I can't even imagine being the kind of person who'd say this":

• "Society is unstable right now, so find a stable job" → Stability; the opposite is "Challenge"
• "Endurance is part of work. Keep grinding and you'll get there" → Endurance; the opposite is "Curiosity"
• "Taking risks is dangerous. Better to play it safe" → Maintaining the status quo; the opposite is "Growth"

Just imagining myself saying these things gives me chills. In these words, you can see the opposite of your values.

What would you want to pass on to others? And what would you absolutely refuse to say? These reveal your work purpose---the values you want to bring to others through your work.

Step 2: Create a Values Mind Map

After answering the questions, you'll have collected value keywords. Now let's organize them. If you have fewer than 15 keywords, I recommend answering more questions from the appendix. The more keywords you have, the easier it will be to clarify your values when organizing them.

When you list out all your keywords, many similar words will appear, and you won't know which to prioritize yet. That's fine---the purpose of this step is simply to sort them. I recommend using a Values Mind Map (see Figure 4-8). Sticky notes work great; apps are fine too.

Write out all your value keywords. Then group similar ones together, 4 to 6 per group. Once grouped, think of an overarching keyword that captures each cluster.

By consolidating similar keywords, you'll discover: "This might be one of my core values!"

Figure 4-8

For example, I grouped "minimalism, refreshing, simple" into the single keyword "Simplicity." Writing out many keywords first and then synthesizing them produces a values ranking that's genuinely personal rather than superficial.

POINT

Group keywords with similar meanings together.

Step 3: Transform "Other-Centered" Values into "Self-Centered" Values

While there's no "correct" set of values, there's one important caveat: it's best not to build your values around things you can't control.

Take the value "I want to be respected." Whether others respect you is beyond your control. You can act in ways worthy of respect, but whether respect is given depends on others. Similarly, "I want to be rich" is outside your control---the customer decides whether to pay. It's like trying to control the weather: "Why is it raining today? Stop raining! Sun, come out!"

Pursuing such values will only make you unhappy.

A study at the University of Rochester tracked graduates who set goals and measured their life satisfaction afterward.

The graduates fell into two groups. One group had "purpose-driven goals"---wanting to help others improve their lives while learning and growing themselves. The other group had "profit-driven goals"---wanting to become rich or famous.

A year or two later, researchers found that graduates with purpose-driven goals who felt they were making progress experienced significant life satisfaction and subjective well-being, with very low levels of anxiety and depression.

Meanwhile, graduates with profit-driven goals---even those who achieved wealth and recognition---showed no increase in satisfaction, self-esteem, or other positive emotions compared to their student days. In fact, their levels of anxiety and depression had actually increased.

The takeaway: "Profit-driven goals don't make you happy even when achieved---they actually make you unhappier."

• Purpose-driven goals: "Help others improve their lives while growing myself" → Increased well-being
• Profit-driven goals: "Become rich," "Become famous" → Increased anxiety and depression

By the time I learned about this research, I already understood that no amount of money would make me happy.

If you've had similar desires to "make money" or "earn respect," there's absolutely no need to deny them. Just don't make them your life purpose---instead, treat them as fuel.

The practical method is to ask yourself: "What do I want to do after I have money?" In other words, find what you want even more than wealth. For instance, I used to value "being famous." After deep reflection, I discovered what I really wanted was "curiosity." So "curiosity" became my value.

• Why do I want to be famous? → Because I want people to look up to me.
• Why do I want to be looked up to? → To validate my own existence.
• If I were validated, what would I do? → Not care about others' opinions and just live according to my curiosity.
• Can I do that without being famous? → Yes.

Whether you become famous is beyond your control---that's an other-centered value. But living according to your curiosity is entirely within your control---that's a self-centered value. I'm not saying you should give up on becoming wealthy or famous. Just don't lose sight of the true purpose behind those desires.

In practice, the more you pursue self-centered values, the easier it becomes to achieve other-centered ones.

By following my "curiosity," constantly learning and sharing, I naturally gained visibility---gradually fulfilling the originally other-centered value of "wanting to be famous!"

If "fame" had been my goal, I probably would have only done things that looked sure to succeed. The result would be that I couldn't follow my curiosity, couldn't pursue what I loved, and couldn't write this book systematizing my method. But by living according to self-centered values, the other-centered ones took care of themselves.

After answering the values questions, did any keywords appear that represent things beyond your control?

If so, ask yourself: "What's my real purpose?" and "After achieving that, what would I want?" Try to identify what you're truly after.

Two more examples:

Example 1: Rich → Authentic self

• I want to be rich.
• Why? → Because people would respect me.
• After earning respect, then what? → People would value me and treat me kindly.
• What's that for? → I want to live as my authentic self.
• Can I do that without being rich? → Yes.

Example 2: Rich → Learning

• I want to be rich.
• Why? → I want to learn to fly helicopters.
• Why? → Learning new things makes me happy.
• Can I do that without being rich? → Yes.

If you pursue other-centered values as your goal, your heart will never be truly satisfied no matter how long you try. In this step, clarify the "self-centered" values you're truly pursuing.

POINT

Transform uncontrollable "other-centered" values into controllable "self-centered" values.

Step 4: Rank Your Values and Determine Priorities

Next, let's rank the values you've identified. I understand the feeling of "every one of these is important, so I can't rank them..." But if you can create this ranking, it will genuinely reduce the confusion in your life going forward. Please give it a try.

The trick to ranking is asking: "Which one is my ultimate purpose?"

For example, I ranked my five values as shown in (Figure 4-9).

Figure 4-9

Why this order? Because it makes it easy to see that the values at the bottom are the foundational ones that should be satisfied first, while the one at the top is the ultimate purpose. For instance, I love the state of "simplicity," but it's not my ultimate purpose. My ultimate purpose is to follow my "aesthetic sense" and live a beautiful life. Moreover, all the values connect like this:

1. Aesthetic sense → Living a beautiful life

↑ Only someone in a state of passion is truly beautiful

2. Passion → Being absorbed in what I want to do

↑ Once you commit to producing results, you become absorbed

3. Results → Pursuing results and bringing good results to others

↑ Doing what you love seriously leads to results

4. Curiosity → Acting on my interests

↑ When you're not confused, it's easy to follow curiosity

5. Simplicity → Living a clean, uncluttered life

For example, the energy of curiosity-driven excitement connects to "passion"---without curiosity, absorption is difficult. And someone who is immersed in what they want to do, in a state of "passion," strikes others as "beautiful." Therefore, my ultimate life purpose is "aesthetic sense"---"living a beautiful life."

Try using this thinking process to rank your own values. Once you have this ranking, it becomes immediately clear which values are currently lacking in your life.

Going forward, the number of times you agonize over "which path to take" will decrease dramatically. To live free from confusion, this ranking step is essential.

POINT

Rank your values.

Step 5: Define Your Work Purpose and Let Work Flow Naturally

After completing the values ranking for your life purpose, next consider your "work purpose."

Values must first satisfy you. What's important is to live true to your values and fulfill yourself first. For instance, if your value is "peace of mind," do things daily that bring you that sense of peace.

Then, once you're fulfilled, you'll naturally want to share that value with the people around you. Like water overflowing from a cup, it spreads outward (see Figure 4-10).

Figure 4-10

From your list of values, choose the one you want to share with others. If it's not something you genuinely find important, you won't have the drive to pursue it.

From my five values, I set "passion" as my work purpose. Everything I've identified as "what I want to do" is a means to achieve this purpose. My "thing" is "self-discovery," and my work purpose is to share "passion" with everyone. Because I love self-discovery, I want to teach it to others---but if some other method could ignite passion in people, I'd be open to that too.

Clients want to receive "value." What my clients want isn't just "knowledge about self-discovery"---it's the "passion" behind it. For example, RIZAP Group offers a "weight loss method" combining exercise and diet, with over 100,000 members. RIZAP's leader, Mr. Seto, says: "RIZAP isn't just a weight-loss center. Our value lies in transforming our clients' lives through RIZAP, helping them shine, feel confident, and experience happiness. I believe providing this value is our work."

Before making weight loss the work content, they established a work purpose of "confidence and a radiant life." This is clearly a way of working grounded in "work purpose."

So how do you determine your work purpose? An effective method is to look back on experiences where you provided value to others.

Even if you haven't been aware of it, you've been taking actions to influence the world around you. The nature of that influence varies from person to person, but you've definitely had such experiences.

Reflect on those experiences and you'll discover your "unconscious attempts to influence those around you." That is your "work purpose."

Think of 10 specific experiences where you provided value to others. A single experience might lead to the wrong conclusion, so reviewing 10 is important. Even if you didn't successfully "provide value"---just trying to provide value counts. Because as long as you have the desire to contribute value, you can always learn the "skills and knowledge" later.

For example, I have these 10 experiences (see Table 4-1).

Table 4-1

After listing your experiences, ask yourself: "What kind of value did I want to provide?"

Various keywords will emerge, but simply choose the one that appears most frequently as your "work purpose." In my case, the value I provide to others looks like (Table 4-2):

Table 4-2

Once your work purpose is established, you can find your "true calling" from among the many things you want to do.

For example, I'm also interested in board games, fashion, and other things. But for the purpose of "helping more people live with passion," I felt self-discovery was the best fit, so I made teaching the Self-Discovery Method my work. Clients sometimes email me: "Thanks to your program, my life has changed completely. Thank you so much!" Every time I receive such messages, I think: "I'm so glad I chose self-discovery."

Even if you discover many "things you want to do" going forward, as long as you've established a work purpose of "providing value," you'll be able to identify "what you truly want to do."

One note: "I want to make people happy" or "I want to bring people joy" are not work purposes. Because anything can make someone happy. If you set that as your "work purpose," you'll remain stuck forever, unable to determine what you want to do.

If this is where you land, ask yourself: "When do people smile?" or "When do people feel happy?" Among answers like "when they feel safe" or "when they feel excited," your values will emerge.

If your values still aren't clear after these steps, try answering the additional questions in the appendix.

Once your work purpose is defined, go find "what you want to do" to fulfill it.

POINT

Derive your work purpose from your values ranking.

---

Chapter 5: Once You Find Your Strengths, You Can Apply Them to Any Job

What "What You're Good At" Means

"What you want to do" is the combination of "what you love" and "what you're good at." To find "what you want to do," you first need to find "what you're good at." As I explained earlier, the biggest reason people can't find "what they love" is "lacking the confidence to turn it into a job."

Finding what you're good at breaks through this barrier. But first, let's redefine "what you're good at."

What you're good at = achieving results through unconscious patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior.

That's the definition. It might sound confusing, so let me simplify: "what you're good at" is essentially your habits. I'm not talking about dazzling talents like athletic or musical ability---I mean the things you do naturally, without thinking:

• Always observing other people
• Always acting the moment an idea strikes
• Always being considerate of others' feelings
• Always thinking about how to win
• Always wondering how to make others happy

These thinking habits and emotional patterns are "what you're good at." Because they're "unconscious," they're hard to recognize in yourself.

Try this: picture a sheet of paper in your mind. Now imagine writing your name on it.

Done? Which hand did you use?

99% of people instinctively used their dominant hand without thinking---and wrote without any awareness of "I'm using my dominant hand." That's unconscious behavior.

Not doing what you're good at is like going through life never using your dominant hand. No matter how hard you try, someone alternating between their dominant and non-dominant hand can never beat someone who uses their dominant hand consistently.

Because using your dominant hand is unconscious, almost nobody thinks "Okay, now I'm going to use my dominant hand!" Similarly, we need to take the time to reflect on our behaviors and unearth the things we do well without even noticing.

POINT

What you're good at (talent) = unconscious habits, discovered by reflecting on your behavior.

From "Trying to Change Yourself" to "Trying to Use Your Strengths"

Your talents are essentially just "habits." And because they're habits, they have no inherent good or bad qualities. The same "habit" can manifest as a "strength" or a "weakness," depending on how you look at it. For example, "being cautious and detail-oriented" is a habit. In work that demands accuracy, it's a strength; in work that demands speed, it becomes a weakness.

You must learn how to deploy your talents as strengths (see Figure 5-1).

Figure 5-1

I used to focus only on my weaknesses too. I thought my weakness was "getting tired from being around people for too long."

I'd always believed "I need to make lots of friends and become popular." To overcome this weakness, I tried hitchhiking 100 times. But I still struggled with strangers, and I never became the person I'd fantasized about---someone with tons of friends.

Trying to fix weaknesses is painful, and when you fail, all you do is beat yourself up: "I can't change no matter how hard I try."

Instead of trying to fix your weaknesses, try changing your perspective. At first glance, "getting tired from being around people for too long" seems purely negative. But viewed from a different angle, what strength could it become?

I transformed it into the strength of "being able to focus deeply when working alone." The reason I can diligently update my blog, publish books, and create content is precisely because I have this strength.

If I had denied this talent and forced myself to keep smiling in crowds despite the pain, I would have become a boring, personality-less person.

I'm able to make a living through writing today because I treated my talent as a strength. "Hard work always pays off" is a lie---effort spent overcoming weaknesses is pointless. Constantly focusing on what you're bad at only accelerates self-rejection.

Have you seen the optical illusion called "Young Woman and Old Woman" (see Figure 5-2)?

Figure 5-2

The same image can be seen as a young woman facing away or an old woman facing forward.

This perfectly mirrors how "talents" work. Any talent can become either a strength or a weakness depending on your perspective. Therefore, no one's talents are inherently better or worse than anyone else's. What matters is understanding your talents and using them effectively.

Let's fundamentally shift our thinking. From now on, stop "trying to change your weaknesses" and start "trying to leverage your strengths."

You don't lack talent. You just don't know how to use what you have. Here's a simple technique that can instantly flip your weaknesses into strengths: replace "because of..." (an excuse) with "precisely because..." (a reframe).

For instance: "I'm shy around strangers, so I have trouble making new friends."

Now replace "so" with "precisely because":

"Precisely because I'm shy around strangers, I can invest deeply in the people who truly matter to me." "Precisely because I'm shy, I have time for independent thinking."

In an instant, the weakness becomes a strength.

The appendix includes a "100 Examples of Talents" list that maps each talent to both its strength and weakness expressions. To turn your habits into strengths, please make full use of it.

Stop trying to fix your weaknesses. Start leveraging your strengths.

POINT

✗ Trying to change your weaknesses.

✓ Trying to leverage your strengths.

The More Self-Help Books You Read, the Less Confident You Become

Some people think "How do I succeed?" and start devouring self-help books---but this only backfires.

The more you read, the more confidence you lose. The reason? What you're learning from those books is "how the author uses their particular strengths."

Self-help books describe success stories: "I did X and things worked out great." It looks like "doing X" is the universal answer. But it's actually the author's personal formula for leveraging their strengths---it might not apply to you at all. Even if you diligently follow their advice, if it doesn't match your profile, it's meaningless.

The more you try, the more you think: "I did exactly what the book said and nothing happened. I must be hopeless..." And gradually, confidence erodes.

During college, I read a book called Go Expand Your Network! and set myself the goal of hitchhiking 100 times. But it was pure misery---I'm genuinely terrible at talking to strangers. The more I did it, the more I thought: "I just can't connect with new people..." and lost confidence.

After 100 hitchhiking attempts, my conclusion was: "I'm not cut out for daily conversations with strangers."

While I did learn that much, I would have been far better off spending that time doing something that played to my strengths.

At the time, I was like a fish trying to practice flying, constantly telling myself "No matter how much I practice, I can't fly---I'm a failure," and losing confidence.

Before you admire the birds soaring overhead, first ask: "What talent do I have?"

Are you a fish that swims in the sea, or a bird that flies through the sky?

Some people achieve great results through deep relationships with a few people; others thrive through broad networks. "Having only a few truly important companions" and "building extensive connections"---both are correct answers.

What matters isn't imitating someone else's formula for using their strengths, but building a success formula that works for you.

Create your own owner's manual. From that point forward, you'll never again spend your days doing things you're bad at, "unable to get motivated." The difficulty level of the game of life will drop dramatically.

POINT

✗ Reading self-help books reveals the formula for success.

✓ Your success formula exists only within yourself.

Polish Your Strengths Until You're Irreplaceable

The more you use your strengths, the more pronounced your advantage becomes. Compared to overcoming weaknesses, leveraging strengths yields far greater growth.

A study tracked 16-year-old students over three years of speed-reading training to measure improvement. Group A averaged 90 words per minute, while Group B averaged 350 words per minute. Both groups received identical training.

After three years, Group A averaged 150 words per minute---nearly doubling their speed. A solid result.

Meanwhile, Group B reached an astonishing 2,900 words per minute---an improvement of nearly eight times (see Figure 5-3).

Figure 5-3

This research shows that no matter how hard you work at something you're not naturally good at, you can never transform it into a remarkable strength. What's important is efficiently developing what you're already good at.

Have you been spending time trying to overcome weaknesses, only to lose confidence instead?

Management guru Peter Drucker said: "Only strengths produce results. Fixating on weaknesses only creates headaches. Even having no weaknesses doesn't produce results. Energy must be focused on leveraging strengths."

Don't waste time filling in the concave areas around your star-shaped spikes---that only turns you into a featureless circle. Instead, spend your time making the points that are already sharp even sharper. Those points are your essence---the strengths that will produce results in your work (see Figure 5-4).

Figure 5-4

In school exams, each subject is worth 100 points and you're evaluated on total score. But work is nothing like that---there's no score cap. If someone has an outstanding strength in one area (scoring 1,000 or even 10,000 points), the "Halo Effect" kicks in.

The Halo Effect is the tendency to assume "If someone excels at one thing, they must be great at everything else too." If you see someone good-looking, don't you unconsciously assume they're also competent? That's the Halo Effect. So even if you have weaknesses, as long as you have one outstanding strength, people will perceive you as excellent overall. Your flaws won't diminish your image.

Leveraging strengths makes work far more fulfilling than overcoming weaknesses.

Are you still choosing to fix your shortcomings and become unremarkable? Or will you start strengthening what you're already good at and become irreplaceable?

POINT

Overcoming weaknesses produces "mediocre results and boring work."

Strengthening your strengths produces "extraordinary results and fulfilling work."

Answer 5 Questions to Find "What You're Good At"

Now let's discover your unique strengths and how to leverage them. Our goal:

• Find at least 10 strengths

By answering the following questions, discover strengths that no self-help book could have told you about---strengths that belong only to you.

Question 1: What experience in your life so far has made you feel most fulfilled?

When searching for "what you're good at," people often advise: "Think about a time you succeeded!" Indeed, recalling success is very effective. But when asked, most people think: "Success? I haven't really had anything like that..." In practice, when I ask clients "Tell me about a past success," very few can answer immediately. That's why I always ask instead: "Have you had an experience that made you feel fulfilled?"

A fulfilling experience is a moment or period when you felt genuinely happy. Why does recalling happy experiences reveal "what you're good at"? Because when you're doing something you're naturally good at, it feels effortless and joyful---the more you do it, the more energized you become. Some people "come alive at crowded parties," while others "get energized reading alone in their room."

Conversely, doing something you're not good at requires conscious effort and drains you. Some people "find crowded parties exhausting," while others "get restless reading alone."

The distinction is simple: what feels fulfilling is "what you're good at." What feels draining is "what you're not good at."

Start by pinning down "when you feel happy" to identify "what you're good at." Only then consider how to leverage it as a strength at work.

What experiences have made you feel fulfilled?

Question 2: What has recently frustrated or irritated you?

What's made you angry recently? Believe it or not, recalling things that upset you can reveal "what you're good at." When someone else's behavior bothers you, it's because something you do naturally and effortlessly is something they can't do. "Why can't they even manage that?"---when you feel this way, you've stumbled onto one of your unconscious strengths.

Turning something that frustrates you about others---but comes naturally to you---into your work will feel effortless and productive.

A friend of mine is a brilliant conversationalist, always the center of attention at gatherings.

Once, this friend said to me: "It drives me crazy when people who can't hold a room's attention keep bringing up boring topics." I didn't relate to that feeling at all, which is why I remember it so clearly. Because my friend naturally keeps conversations engaging and lively, he can't stand it when others fail at something that's second nature to him.

My friend is naturally gifted at making people happy through interesting conversation. When something comes this naturally, you'd better put it to work---or you'll feel restless.

Another person told me: "I can't stand people who can't understand others' feelings." That person surely empathizes with others effortlessly.

When do you feel anxious, angry, or frustrated? What unconscious ability does that reveal? If you can channel it into your work, it's like floating down a lazy river in an inner tube---everything becomes smooth and enjoyable.

Question 3: Ask someone close to you: "What do you think my strengths are?"

If only one person answers, it may be hard to identify your strengths clearly.

As I've emphasized, many of your strengths feel so obvious to you that they're invisible. Often, everyone around you can see them clearly---except you.

A study of 300 couples found that partners' assessments of each other's personality traits were actually more accurate than self-assessments.

For example, I discovered something about myself through asking a friend:

Friend: "Your level of passion is incredible. Because you genuinely love everything about self-discovery and you're always learning, you naturally energize the people around you."

Me: "Is my passion really that noticeable? It feels so normal to me---I never noticed."

Friend: "It really is extraordinary."

I'd sensed that my programs promoted themselves without much marketing effort, but apparently it was my passion unconsciously drawing people in.

My strength is being so absorbed in something that I unknowingly inspire the people around me.

After realizing my strength of "radiating passion that draws others in," I started sharing detailed business data and strategy with my Self-Discovery program members. I wanted to transmit my passion for spreading self-discovery to my clients too.

This pulled clients into my vortex of passion, motivating them to seriously invest in understanding themselves: "I want to find something I can be this passionate about!"

Few people openly share their business data with clients, but this is one of the ways I leverage my strength.

I also encourage my clients to ask their close friends and family about their strengths. Without exception, they discover qualities so obvious they'd never noticed them, exclaiming "I had no idea!" Please ask your friends and family.

Question 4: If you quit your job tomorrow, what part of your current work would you miss? If you're not working now, think about the details of a previous job.

Don't think of your job as a monolith---see it as a combination of multiple tasks. It's impossible for a job to be entirely pleasant or entirely miserable. Even the most enjoyable job has annoying aspects, and vice versa.

"If you quit tomorrow, what part of the work would you miss?"

That part is "what you're good at"---the work that makes you feel fulfilled.

For example, my client Mr. K hated the administrative parts of his job but said: "I really love listening to clients, so I don't want to give that up." If listening to clients became his primary work, Mr. K would undoubtedly thrive.

Even in the job you currently dislike, there should be parts that bring you joy. Your strengths are hidden there.

Question 5: What results have you achieved so far, and how did you achieve them?

This is actually the most important question. To find "strengths" you can leverage at work, you need to review past results.

The success story doesn't have to be something you'd proudly tell others about. When thinking of success experiences, whatever pops into your mind first is the answer. It surfaces first because it left a deep impression---because you felt strong emotions at the time.

Your strengths are tied to your emotions: when you leverage strengths, you feel fulfilled and joyful; when weaknesses are exposed, you feel empty and anxious. If you dig deep into whatever experience just popped into your mind, your strengths are hiding inside.

Excavate your success experience from these 8 angles (see Table 5-1):

Table 5-1

1. What did you do before you felt fulfilled?

2. What was distinctive about the environment at the time?

3. What specific actions did you take?

4. What thinking led to those actions?

5. What did you become aware of at the time?

6. What was your motivation?

7. When did you lose that sense of fulfillment? How could you have maintained it?

8. What do you wish you'd done differently?

Examining your success story from these 8 angles will continuously reveal your strengths.

After thinking through all 8 angles, summarize the strengths you've discovered.

While it takes more than 30 minutes to thoroughly excavate a single success story, the time invested will yield a personal success formula you can use for the rest of your life.

As an example, here's my analysis of my three years of high school exam preparation (see Table 5-2):

Table 5-2

From just one success story, I was able to identify 9 ways to use my talents as strengths.

By applying these strengths in your current work, or by moving to a job that naturally leverages them, you can recreate the same conditions as your past success. And that makes producing results in your current situation much easier.

Compile Your Strengths into a Personal Owner's Manual

You can now compile all the strengths discovered through answering the five questions into a single document---your personal owner's manual.

"What you want to do" must align with these strengths. Otherwise, no matter how much you "love" something, it's not truly "what you want to do." I love self-discovery, but I'm not good at dealing with people who are deeply discouraged. So my role isn't to cheer up the despondent---it's to support people who want to unlock more of their potential.

To match with "what you want to do," first compile every strength you've identified so far.

Write at least 10; 20 is even better. The more ways you can deploy your talents as strengths, the more adaptable you'll be in any situation. And you'll feel the confidence that "with these strengths, I can achieve any goal." If you need more, dig deeper into Question 5's success experiences or answer the additional questions in the appendix.

For example, here's my list of winning patterns (see Table 5-3):

Table 5-3: Summary of how to use talents as strengths (10 or more)

After writing out your strengths, rate each with "◎ ○ △":

• ◎ Feels fulfilling AND connected to past success
• ○ Feels fulfilling
• △ Not sure yet

In Chapter 7, when combining "what you love" with "what you're good at" to determine "what you want to do," prioritize the ◎-rated strengths. If your work can't leverage the strengths that energize you and produce results, it's not truly "what you want to do" (see Table 5-4).

Table 5-4: Summary of how to use talents as strengths (10 or more)

Once you've identified your strengths, you're ready to search for "what you love."

In the next chapter, we'll find the third and final element---"what you love."

---

Chapter 6: Find What You Love and Say Goodbye to Grinding

What "What You Love" Means

Before searching for "what you love," let me clarify the definition. In this book, "what you love" means "a field you're interested in and curious about."

What you love = a field you're interested in and curious about

Someone who loves self-discovery thinks: "How can I understand myself better?" Someone who loves programming wonders: "Why isn't this system running?" Someone who loves ramen can't help but ask: "What separates great ramen from bad ramen?"

When you encounter something in a field you love, you can't leave your questions unanswered---you want to turn what you "don't understand" into something you "do understand." That desire to close the gap is the feeling of "love" (interest).

If you have a romantic interest in someone, you naturally become curious: "I want to know them better!" "I want to get closer!" That's also "love."

With "what you love," interest arises naturally, becoming fuel for your work. In other words, if you feel the following toward something, it qualifies as "what you love":

• Why?
• How does this work?
• What should I do?

Da Vinci said: "Just as eating without appetite harms your health, studying without desire harms your memory." Just as you can't force appetite, if you can find a field that makes you spontaneously think "I want to know more!"---you'll never struggle with work motivation again. Let's find that field together.

POINT

What you love = a field you're interested in and curious about.

People Who Work for Money Can't Compete with People Who Work for Love

I used to teach others "how to succeed through content creation." While I earned decent money, I felt restless, asking myself: "Is this really okay?" The source of that unease was having no genuine interest in "content creation"---it felt like "something I learned because my job required it."

I enjoyed teaching what I'd learned and receiving gratitude. But during the learning itself, I kept thinking: "Why do I have to study this stuff?"

Now that I've made "self-discovery"---something I'm genuinely curious about---my work, I feel zero effort in the learning process. In fact, I make sure I always have time to research it deeply. I want to explore it to its core.

From this experience, I've come to deeply believe: "People who work for money can never compete with people who work for love." The difference in motivation is simply too vast. You've probably experienced this too---when someone around you is genuinely passionate about their work, you look at them and think: "With someone this passionate in this field, there's no way I can compete."

When you make "what you love" your work, you'll be naturally absorbed without forcing it---plugged directly into your motivation source. Those days of "vaguely having no drive" will disappear. Life isn't a 100-meter sprint---it's a marathon. One client in his twenties told me: "The thought of doing this work for 50 more years terrifies me. I realized I had to change how I work, so I started getting to know myself."

I feel the same way. Work is a central pillar of life. If I couldn't honestly say "I truly love this work!"---I wouldn't want to live that life. Life is simply too long.

Temporary "effort" works for a sprint, but a marathon requires sustained passion for what you love. Short-term, "effort" is an effective strategy. But long-term, "effort" can never beat "love." Have you acquired "love"---the most powerful motivator---and found a working style you can sustain?

POINT

✗ "I want to succeed, so I'll do work that makes money."

✓ "I want to succeed, so I'll do work I love."

"I Love Baseball, So I'll Work in Baseball" Is Wrong

Some say "you should make what you love your job," while others say "you can't make what you love your job."

Why the contradiction?

There are actually failure patterns in "making what you love your job." These occur when someone chooses a job directly related to "what they love"---selecting a field without considering what the work actually entails---and it almost always fails.

For example, imagine someone who's loved baseball since childhood. They originally wanted to be a professional player but decided it was too difficult, so they looked for baseball-related jobs instead. After job-hunting, they became a sales representative for a baseball equipment manufacturer. They thought: "Finally, I'm working with my beloved baseball!" But somehow, they weren't satisfied.

The reason is simple: they love playing baseball, not selling baseball equipment.

When you focus only on the field without considering the actual work, this failure pattern is inevitable.

What matters is combining the field with "what you're good at"---thinking about what activities make you happiest.

Even among people who all "love baseball," what specifically they love about it varies:

• If you "love teamwork," consider work from the angle of collaboration.
• If you "love improving skills through dedicated practice," look for work that involves honing technique.
• If you "love developing strategy," seek work that requires thinking rather than routine execution.

If the work happens to be baseball-related, wonderful. But beyond baseball, there are many jobs that offer the same kind of enjoyment.

From "I love baseball," try asking "What specifically do I love about it?" (see Figure 6-1):

• Love teamwork → Work involving collaboration
• Love improving through dedicated practice → Work where you hone your craft
• Love thinking about strategy → Work that engages the mind

Figure 6-1

The answers ultimately connect to "what you're good at." When making what you love your work, don't just consider the field---also consider "what aspect of it brings you joy."

POINT

When making what you love your work, also consider "what aspect of it you love."

The Difference Between "Hobbies That Can Become Work" and "Hobbies That Can't"

There are hobbies that can become work and hobbies that can't. The distinction is simple: "things you like because they're useful" can't become work. "Things you like out of pure interest" can.

"Things you like because they're useful" are things you do to get a result.

"Things you like out of pure interest" are things you do because the act itself brings you joy.

Yet most people prioritize "things they like because they're useful" and discard "things they like out of pure interest." Have you been discarding "things you like out of pure interest" because they seem "useless"?

"Useless" is the single most dangerous word standing between you and your passion. If you overemphasize "usefulness," you'll never find what you love.

Of course, living rationally and efficiently is great---I'm not saying you should do useless things. But many people fall into a trap where so-called rationality steals their life.

Let me explain how this works.

When every action is filtered through "Is this useful?", resistance builds up until you lose sight of your original goal---"doing what I love and living happily"---and feel that you can only do "useful things" (rational things). This is the rationality trap.

• Only doing useful things
• Only doing things you can show others
• Only doing things that make money
• Only doing things that produce results

I think many people are in this state---and naturally, they have no idea what they love.

Set aside the "is it useful?" criterion, find what you purely love first, and then think about how to turn it into work. I'll explain how in Chapter 8.

Now let's find "what you love" together!

POINT

✗ Making what you like because it's useful into your work.

✓ Making what you like out of pure interest into your work.

Answer 5 Questions to Find "What You Love"

Question 1: Is there something you'd spend money to learn right now?

What would you pay to learn even out of your own pocket?

A few days ago, I attended an "Advanced Self-Discovery Program." It cost 100,000 yen for two days---not cheap---but I learned new things and came away deeply enriched. Since it relates to my field, it's naturally part of my work. But for me, even if it weren't work-related, I'd have attended---like playing a "game."

This is what happens when you make "what you love" your work: what you learn out of love helps your work and earns you money.

What would you spend money to learn right now? Or what would you pay to experience? What you want to learn reveals what interests you. If you could make that field your work, work would become a "game" you do because you love it. Write down what you currently want to learn or experience.

Question 2: What kinds of books are on your bookshelf?

Look at your bookshelf. What types of books are there? Are any of them books that excite you just by seeing their spine?

By observing what you've spent time reading, you can identify your interests.

If you don't have many books at home, please visit a bookstore---preferably a large one with a wide selection.

One client told me: "I was skeptical at first, but after going to a bookstore, I really did discover what I love!" Bookstores have that kind of power.

Take a stroll through the store. Don't immediately dismiss entire sections---"I'm not interested in those books." Walk through everything first. Then notice which sections make you pause.

The key is to ignore books that catch your eye "because they seem useful" and pay attention to books you notice "for no particular reason."

Books that seem "useful" are rational choices---selected "because they're relevant to work," for instance. More than "love," they're closer to "need." Fundamentally distinguish between "useful-seeming" and "inexplicably interesting" books.

"Inexplicably interesting" books are found through intuition. That's genuine "love." Choose these: "I don't know why, but I'm drawn to this field."

What field of books draws you in?

The field that captures your attention might very well become your future work domain.

Question 3: Has there ever been a field or thing that made you feel "I'm so glad I found this!" or "This saved me!"?

Even people who can't answer "What do you love?" can often answer "What has saved you in life?" In your life so far, has anything made you feel "I'm so grateful I encountered this"?

In experiences of "being saved," many people develop interest in whatever saved them and eventually make it their work.

Let me explain concretely. I love "self-discovery." Why? Because I was once saved by the concept of "personality types."

Growing up, I idolized my older brother---a classic leader type who lit up every room. I thought: "I want to be like him." I spent middle school and college trying to imitate him. In college, to overcome my inability to talk easily with strangers, I made 100 hitchhiking trips my personal training. But my discomfort with strangers never improved---instead, I felt even more worthless.

That's when I learned that "human personalities are inherently divided into introverts and extroverts due to differences in brain wiring."

I took a diagnostic test and discovered I was an introvert---someone who loses energy in social situations. In that moment, I felt saved...

I'd been denying my personality for years. When I realized personality can't be changed, it was as if a tremendous weight lifted from my shoulders. The concept of "personality types" truly saved me. If I still didn't understand this, I'd still be suffering over the same things.

From that experience, I sincerely wished more people could learn about "personality types."

After being saved, I've maintained a burning "passion" to share this with as many people as possible.

A friend of mine went through financial hardship and survived by leveraging credit card points. From then on, he was captivated by credit cards and eventually built a career reviewing and publishing credit card information.

You encountered your field because someone was out there promoting it.

The experience of being saved carries incredibly powerful energy. Try sharing what saved you with more people!

Recalling the field that saved you will reveal what you love.

Question 4: In your life so far, what work have you felt most grateful for? What profession do you most want to thank?

You can also think about this in terms of people: "Who do I most want to thank?"

For me, I want to thank the "teachers" who supported me through difficult times. First, my second-grade teacher with the jangling jewelry who taught me the importance of independent thinking. Second, my cram school English teacher who patiently re-taught me from junior high basics when I was falling behind, and who sparked my interest in English. Third, psychiatrist Dr. Izumitani, who taught me how to think and whose work became the prototype for the Self-Discovery Method.

I want to become someone like the "teachers" who cared for me---someone who guides others through life. In that sense, my field of passion is "education."

I'm currently doing education-related work, and I strongly feel that I want to share the insights I've gained through practice with others. What work are you most grateful for?

Question 5: What in society has ever made you angry?

Anger is dissatisfaction with the current state of things. "This could be so much better!"---because you see a gap between reality and your ideal, you feel angry. Could you work to improve the field that angers you?

Client Mr. S said that people around him were having their happiness stolen by toxic, negative people. That made him furious. In other words, Mr. S is deeply invested in and curious about human relationships---and he now works teaching others techniques for improving their relationships.

As the definition of "what you love" states: someone intensely curious about "How can relationships be improved?" will naturally study and grow in that area. What in society makes you angry?

Working in a field that stirs your anger generates natural motivation, so I highly recommend reflecting on this question.

After answering all five questions, have you found what you love? If you want to explore further, check the additional questions in the appendix.

---

Chapter 7: Find What You Truly Want to Do and Live Authentically

Abandon the Mindset of "Working for the Future"---Right Now

In this chapter, we'll finally combine everything you've gathered and find "what you truly want to do."

Even at this point, some readers might think: "I still feel like I won't find 'what I want to do' this time either. Maybe I should just learn some skills that'll be useful in the future."

To those people I want to say: "When will you stop living in fantasies about the future?"

Recently someone told me: "If you still don't know what you want to do, you should learn programming for the future. Demand for programmers is growing, the income is stable---I highly recommend it."

I think this mindset is dangerous. It's exactly the same as what we heard repeatedly in school: "Study hard now---it'll pay off later." You studied to get into a good university. You got a job at a good company. And now you're supposed to learn "useful skills for the future"?

Are you satisfied with your current work?

If you're not, that's exactly why you picked up this book. So when will you stop living for the future?

I went to college myself because I vaguely thought "it might be useful someday." But without anything specific I wanted to learn, college life was completely unfulfilling.

The reason you're still lost, still not knowing what you want to do, is precisely because you've never taken the time to truly understand yourself.

Because you've been operating under the assumption: "I'll learn some practical skills first, and then I'll get around to finding 'what I want to do.'"

Break this pattern completely. Stop pinning your hopes on future fantasies. Don't work for someday---work to find what you most want to do right now.

When you stop living for the future and take seriously what you most want to do in the present, you will grow.

And when you discover even more things you want to do later, you can keep pursuing them---because you'll have already grown.

What you need to do right now is: find what you most want to do at this moment.

POINT

Don't postpone finding "what you want to do."

Why "What You Want to Do" Can Start as Just a Hypothesis

Once you find what you most want to do right now, your life will transform.

Starting with a hypothesis is perfectly fine. Take action, and gradually refine toward a more accurate "what you truly want to do." But this is completely different from "just start trying things to find what you want to do"---blindly taking random actions.

Acting without any hypothesis makes finding "what you want to do" nearly impossible. That's pure gambling---no different from fantasizing about winning the lottery.

I once chatted with someone who'd changed jobs more than 10 times, always on a whim. After talking with him, I was amazed to discover how little he knew about himself. His reason for switching every time was simply "I didn't like the job" or "I just felt like changing." At that rate, no amount of job-hopping would help him find what he truly wanted.

He ended up in that state because he'd consistently neglected to reflect on his past and understand himself.

What matters is: set a hypothesis, take action, reflect, and apply what you learn.

Honestly, when I first started spreading the Self-Discovery Method, I felt "this isn't that interesting." I was confused: "I'm doing 'what I love'---so why isn't it fun?"

On reflection, the answer was clear: "I was doing 'what I love' but not in a way that used 'what I'm good at.'" I was deeply interested in self-discovery as a field, but my initial work format---"listening to clients"---wasn't one of my strengths.

At first, I met clients one-on-one in cafes, listening and drawing out insights through conversation. But sustained active listening is something I'm genuinely bad at. Compared to "listening," "speaking and writing" are absolutely my strengths.

Once I recognized this, I kept "self-discovery" as my field but changed the method.

Specifically, I switched to a seminar format that didn't require deep one-on-one listening. I'd present Self-Discovery theory to 30-50 people and have participants discuss with each other. That way, I didn't need to listen intently to individual clients.

The seminars were fun at first, but gradually became painful again. The reason? "Having to say the same things at every seminar." I'm terrible at repetition---that's what got me fired from the convenience store. I tried adding new content each time to keep things fresh, but with weekly seminars, I'd need to prepare new material and slides every single week. Unsustainable.

Recognizing this, I again kept "self-discovery" as my field but changed the method. Since I hate repeating myself, I created a video course that could be watched repeatedly---I only needed to say everything once, on camera.

Now my approach is: students watch the systematic Self-Discovery video course, and I answer their questions via messaging (see Figure 7-1).

Figure 7-1

This completely eliminated "listening to others" and "repeating the same things"---the things I'm worst at.

Starting from "what you love," trying various methods (even ones you're not good at), and course-correcting through trial and error---that's how you eventually find the perfect match between "what you love" and "what you're good at" to create "what you want to do."

"What you want to do" is the fusion of "what you love" and "what you're good at." But these two almost never align perfectly on the first try---it takes iterative refinement through practice.

That's why I want you to understand: the "what you want to do" you discover may initially be nothing more than a hypothesis.

If something feels off in practice, pause and adjust. Do this repeatedly, and you'll converge on "what you truly want to do." When evaluating your approach, check from three angles---"Am I drifting from my values?", "Am I drifting from my strengths?", and "Am I drifting from what I love?"---and the answer becomes immediately clear.

POINT

Through practice and refinement, gradually approach "what you truly want to do."

Now this book will teach you how to identify "what you truly want to do" in two steps. Let's start by establishing a "hypothetical thing you want to do" as a prototype. This is actually quite simple---if you've read this far, the pieces are already assembled. You just need to fit them together into a complete picture.

Step 1: Use "What You Love x What You're Good At" to Hypothesize What You Want to Do

First, list out "what you love" and "what you're good at" that you've discovered so far. Mark with "◎" any strengths that pair well with each "what you love"---these are your priorities.

Other strengths serve as support and can be leveraged as you pursue your goals.

Now freely combine them to generate potential "things you want to do." At this stage, quantity matters more than quality---we'll refine and narrow down in the next stage. If something sounds even remotely interesting, write it down. If you're not sure how this works, let me use myself as an example.

My "things I love" include:

• Self-discovery
• Board games
• Fashion

Referring back to Table 5-4, here are my strengths.

Combining "what I love" with 20 "things I'm good at," I brainstorm possible "things I want to do"---writing out everything that seems feasible:

• Person who builds a self-discovery framework and teaches it: Love self-discovery x Good at continuously learning, organizing information systematically, explaining and teaching to groups
• Person who studies self-discovery and coaches others: Love self-discovery x Good at learning through practice, helping others through words
• Self-discovery researcher: Love self-discovery x Good at continuously learning, coming up with exciting ideas
• Strategic consultant who helps people achieve their ideals: Love self-discovery x Good at developing compelling strategies, spotting strengths in self and others, helping through words
• Startup consultant for aspiring entrepreneurs: Love self-discovery x Good at developing compelling strategies, spotting strengths, helping through words
• Developer of educational board games: Love self-discovery + board games x Good at pioneering new ventures, organizing systems, generating exciting ideas, never being satisfied with the status quo
• Teacher of educational board game creation: Love self-discovery + board games x Good at spotting strengths, setting clear goals, generating exciting ideas regardless of outcome
• Person who reviews and compares puzzle-type toys: Love self-discovery + board games x Good at systematizing and explaining information, helping through words
• Board game commentator: Love self-discovery + board games x Good at systematizing and explaining, helping through words
• Fashion consultant who helps people find their personal style: Love fashion + self-discovery x Good at spotting strengths, generating exciting ideas
• Fashion designer: Love fashion + self-discovery x Good at generating exciting ideas, never being satisfied with the status quo
• Professional board game player: Love board games x Good at learning through practice, setting clear goals regardless of outcome

As you can see, the combinations are completely free. Don't reject possibilities by thinking "I could never do that"---just write them down. Any combination of "what you love" and "what you're good at" is fair game (see Figure 7-2).

Figure 7-2

If you can't combine things smoothly, that's fine---include whatever pops into your head on your "things I want to do" list. At this stage, prioritize quantity over quality. Write freely!

POINT

Through "What you love x What you're good at," hypothesize what you want to do.

Step 2: Filter "What You Want to Do" Through Your "Work Purpose"

Some people can identify "what they want to do" but still can't make their work successful. Their common trait: they're so focused on doing what they want that they forget to think about their work purpose.

Work earns money when you provide value to clients and receive their gratitude. In other words, money = gratitude. In daily life: you pay rent because "living in your apartment makes me feel safe---thank you!"; you pay the electric bill because "electricity makes life so convenient---thank you!"; you pay for a meal because "that was the best food I've ever had---thank you!" Work is an exchange for "thank you."

What kind of "thank you" do you want to receive from others?

If you can't answer this, your work won't go well. People who can't earn a good living from "what they want to do" are exclusively focused on their own desires and never think about how to earn the client's "thank you."

Nobody pays for your "thing." People only pay when your "thing" also delivers value to them.

If you make clothes, clients might be buying "the confident version of themselves wearing your designs." My clients aren't buying self-discovery knowledge---they're buying "a version of themselves that loves their work."

"Doing what you want" is a self-centered perspective. But work also involves clients. It's precisely because of clients that you can do your work without ever getting bored. For me, learning about self-discovery is enjoyable on its own, but when I think "I'm studying this to solve my clients' problems," my motivation becomes far stronger than when I study just for myself.

The reason your work isn't going well or feels stale is that you've been thinking only about yourself. In other words, only when "what you want to do" delivers value to the people involved does work succeed---becoming "what you truly want to do," connected to your life's meaning.

What words from clients would make you happiest to hear?

For me, my work goal is to hear clients say: "Thanks to you, my confusion about how to work has vanished. I've fallen in love with my work! Thank you!" As I've explained, this connects directly to personal values.

The filter for selecting "what you truly want to do" from among many possibilities is your "work purpose."

For example, I listed various "things I want to do" earlier. But since my purpose is "helping more people live with passion," I decided that "building a self-discovery framework and teaching it" was the role most suited to me (see Figures 7-2 and 7-3).

Figure 7-3

Because you can't suppress your own desires and sacrifice endlessly for others. So first, satisfy your own desires as much as possible. Once you're fulfilled, you'll naturally start caring about those around you. This expansion from thinking only about yourself to considering more and more people---that is "growth."

For now, I still can't think deeply about global affairs. As I continue growing, I hope my perspective will eventually expand to that scope.

First satisfy your own values, then your family's, then your friends', then your company's, then your industry's, then your country's, and ultimately the whole world's---that's how your thinking naturally expands.

Among the values you hold, which one are you burning to share---through your work---with the people around you, your community, your country, the world? That is your "work purpose." Once you've clarified it, "what you truly want to do" will emerge naturally.

---

Chapter 8: The Magic of Self-Discovery---Transforming Your Life

How to Find the Means to Achieve "What You Want to Do"

Earlier, I said: "Don't worry about the means of achieving what you want to do." Now that you've found "what you truly want to do," you simply need to bridge the gap between "the you who's doing what you truly want to do" and "the you who exists right now" (see Figure 8-1). Let's start looking for ways to bridge that gap.

The truth is, once you find "what you want to do," you'll naturally start seeking the means to achieve it.

Have you heard of the "Color Bath Effect"? It's a psychological phenomenon where deliberately paying attention to something causes related information to jump out at you everywhere. For instance, if someone says "Find all the red objects around you," you'll suddenly notice red things you'd never seen before.

Figure 8-1

The Color Bath Effect works the same way with finding the means to achieve your goals. Once you've decided "what you want to do," the effect kicks in, and relevant information starts flowing to you continuously. You'll browse information with your "antenna" raised, naturally gravitating toward what's useful for your goals and collecting it piece by piece.

When I decided "to build a self-discovery framework and teach it to help more people live with passion," I had absolutely no idea how to do it. But I kept it in the back of my mind.

After doing so, one day while reading I came across an article titled "How to Scale a Seminar-Style Program."

"That's it!" I thought, and immediately signed up for the author's workshop on building such programs.

Within less than a year, I'd built a program with over 200 participants.

Didn't you learn to ride a bike by watching and learning from your parents? Similarly, you can learn how to achieve "what you want to do" from people who've already done it.

This phenomenon isn't limited to me---it happens with clients who've completed my Self-Discovery program too.

For example, Mr. H identified his "thing" as "helping more people connect with nature in forests to face themselves and manage their body and mind." After researching, he discovered many people around the world doing forest-related work, and the means of achievement became clearer and clearer. Then he stumbled upon a training program called "Cultivating Forest Bathing Program Leaders."

When Mr. H found it, he said: "This is exactly what I've been looking for! It's destiny!" He signed up on the spot. When you've decided "what you want to do," these moments of serendipity happen constantly.

Even if you haven't found the means to achieve "what you truly want to do" yet, that's simply because you don't know about them yet. Right now, raise your antenna for "what you truly want to do" and start actively collecting information. Within as little as a week, or at most a month, you'll find the means.

"What you truly want to do" can only be found within yourself. But the means to achieve it are everywhere in the world around you. From now on, search society for the means and gradually transform "what you truly want to do" into your work.

POINT

Once you've decided "what you want to do," the means of achievement will naturally appear.

Master Self-Discovery and Never Fail Again

I think self-discovery is like magic. Because once you master the method, every experience in life can be transformed into a lesson.

Turning all "failures" and "regrets" into lessons---that's the magic wand of "self-discovery."

Getting fired from the convenience store taught me that I'm not suited to doing prescribed work under someone else's instructions. That experience became a lesson. The fact that I can now run my own company, work only with people I like, and live freely---I owe it all to that experience.

Attempting 100 hitchhiking trips without improving my shyness one bit taught me that my strength is "being able to focus deeply when working alone." The reason I can persistently blog and publish books---I owe that to this experience too.

The experience of becoming depressed from writing uninteresting blog posts just for money convinced me that "I must make what I love my work." The reason I've been able to persevere in self-discovery work---that's because of this experience.

Conversely, people who ignore their negative past experiences---their failures and regrets---will have unremarkable futures.

Past negative experiences are a treasure trove of learning. If you bury them and only look forward, you can't extract the lessons within.

Past negative experiences are like sea urchins---dark, spiny, and scary to approach. But once you crack open the shell, you'll find it's packed with the richest, most delicious uni.

The skill of cracking open that shell and extracting the finest uni is "self-discovery" (see Figure 8-2).

Figure 8-2

Of course, every negative experience was painful at the time, and I couldn't see any way forward.

I have no intention of telling someone in the midst of suffering: "Look on the bright side! Your current experience will definitely be useful someday!"

But when you've recovered from the pain, when your spirits have lifted enough that you're ready to take the next step---if you can use the Self-Discovery Method to extract a lesson from that painful experience, your life will level up.

Because learning from past failures means you won't repeat the same mistakes.

Through self-discovery, life experience accumulates at an accelerated rate.

Before you know it, you'll be living an incredibly fulfilling daily life that your former self couldn't have imagined.

When that day comes, all your past failures and regrets will have become the "experience" that made you who you are today.

POINT

Failures and regrets are all transformed into experience through self-discovery.

Success Isn't "Achieving a Goal"---It's "Living as Yourself in This Very Moment"

I believe true "success" isn't about achieving some grand goal. The moment you can live as your authentic self---that is "success."

Have you been imprisoned by external standards like "making money equals success" or "earning others' approval equals success"? If this job pays well, I'll be successful and happy---that's a fantasy.

I like money too. I enjoy thinking about how to increase my company's revenue. That's because monetary figures are a way of quantifying the value you deliver to society. For students, success was measured by test scores; for working adults, it's income.

I'll continue trying to grow that number, expanding my positive impact. But with one condition: "in a way that doesn't require me to lie to myself."

After graduating college, I set a goal: "Earn one million yen per month!" During that period, I lied to myself to make money. One day I received a paid request through my blog's contact page: "If you promote this product on your blog, I'll pay you 100,000 yen." At the time, I was willing to do anything to hit one million yen per month, so I agreed without hesitation. But as I was writing the promotional copy, I noticed something gnawing at me inside.

I ignored it and published the post. It got tons of views. The client was happy with the response. But the knot in my stomach didn't go away. The reason was obvious.

Because I knew perfectly well I wasn't genuinely saying: "I want to recommend this to you!"

That's when I realized: true happiness isn't about money or fame. If you feel fulfilled by what you're doing in this very moment---that is happiness. That is success in life.

No matter how much money you earn, if you're lying to yourself and feeling miserable inside, that's failure.

From this experience, I decided to stop being a "blogger who makes money by recommending other people's products."

I decided to stop promoting third-party products I couldn't personally vouch for and instead create and sell products I genuinely wanted to recommend.

My income dropped temporarily, but I was freed from the suffocating feeling of self-deception. I could walk with my head held high.

Of course, if honest work that aligns with who you are ultimately brings money and recognition---that's wonderful.

But regardless, I believe money and fame are bonuses. As long as you can live as yourself, that moment is a success. If you also produce results on top of that? That's a grand success. This book has therefore presented both a method for living on your own terms and a method for producing results on your own terms. You'll find happiness in every moment of living authentically. If results accumulate along the way, celebrate them. If they don't, that's not failure either.

In the Olympics, only one person wins gold in each event. But anyone can live as themselves---and there's no need to compete with others.

While producing results takes time, you can decide right now to stop lying to yourself. Even without others' approval, even without earning much money---as long as you can live honestly, free from that suffocating dissatisfaction, that is "success."

POINT

Living as yourself is success. Producing results on top of that is grand success.

Break Free from the Search and Become "Lost in the Flow"

Self-discovery is important, but because it's not urgent, many people give it low priority.

But if you want to find "what you truly want to do" and make it your work, self-discovery is the best tool available. That said, it's still just a "tool"---the goal is for you to love your life.

I'm absolutely absorbed by self-discovery. Looking inward is enjoyable. But the greatest joy comes in the life that follows.

Not knowing "what you truly want to do" is like running a marathon with no finish line. Without knowing why you're running, you can't generate motivation.

After self-discovery, life becomes like a game. You wake up naturally in the morning because you want to work. At night, you force yourself to stop working and go to sleep.

In middle school, I was addicted to online games---spending all my after-school time and pocket money on them. My current state of being absorbed in work feels exactly the same. It's a state that the younger me---who "hated going to the convenience store but did it for money"---couldn't have imagined.

When you decide "what you truly want to do" and immerse yourself in it, your latent potential is unleashed.

That's because once you understand yourself, you can set your destination and focus all your energy in that direction. While everyone around you is floundering in a complex world, you're steadily growing, producing results, and leveling up your life.

So my final message is this: "Hurry up and use self-discovery to find what you want to do."

From the time I started searching until I found "this is truly what I want to do," I spent 3 million yen and two and a half years.

But you don't need to spend that much money or time.

I've distilled everything I learned into practical methods in this book. Follow them and find "what you want to do" as quickly as possible.

As I wrote this book, I envisioned a Japan where self-discovery is second nature and everyone is absorbed in living fully.

To make that vision a reality, I hope that each of you who reads this book will first use self-discovery to achieve a life of total immersion. Then I hope you'll pass that way of living on to the people around you. If you do, the methods in this book can spread from Japan to the entire world, helping everyone live in a state of flow.

Using this book as your guide, I sincerely hope you'll spend every day immersed in "what you truly want to do."

POINT

After finding "what you want to do," the greatest life begins.

A Visual Flowchart for Finding "What You Truly Want to Do"

While reading, many of you may have felt lost at times: "I don't know what I should be doing right now."

As a closing summary, I've created a flowchart of everything you need to do to find "what you truly want to do."

When you're unsure of the next step, turn to this page and reorient yourself.

To understand yourself, you only need to do three things:

1. Find what matters to you (values).

2. Find what you're good at (talent).

3. Find what you love (passion).

Once these three are clear and combined, "what you truly want to do" and the "means to achieve it" will emerge naturally.

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