Look at Slack and Discord. They’re platforms that are used by people who run communities. They support audio chat rooms, instant messaging, and features to manage members and discussion posts. The problem with them is that they’re too noisy. When you join too many Discord communities, you lose track of what to care about. There is no feed, and the notifications are annoying, so I end up just turning it off. Similarly, Slack’s notification is also annoying. With Fireplace, I can just join the chat that I’m interested in. People don’t usually leave groups or communities, so they kind of just pile up.
I’m starting to think about what I write instead of just writing, so I’m going to practice focusing on just my cursor and nothing else. This is going to take some practice, but I think it will help me focus on creating and producing ideas. I am naturally a creative person and I can come up with great ideas without an issue. However, I need to be better at articulating those ideas, and the best way to go about that is learning how to concentrate on “producing” rather than “improving” or “optimizing”. I think about too much of what other people think and that can cause my self-doubt and uncertainty. When I don’t speak in certainty, it makes people wonder about my originality and intension and competence - not having those is not good a trait of a great leader. I should focus on the cursor and be able to just have ideas come to me rather than seeking for ideas, forcefully.
I’m currently sitting at a cafe in Harvard Square next to Pavement, and the reason why I’m writing is because I just had a chat with Pedro, The Residency coach, about aligning my work with my “purpose”. He introduced me to this concept called Ikigai (ee-kee-guy), which basically aligns:
- What you are good at
- What you can be paid for
- What the world needs
- What you love
By aligning these four things about myself, I will be able to find the true purpose of life and create more value in the world. I want to be a value creator, not a value transferrer (e.g. Finance / SaaS).
To get started, let’s think about what I am good at. I am good at creative work. I am good at building software products. I am good at UI/UX design. I am good at building communities. I am good at teaching people. I am good at mentoring. I am good at keeping things organized. I am good at being analytical. I am good at bringing people together. I am good at being kind to people. I am good at learning. I am good at being a leader. I am good at multitasking (which is something that I’ve been trying to avoid and get rid of - I want to practice focusing on one thing at a time, which is the reason why I’m doing this exercise right now).
Next. I can be paid for software engineering jobs. I can be paid for tutoring kids. I can be paid for doing labor work like restaurant jobs. I can be paid for leadership roles. I can be paid for running a software company. I can be paid for freelance work (however is something I want to avoid - it contradicts my other “Ikigai’s”).
Next. The world needs innovation. The world needs education. The world needs equality. The world needs technology. The world needs people and community. The world needs peace. The world needs connection and understanding. The world needs unity. The world needs biological advancement to preserve the human species in case of an apocalyptic event. The world needs balance. The world needs justice. The world needs food and water supply. The world needs functioning society. The world needs less sin. The world needs rules. The world needs good people.
Finally. I love helping people. I love technology. I love music. I love craftsmanship. I love science. I love exploring the world. I love astronomy. I love inventions. I love learning new knowledge. I love building things. I love sharing knowledge. I love being a creator. I love making art.
Now, I’m gonna put these four paragraphs into ChatGPT and see the outcome. Here it is:
- Passion (What you are good at + What you love):
- Building communities
- Teaching and mentoring
- Bringing people together
- Learning
- Creating/Building
- Mission (What you love + What the world needs):
- Technology
- Education
- Innovation
- Profession (What you are good at + What you can be paid for):
- Building software products
- UI/UX design
- Leadership roles
- Teaching and mentoring
- Vocation (What the world needs + What you can be paid for):
- Innovation
- Education
- Technology
- Community building
In conclusion, my Ikigai is: “Building communities and innovation-driven educational platforms that bring people together.”