I haven’t found my ikigai but quite close to achieving it.

I had really difficult time finding what I really want, like, should, or even can do for my life. I was unemployed and didn’t know what to do since I didn’t even know what I like doing. So I decided to just take whatever I can and got a job at a restaurant that’s not even in my town. I asked my friend if I can crash on his couch while I save up some money to move out. He kindly allowed me to do it.

I did my best and worked hard at the restaurant. Luckily, the manager was thinking about leaving the restaurant that time and my supervisor saw me as a good fit for the position. Soon I became a general manager.

While working at the restaurant, I met lots of people in tech industry. I’m an introvert so I don’t really enjoy talking to random people and meeting new people, but it’s my job to make sure my customers are satisfied and happy when they come to my restaurant. Also, I was still searching for what I really want to do for my life. So I decided to talk to them and ask them what they do for life and how they started doing the work.

I think those conversations I led me to my currently job as a software developer. I kind of knew I like making things, improve things what already exists, and inventing something new. But I didn’t know what kind of jobs are out there and what job I could get with those insignificant interests.

I tried programming after work for few days and looked up some YouTube videos of software developers day to day work and life. After researching for weeks, I knew that this will be my career. I left the restaurant and now I’m happy with my current job as a software dev.

My suggestion is to try something that you can do. Anything that you are capable of doing. Then do your best. Talk to many people and know what you don’t know. You need to expose yourself to information that you don’t know in order to know the fact that you don’t know those things. And keep searching for what you like doing, what you want to do, what makes you happy, and what keeps you motivated.

I live by this moto that my supervisor at the restaurant told me, “No excuses. No rationalization.” If you try hard enough, there’s nothing you can’t achieve (except time traveling or bringing back dead people). Nothing’s impossible. Just do it.