For me, my Ikigai has failed me. And yet what is my Ikigai answers the four factors that makes Ikigai. And what undoes my Ikigai is a fifth factor – isolation and irrelevancy.

Ikigai in its English translation is doing:

• What you love (Your passion).
• What you are good at (Your skills).
• What the world needs (Your mission).
• What you can get paid for (Whatever).

As I say in my course introduction, I get paid to learn new things and pass that knowledge onto others. And then see the light when they learn it too. Which, as I sometimes say means I have the best job in the world.

It’s what I’m good at. At least I think so – based on gauging people’s reactions as I train. And the positive feedback I receive. Except for that small number who says I’m not and won’t talk to me afterwards. But criticism is only in the moment. As much as it hurts, as much as I mull it over, it’s not long until I turn that criticism into self-reflection and improvement.

It’s what the world needs. I see that all the time whether helping a stranger in a cafe how to use an order app versus realising that my favourite music app became difficult to use due to yet another unexplained software change. That required training. And by the way, AI, a canned response to a question isn’t an answer.

It’s what I’m paid for. Training pays well. It doesn’t pay poorly.

So why am I in such doubt?

As says it on the warning label it’s the isolation. I did set out reasons and measures to address this in my blog Why I Won’t take this role. But after months of reflection, I realised that the role is of itself innately isolated. And that isolation would completely dilute any of my ideas and suggestions.

Simply said, training is always, always carried out alone. And I only realised this when in a moment of snark, I complained. I said to an ex-colleague, if I wasn’t training, I’d be speaking to no one. That was the first time.

And that conversation gave clarity. It was then I realised I’d exactly defined the problem. And now, nearly a year later, i realised that I had to accept the isolation inherent in training is insoluble.

It’s as simple as that, and it’s that fifth factor – connection that makes Ikigai truly meaningful.