Sourcing Ikigai: How Not To Panic When You Suddenly Lose Your Day Job

It’s official — I’m no longer a barista, so I have 2 more days per week to dedicate to my Ikigai.

With each passing week of 2022, I’ve confronted the reality again and again that I can’t hold down a “normie” job. Not even one as transient and flexible as being a barista.

A customer’s perfume finally did me in. ☠️

Along with my continued struggle against conformity, I’ve developed a severe allergy to the noxious fumes of artificial scents (seriously, why do people have to wear so much…).

More than once a week I was stepping outside or going home early with a sillage-induced migraine. Unsustainable!

Why Are Some People Able To Ignore Their Ikigai? (And Horrible Smelling Perfume???)

Ignoring my Ikigai was easier when chronic pain and health problems prevented me from creating.

But even then, the pain of not being able to write and draw were not something I could bury.

Yet, I see people all around me wasting away in jobs they hate. 🪑

For the most part, I’ve liked my day jobs. Or at the least, I’ve tolerated them as they’ve enabled me to focus on writing.

This changed after my long hiatus for hip surgery. I realized what it’s like to not be away from home for 40+ hours every week and I haven’t been able to go back.

I know it’s the need for security that drives people to bury their Ikigai and stick with soul-sucking jobs. I sense it now, fretting upon my nerves, wondering how I will replace that money. 💸

Panic, though, I can keep at bay because I’m so happy focusing on what I love.

The Beauty of Ikigai Is Always Having Somewhere To Land

This was the year I accepted I couldn’t neglect my writing anymore. Never in my life did I think of making money as a ghostwriter or content writer. I was a fiction writer all the way.

And to be fair, I haven’t made a lot of money at it (yet).

But I did prove to myself that I can make at least some money writing and I’m beginning to see progress.

The progress is slow. Like, so unbelievably slow. For the life of me I still can’t figure out how to get people to subscribe to my newsletter.

But this is all fine, because Ikigai was never meant to be fast.

Panic, Perfume, and Persistence

One of the things I’ll be writing more about here is living a creative life with chronic pain + health issues. Even as I write this I can feel my body berating me that it’s time to do my PT exercises.

If you also have chronic pain or health problems, you know how terrifying the work/life/health balance can get.

We are persistent. Chronic health sufferers and writers. When we’re in one person, it’s actually kind of astounding what we can accomplish.

We know the value of feeling good enough to churn out a chapter. We have to wade through minefields of endless stretches and essential oils, yet somehow still manage to put words on the page. Wow.

Ikigai As The Great Stabilizer: Staving Off Poverty Panic

Listen, I’m lucky, but I’m broke. 4 solid years of debilitating hip pain and migraines will do that to ya.

But I don’t care.

I’m grateful for what I have and I’d rather have less money and more time to write.

A simple faery from the northeast doesn’t need much. 🧚‍♂️

Also, fretting about money isn’t going to attract it to me. In my humble, inexperienced opinion, desperation is the worst form of marketing.

Build it and they will come has been getting a lot of flack lately. I’m reframing it to “Build it, grow it, maintain it, and they will come and they will stay.” 🏯

And when you spend the day at the coffee shop building your empire, please for the love of goddex, hold the perfume.

☄. *. ⋆

Thank you so much for reading! If you’re interested in Ikigai, I have a more esoteric piece about it called There’s Only One Problem With Ikigai. 🦄🌸✨

Obligatory newsletter/blog plug!

The goal of my newsletter Common Ink is to bring different kinds of writers together for community and craft, and my little writing blog is called Fighting For Writing.

Given the subject of this article, if you’re interested in a Developmental Editing job, I offer free consultations through my website. I have one more slot open for the first two weeks of January!

For social interaction, you can find my Weird Self over on Tumblr and my Professional Self on LinkedIn. See you there!

Borahae, much love, 好き, be well!

-Ari🦄🌸✨