Ikigai – My Journey into Writing

I’ve had a few people ask me about how I decided to write a book . To even begin to share that process, I have to share the concept of Ikigai (pronounced: icky-guy). My dear friend and former corporate colleague, Candy Barone, was running the leadership conference where I first encountered Ikigai. Wikipedia defines it as “a Japanese concept that means “a reason for being”. The word refers to having a direction or purpose in life, that which makes one’s life worthwhile, and towards which an individual takes spontaneous and willing actions giving them satisfaction and a sense of meaning to life.” (See the image below left.)

The Concepts Behind Ikigai

During that leadership session, I reflected on what I’m good at, what I love, what the world needs and what I might be paid for. My notes revolved around words, writing, traveling, connecting with others, facilitating dialogues, advocacy for others. What I realized at the time was that my current corporate role had become none of those things. Even so, that job provided security and health insurance. I didn’t believe I had any option to pursue a different career. So I didn’t move. I stayed. I did the best I could. And the voice inside my soul kept telling me that there was something more.

As you might remember from my previous blog post, I was laid off from my corporate career in July of last year. Despite the overwhelming life changes I was experiencing at that time, I was ready to try something new, to lean into my Ikigai. I started talking with my close friends about my ideas of words and writing and consulting.

After a handful of conversations, I had an idea of going on a journey and writing a book. My intent was to conduct some very informal research and do some qualitative analysis on relationships. My goal was to write about how and why we are all connected, despite our differences. The more we talked, my friends helped me refine my concept. I reviewed the Ikigai boxes: I loved the idea of traveling and connecting with people (check!). I believe the world needs more understanding of the beauty of the human connection (check!). I’m good at writing (at least I think so…check!). I believe in the financial viability of this project (hopefully…check!).

August Adventures



Sunrise on the Wisconsin River – Photo Credit Amy Boyd

August of 2019 became a month of adventures. I spent two days canoeing and camping with “my tribe” on the beautiful Wisconsin river. (See related blog post.) I went on a vacation with my mom and dad and siblings and all of our families to enjoy the north woods of Wisconsin. And then, after researching some routes on roadtrippers.com I decided to actually go on this journey and write. It was all really happening.

On a Sunday in August, I packed up my little Prius and started driving. And while all the adventures were great, the writing part of it did not go according to plan…at all.

Where are my Free Spirits at?

I met people and talked to them. They told me about their lives. I saw some amazing sights and scenery on the long and winding drive toward the Carolinas, and I wound up at destinations I hadn’t planned. There was so much time driving and listening to music that I couldn’t help but reflect on my own life’s journey. It actually worked out perfectly.

Every night before I went to bed, I wrote. There were notes about the adventures and the planning leading up to the trip. There were paragraphs about my own life. I wrote reflections on the stories I heard and the conversations I had. When the blank pages stared back at me, I didn’t worry about what words came out. I just wrote.

Taken at the Biltmore Estate

All of this probably sounds poetic. The adventure and the connecting with people and the writing all lined up with my Ikigai. But what I had planned…what was comfortable…was the part where I wrote about everyone else. The plan was to journal the interviews and the people and their relationships. In doing so, I could remain cautiously invulnerable, an unbiased third party writing about informal research findings. But something, maybe the pull of the moon or simply the spirit of being free (or maybe a little bit of both!) moved me to write about my own journey and experiences. Sometimes I wrote the stories connected to the people I talked with on the journey; other times, I wrote the words and chapters that I was I simply moved to write.

I am proud of the resulting manuscript. It is about so much more than a road trip and the conversations I had along the way. Rather than the qualitative analysis of the commonalities of human connection…my August adventures became a long journey into my own soul. My book became a journal of the stories of life that occurred during my journey and during my reflection. It became a celebration of the divine feminine fire that lives within each of us.

It became a journey home…to myself.

I am incredibly nervous and excited and scared to share the stories within the chapters of my book. It truly is about how we are all Finding Life In Between. I hope that by unapologetically standing in my own truth and displaying my own vulnerability, that you, too, are inspired to share your stories. I believe that when we share our authentic, imperfect selves, we can open the door to the healing we may not even know we need…and we can all love each other, and ourselves, a little more.

Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment below and feel free to share this post with your friends.

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Candy Leigh is a Women’s Empowerment Coach and Author. Schedule a complimentary discovery call if you’d like to partner with Candy for 1×1 coaching, book club discussions, or consulting/speaking engagements.

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