Ikigai

It’s five calendar months to the day since Chris Lomax MBE and I took the first proper steps on our Participate World journey, and as I sit writing this from a Premier Inn near Bristol, Chris is on his way back from a couple of days in Paris.

He’s been speaking at the European Negotiation Conference, hosted by Sorbonne University, and I’m about to enjoy a weekend hanging out with the brilliant This Woman Runs community.

Recently I’ve been thinking about the Japanese concept, Ikigai … which refers to the intersection of what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. It represents a personal sense of purpose or a reason for being, and something that brings deep satisfaction and meaning to life.

Whilst Chris and I have got to this point via incredibly different paths, working together has empowered both of us to move toward our own Ikigai. In fact, our differences have really added to our collective ability to get there, and taught me at least a valuable lesson about finding people who share your values, passions, and beliefs, but at the same time have different skill sets, experiences and strengths.

In many ways we couldn’t be more different, and in others we couldn’t be more similar, and together that combination is hugely empowering, particularly when combined with the incredible autonomy that comes from running your own business, together.

Finally this week, a massive thanks to Dr Jo Clarke and the team at the Leeds Beckett University Carnegie School Of Sport for hosting a fantastic one-day seminar on evaluating the true impact of sport. It was great to spend time with a group of like-minded people, representing a diverse range of organisations, and all looking to leave their positive mark on the world through community sport.