“You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.” — Stanford University Commencement Address, June 12, 2005
These words by Steve Jobs draw our attention to the importance of loving what we do, both in our personal lives and in our work. Jobs emphasizes that only by doing what we love can we achieve true self-esteem and satisfaction. This speech inspires us to think about our life’s journey and how to find something that brings us not only income but also joy.
One concept that helps you find that path is the Japanese concept of Ikigai (生き甲斐), which translates as “a reason for being” or “life plan.” Ikigai helps you find a balance between what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be financially rewarded for.
Let’s consider whether it is possible to find your Ikigai in the profession of affiliate marketing, and how it can become an important part of your “life plan”.
- Your passion (what you love): This is an activity that brings you pleasure and satisfaction.
- Your vocation (what you're good at): These are the skills and abilities that allow you to do your job well.
- Your mission (what the world needs): This is what brings benefit and meaning to society.
- Your profession (what you can be paid for): This is an activity that can earn you income.
- Passion: Many affiliate marketers are passionate about their work because of the challenge and excitement that comes with constantly testing new strategies and analyzing the results. If an affiliate marketer truly enjoys the process of creating and optimizing ad campaigns, they may find passion in their work. It is important to find the aspects of the work that bring pleasure and focus on them.
- Calling: Affiliates with deep knowledge of marketing, data analytics, and consumer psychology can be successful in their field. Recognizing your strengths and continually developing your skills is what makes an affiliate's work truly meaningful. Constant learning and improving your professional skills is a necessary part of working in affiliate marketing.
- Mission: Finding a mission in affiliate marketing is more difficult. However, if affiliates promote useful and quality products or services that benefit people, they may feel that their work has a positive impact on society. Choose to promote products and services that align with your personal values and that bring real benefit to society.
- Profession: Affiliate marketing is a lucrative activity. If an affiliate successfully copes with his tasks, he can earn significant money, which satisfies the financial aspect of Ikigai. Strive to effectively manage your income and expenses so that the work brings not only satisfaction but also a stable income.
For many, it is not so much a passion as an opportunity to earn money. Often, people start hoping for easy and high income, freedom of work schedule and the ability to work from anywhere - all those illusions that are advertised as "fast, easy and a lot".
