The following are resources pertaining to the Bliss Map.
As you explore through the content below, continue asking yourself:
- What do I love doing?
- What am I good at?
- What am I paid well-enough for to be satisfied?
- What do I feel the world needs?
Remember to explore these independently, yet holistically. They’re dials, not switches. A single job may answer all of those questions for you. And, more likely, it will be a combination of work, family, personal interests, etc.
Links / Articles
Work / Life Balance
- You Are Your Work – And that’s a good thing. Think of your professional life as a journey that begins with drudgery and ends with love.
- The New Approach to Work / Life Balance – A very practical set of tips.
- For Human Wholeness at Work – We need to stop thinking about perks. Ping Pong at the office won’t bring purpose.
- The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working. What Can We Do About It? – A new book and podcast explore how we started putting work before our lives and what we can do to change it
- Kahlil Gibran On Work – The famous passage from his famous work, The Prophet, which has sold in the tens of millions in over 50 languages.
- What is Your Time Worth? – Make better decisions about how you choose to spend your time and money
- ClearerThinking.org – a fantastic site full of quizzes and assessment to help you balance work and life.
- Why There’s Too Much On Your Plate – “We can’t seem to refrain from stacking things too high, and suffering the resulting stress, overwhelm and sense of falling behind.”
Gems from the Greater Good Science Center
More Links
- Ikigai – The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life Might Just Help You Live a More Fulfilling Life
- The Tyranny of the Perfect Life – A destination is not a journey, and both are important.
- Playing Catch Up in the Game of Life – Millenials approach middle age in crisis.
- The Meaning of Money in Marriage – Help from the Gottman Institute in balancing these two powers.
- Are you in Prison? – A compelling article from James Altucher, compelling the reader to ditch the complacency or working a job you hate.
- There is No One Way to Live a Good Life – Humanistic psychology is an uplifting, compassionate view of humanity.
Money / Wealth / $$$
- How Money Changes the Way You Think and Feel – Research is uncovering how wealth impacts our sense of morality, our relationships with others, and our mental health.
- Positive Routines’ Money and Happiness Guide – A valuable web resource for happiness, wellness, and productivity.
- The Birth and Death of the Price Tag – This episode of popular podcast Planet Money gives some historical inside on this side of money.
- Money Really Does Lead to a More Satisfying Life – This article from the New York Times highlights the benefits of money shown by research.
- In Praise of the Low-Income, High-purpose, High-Freedom Career – This article contains some priceless insights on weighing those 3 things.
- Who Actually Feels Satisfied About Money – “It’s not just how much you have—it’s what you do with it,” says one researcher who studies money and happiness.
Job Hunting
- Career Changing – Ex-Googlers, Stanford Professors, and Start-Up CEOs Share Their Best Advice
- ‘Find Your Passion’ – Why this can be Terrible advice
- 11 Reasons to Quit your Job in 2019 – This stark articles lays it all out. Blunt and pragmatic.
- Proof That It’s Never Too Late to Master Something New – A fun podcast interview with David Epstein, author of ‘Range’.
- How to Switch Careers Even If you Don’t Have a Lot of Experience
Skill and Success
- The Paradox of Expertise – How Range, not just Specialization, preps us for success.
- Success is About How Much Value You Provide to Others
- Side Hustle School – A Podcast made of 10-minute episodes highlighting side hustle success stories. Informative and practical!
- The 3 Things Employees Really Want – Career, Community, Cause
- You Accomplished Something Great – So now what? Career success doesn’t always equal happiness, so here’s how to deal when achieving a goal leaves you feeling empty inside.
Gems from Brian Johnson / Optimize.me
- Your Genius Zone
- Your Genius Zone 2
- Your Daimon Zone
- Your Money – Or your life. Which will it be?
- FIRE movement – Financial. Independence. Retire. Early.
- Building a BonFIRE
- The Four FI’s – Intelligence + Integrity + Independence + Interdependence
- The Big 3 – No Debt + Save at Least 50% + Invest in Index Funds
Videos
‘Discover Your Purpose’ in 4 steps
This is a very practical and handy video exercise walking through the Bliss Map (Ikigai)
How Great Leaders Inspire Action – Find Your Why – Simon Sinek
Relevant, and slightly different. Sinek’s approach can be applied with some overlap to the Bliss Map.
Alan Watts on Work as Play
Everyone Needs to Hear This by Jay Shetty
A parody of the ‘rat race’ by Alan Watts.
Ikigai
In the Village of Longevity
A touching short documentary that asks elderly Japanese about their Ikigai.
Ikigai Book study notes
This video goes in-depth with the book Ikigai by Hector Garcia.
Japanese brain scientist Ken Mogi discusses Ikigai.
Quotes
“The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” – Henry David Thoreau
“For money you can have everything it is said. No, that is not true. You can buy food, but not appetite; medicine, but not health; soft beds, but not sleep; knowledge but not intelligence; glitter, but not comfort; fun, but not pleasure; acquaintances, but not friendship; servants, but not faithfulness; grey hair, but not honor; quiet days, but not peace. The shell of all things you can get for money. But not the kernel. That cannot be had for money.” -Arne Garborg, writer (1851-1924)
“Live each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance toward the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point. Climb slowly, steadily, enjoying each passing moment; and the view from the summit will serve as a fitting climax for the journey.” – Harold V Melcher
“The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination.” – Carl Rogers
“Money often costs too much.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“I define art as having nothing at all to do with painting.
Art is a human act, a generous contribution, something that might not work, and it is intended to change the recipient for the better, often causing a connection to happen.
Five elements that are difficult to find and worth seeking out. Human, generous, risky, change and connection.
You can be perfect or you can make art.
You can keep track of what you get in return, or you can make art.
You can enjoy the status quo, or you can make art.
The most difficult part might be in choosing whether you want to make art at all, and committing to what it requires of you.” – Seth Godin
