On Sunday December 18, 2022 I was invited to speak at TEDxAwaji 2022. The theme was “Ikigai,” a Japanese word meaning “purpose in life” or “raison d’être.”

My talk “The Power of Asking the Right Questions” covers my 8.5-year journey from early 2014 to late 2022 (age 22 to 30), from my first job to going solo and uncovering my calling. I tell stories to connect my life experiences and give you many useful life lessons.

I won’t spoil it for you. I think it’s worth your time. I condensed 10 years of ups and downs, various personal transformations and lessons I still benefit from today into a 17.5 minute rollercoaster ride.

But as a teaser I talk about:

• How I dealt with the toughest situation in my life
• Why I moved to the other side of the world
• How I improved my relationships
• The various ways I learnt to manage, control and change my emotions… at will
• How I went from culturally oblivious to being well-liked
• All the ways in which I failed to find my “ikigai” (aka “purpose in life)…and the way with which I found it
• How I went from being a productive “robot”… to a procrastinator… to a productive “human”
• The ways I’ve found to continuously increase my happiness, fulfilment and effectiveness… week after week
• The 1 question that has changed my perspective on life, love and success

If any of this resonates, it’s worth a listen. Even if it doesn’t resonate, I think it’s worth a listen.

Full transcript (English and Japanese): https://jimbouman.com/tedxawaji-the-power-of-asking-the-right-questions/

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