Finding Ikigai and other unexpected side effects of a portfolio career
On portfolio careers as the ultimate form of authentic self expression.
A few years ago I stumbled across the phrase ‘my most vibrant self’.
I can’t place where I heard it - perhaps a podcast or book, or perhaps it emerged from my subconscious - but it conjured up conflicting feelings of hope and despair as I imagined a life where I was fully expressing my strengths and talents (whatever they were) in a way that was meaningful to others (whatever that meant).
The phrase spoke to me because, at the time, I felt more vacant than vibrant. For years I’d been head down, viciously pursuing a version of success that is commonly worshipped but rarely peaceful - being a founder - without stopping to ask whether that version was mine.
My most vibrant self.
My most vibrant self.
My most vibrant self.
I rolled the phrase around in my head for weeks, finally pausing to look up. There I found myself, staring at the image of success and seeing right through it.
A flurry of events followed. I left my business and started flirting with the idea of reclaiming my purpose and building a life that was wholly mine. But as it turns out, answering the question ‘what does my most vibrant self look like?’ is tough when you’ve completely lost sight of who you are.
It was at that moment I decided to take matters into my own hands and commit to a years-long period of intense self-exploration. Determined to a) figure out who I was deep down and b) find a path forward that felt true, I went inward.
I wrote for 30 minutes every day. This was a way for me to noodle on life’s important questions: what do I want to do with my time? How do I want to feel each day? What do I want my days, weeks and years to look like? What do I want my legacy to be?
I revisited my values using Brené Brown’s ‘Dare to Lead’ list, getting clear on what I cared about and what I would and wouldn’t tolerate
I devoured books like Ikigai by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles, and Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
I did a Soul Gift reading. I’m woo-woo adjacent and not 100% sure I believe, but I simply cannot dispute the profound results that came back. My gift, according to the stars, is Divine Communication: “the Energy Centre of communication, self-expression and authenticity. This is the realm of the teacher, and the written and spoken word. You have a very special relationship with language – words will have taste and substance for them. You are a natural expert at communication and can become an exceptional writer, speaker or both.”
I went so deep that I almost struck the core, and while my introspection hadn’t yet made me vibrant I was no longer muted. I went outward - networking, pitching, getting a read on the market, and winning clients, projects and deals. Over time, as I followed my curiosity and listened to my gut, I uncovered the intersection of what I’m good at and what I enjoy. And then, partly by chance and partly through design, I learned how to package this up such that others would pay. I turned my skills and knowledge into a portfolio career that’s a direct reflection of who I am; a one person business that leverages my left brain (my commercial, business, operator mind) and my right brain (my creativity, writing and storytelling) in equal measure. A life that finally makes me feel vibrant.
At the most foundational level this is what portfolio careers are all about.
They’re not prescribed, defined, constrained or preordained, nor are they one size fits all. They’re a complex and exquisite mosaic constructed from millions of shards that represent your values, strengths, experience, knowledge, capabilities, purpose, gifts, creativity and ambition. They may be sprinkled with broken dreams, broken hearts, broken ideas and broken norms, because something needs to be shattered before it’s rebuilt, but each piece is perfectly assembled to form a picture of a life. A life that’s uniquely yours.
The portfolio career is a mosaic created by you, for you, with you at the centre. It’s a structure that rewards you for colouring beyond the lines. A piece of art that’s colourful, vibrant and glimmers in a new light.
And this mosaic?
Well, she’s glorious.
🎙️How to adopt an experimental approach to finding your Ikigai, plus an alternative framework if Ikigai freaks you out:
🫶🏼 When you’re ready, here are three ways I can help:
The Portfolio Career Operating System: learn and implement the exact system I use to run my multi-six-figure portfolio of work across startup consulting and advisory, mentoring, writing, speaking gigs and digital products.
Portfolio Career Mentoring: 1-1 sessions to help you build a career that sits at the intersection of freedom, creative fulfilment, meaning and money.
Shoot me a DM on Insta: I’m here to say hi and answer any and all of your burning Qs.
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Hi Anna! I have a similar type of business but I called it a knowledge-based lifestyle business.. I just stumbled across you from Alyce Greers Substack (she egged me on to get on here) and I love your perspective and writing, we are very aligned. So hiiiii!
And once you find it, you never lose sight of yourself again because you know when you start straying too far. You go from content to feeling off-center immediately!