Ikigai

生き甲斐 — A Reason for Being

The Western internet discovered ikigai and immediately turned it into a career planning framework—the intersection of what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.

This has almost nothing to do with the actual concept.

What Ikigai Actually Means

In Japan, ikigai refers to the small daily joys that make life worth living. The morning coffee ritual. Time with grandchildren. A craft practiced for decades. It's not about career optimization—it's about finding meaning in ordinary moments.

The Four-Circle Diagram

The famous Venn diagram isn't Japanese at all. It's a Western creation, inspired by a Spanish astrologer's concept called "propósito." It was later mislabeled as ikigai and went viral.

This doesn't make it useless—finding meaningful work matters. But it shouldn't be confused with the Japanese concept it claims to represent.

Finding Your Ikigai

Don't look for grand purpose. Notice what activities cause time to disappear. What would you do even if no one paid you or praised you? What small rituals bring quiet satisfaction?

Ikigai is often humble. It doesn't require monetization or world-changing impact. It simply requires presence.