Ikigai Discovery Exercise

What is Ikigai Discovery Exercise?

The Japanese concept of 'reason for being' — the intersection of what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. Finding your ikigai provides a compass for life decisions and protects against existential drift.

Is there evidence for it?

How do you do Ikigai Discovery Exercise?

1. 1.Draw 4 overlapping circles (Venn diagram) labeled: 'What I love', 'What I'm good at', 'What the world needs', 'What I can be paid for'
2. 2.For each circle, brainstorm 10-15 items. Don't filter — write fast. Ask friends and family for input on 'what I'm good at' (we have blind spots about our own strengths)
3. 3.Look for overlaps: things that appear in 2, 3, or all 4 circles. The center (all 4) is your ikigai. Most people find 2-3 circle overlaps first — that's a great start
4. 4.If you have no 4-circle overlap: that's normal. Build toward it. Develop a skill in something you love. Find a way to monetize something you're good at. Add service to something profitable
5. 5.Revisit this exercise every 6-12 months. Ikigai evolves as you grow. What excited you at 25 may bore you at 35 — and that's okay. The compass recalibrates

How long does it take?

1-2 hours for the exercise.

Is it hard to start?

medium.

This is one entry from the library Shift matches against. It is general information, not advice about you, and nothing on this page came from anyone's conversation.