Nutshell: How to find our purpose at work

Finding our ‘ikigai’ or purpose in work (and life) can seem like a never-ending quest. Yet we can identify it with the help of something as everyday as a Venn diagram and a handy template.

When translated into English, the Japanese concept of ‘ikigai’ – from iki, meaning life, and gai, meaning worth – comes out as ‘life purpose’.

But while this sounds a little intimidating, the word ‘life’ here aligns more closely with ‘daily life’. Or as clinical psychologist Akihiro Hasegawa puts it: “The joy a person finds living day-to-day, without which their life as a whole would not be a happy one.”

Significantly, ikigai is not just associated with happiness; it is also thought to lie at the heart of the extraordinary longevity found on Okinawa Island in the Kyushu region of Japan. As National Geographic reporter and author Dan Buettner explains:

“In the Okinawan language there isn’t even a word for retirement… Instead, there is one word that imbues your entire life, and that word is ‘ikigai’.”

In his 2009 TED talk, Buttner recounts his meetings with notable Okinawans, including a woman cradling her great-great-great-great granddaughter, and a 100-year-old fisherman.

Clearly these islanders are onto something.

Fortunately, however, we don’t need to travel all the way Japan to find it, because our own ikigai is much closer to hand – at the place where the following four intrinsically connected criteria overlap:

• Passion. What we love doing

• Vocation. What we’re good at, or could realistically become good at

• Profession. What we can be paid for

• Mission. What the communities we belong to most need from us

Uncovering our own ikigai

If we’re ever feeling stuck or dissatisfied, considering our ikigai can help us to think more deeply about our career aspirations and what me might like to build on or change.

This is especially true of we find ourselves asking: “Is this the life I really want?”. “Am I devoting my time and energy to the right things?”. Or – in particular - “why should I bother getting out from under the duvet?”.

And it all starts with three simple steps:

1. Creating an ikigai Venn diagram

2. Reviewing our Passion, Vocation, Profession, and Mission

3. Reflecting on what is revealed

   
   

The ikigai Venn diagram comprises four overlapping circles, one each for: 
Passion, Vocation, Profession and Mission.

Onto this we plot what we Love, what we’re Good At, what we can be Paid For, and what our communities most Need from us, as per the following diagram.

We can either draw our own Venn or download and print this template.

The next step is to create lists in columns under the four key headings, as in the example below. This also forms part of the template.

To jiggle free answers, it may help to ask ourselves questions such as:

Love:

• • What brings me joy on a daily basis?

  • Who do I envy and why?

  • What did I enjoy doing as a child?

Good At:

• • What do I find easy to do?

  • What do people compliment me on?

  • During which tasks do I experience ‘flow’?

Paid For:

• • What professional skills do I have or could I develop or enhance?

  • What other skills do I have that might be transferable to work?

  • Where can I see skills or service gaps, high-growth or emerging fields?

Need:

• • What are the causes or issues that affect or concern me?

  • What unique talents or perspectives can I offer?

3. Reflecting on what’s revealed

We then need to review our Venn diagram, noting the different intersections and any gaps. We should also consider the less positive areas – shown in yellow on the template.

It's then time to reflect on our current work situation and where it would sit within our Venn and think about our next steps accordingly.

It’s important to remember that what gives us purpose will change over time, as will the job market - and at increasingly breakneck speed. So, we should undertake a periodic review, using the Venn to throw light on the sweet spot where all four circles of meaning now overlap.

The five pillars of ikigai

In his Little book of ikigai, Tokyo-based neuroscientist and author Ken Mogi highlights five pillars that can help us uncover our sources of ikigai and clarify our purpose:

1. Starting small

2. Releasing ourself

3. Harmony and stability

4. The joy of little things

5. Being in the here and now

Starting small

Rather than going for a big change that can be hard to achieve, we should consider taking small steps towards our goals.

Mogi associates this with the concept of kodawari, an approach by which people take extraordinary care of the small details, understanding that there is no way to attain perfection, but appreciating the effort that goes into striving to be better.

In a work context, we might start by considering the types of task that give us the most pleasure in our current job. For example, is it:

• Managing people or working in isolation?

• Solving complex problems or giving presentations?

• Engaging with spreadsheets or stakeholders?

 We can then take steps away from what we dislike (and are less good at) and towards more fulfilling and potentially more meaningful territory.

In other words, we shouldn’t just aim to leap straight to the end goal; what matters is the process, learning from our attempts, and making incremental progress.

Releasing ourself

Rather than comparing ourselves to others, we should accept our uniqueness and individuality, knowing that while we might not be perfect, we can grow through experience.

Everyone’s ikigai is different and we have a better chance of finding ours if we’re honest with ourselves about what really matters – to us.

When answering the prompt questions and completing our Venn, we should therefore try not to censor ourselves. No answer if too ‘out there’, to aspirational, or too silly. Not every single one needs to make it onto the diagram but it is better to edit after than to limit before.

Harmony and stability

This means being mindful of the impact our actions have on others and on the environments we live in.

It doesn’t mean we have to abandon our organisations to become nurses, teachers, and charity workers; there are plenty of ways to build acts of service into our daily lives.

For example, we could:

•  give someone a lift on the way to work.

•  mentor a more junior colleague.

•  pick up some groceries for an elderly neighbour on our way home.

Even small acts of kindness can have a dramatic impact on those who receive them – and on how we feel about ourselves, which in turn feeds our wider motivation.

The joy of little things

We should create a routine that allows for little moments of joy; even something as simple as enjoying a great cup of coffee when we get out of bed or allowing ourselves to start the day with some yoga poses or a period of reading.

This means that however bad our day goes, however little reward we get from others, we have built-in those moments of happiness for ourselves.

Mogi also vouches for pleasure through absorption in an activity (aka flow).

Getting lost in even the most mundane of tasks can bring us a huge sense of reward and freedom. In this way, our work becomes an end in itself not just the means to another end, such as a pay rise or a promotion.

And the irony is, this absorption in what we love often leads to the kind of results that make us more likely to be recognised and rewarded.

Being in the here and now

Rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future, we should focus on what we are doing now.

Much like mindfulness, ikigai is about being present in the moment. But it’s also about anticipating, appreciating and consciously enjoying simple pleasures once we have them, while at the same time balancing what we need from the world with what the world needs for us.

Out ikigai is about what we truly value.

It’s not linked to our status at work or in society, or to the money we do (or might one day) earn. It’s about what will ultimately give us greater fulfilment in our lives and work. As Mogi says:

“[Whether] you are a cleaner of the famous Shinkansen bullet train, the mother of a new-born child or a Michelin-starred sushi chef’ – if you can find pleasure and satisfaction in what you do and you’re good at it, congratulations you have found your ikigai.”

This doesn’t mean we’ll never again want to hit the snooze button on a Monday morning. But it may help us get out of bed on the right side a bit more often.

So, let’s wake up to the power and potential of ikigai.

Test your understanding

• Outline what ikigai translates as in English.

• Identify the four ikigai Venn circles.

What does it mean for you?

• Follow the three simple steps to uncover your own ikigai, using our downloadable template.

Download our ikigai template