Ikigai: what it really means, and how to use the four circles anyway
Ralph Varcoe
4 min read
Ikigai is a Japanese word that roughly means "a reason for being", and in Japan it doesn't have to involve work at all. The four-circle diagram you may have seen (what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs and what you can be paid for) is a Western invention: Andrés Zuzunaga drew it in 2011, and Marc Winn put the word ikigai on it in 2014. Used for what it is, it's still a very helpful way of thinking about the work you do and the life you want around it.
Why do so many of us feel stuck in the wrong work?
You can be good at your job, paid fairly for it, and still drive home on a Thursday evening with the nagging sense that something's missing. Or it can be the other way round, where you love what you do and it barely covers the rent, so every month ends with a little knot of worry about the bills. Either way, it's an uncomfortable place to be, and it can go on for years.
Most career advice picks a side. Some people will tell you to follow your passion and the money will follow, while others will tell you to be sensible, keep the steady job and do the fun things at the weekend. Neither is much help on its own, because the real question usually sits in the space between the two: how do you bring together the things you care about and the things that keep a roof over your head?
That question deserves a bit of time and a sheet of paper, and that's where ikigai comes in.
What is ikigai, and where does the diagram come from?
This one is worth a little history, as it's often misunderstood. In Japanese, ikigai is an everyday word, and the psychiatrist Mieko Kamiya wrote a well-known book about it in 1966, Ikigai ni tsuite (On the meaning of life). In ordinary Japanese use, your ikigai might be your grandchildren, your garden, or the cup of coffee you look forward to each morning, and it doesn't need to have anything to do with a career.
The four-circle diagram came much later and from somewhere else entirely. The Spanish astrologer Andrés Zuzunaga drew a Venn diagram about purpose in 2011, and in 2014 the British blogger Marc Winn put the word ikigai over the top of it in a blog post. He has since said himself that merging the two was something of an accident, and the result travelled the world.
None of that makes the circles any less useful. If you treat them as a modern thinking tool, and leave the ancient wisdom out of it, they earn their place very well.
How does Ikigai work in PiViva?
In PiViva you fill in four circles, one at a time: what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. There are no right or wrong answers, and it helps to be generous with the first two, since most of us undersell both.
Once the circles are filled in, the interesting part is the overlaps, and the pairs tend to tell you more than the middle does. Loving something you're not yet good at is a hobby, or a practice you might want to make room for. Being good at something the world doesn't need is a hard way to make a living, however skilled you are. Being paid for something you don't love is a job you'll tolerate for a while, and it's worth knowing that's what it is.
Try not to strain for the centre. Very few people find a clean four-way overlap, and chasing a perfect answer can talk you out of a perfectly good life. What you're looking for is the next sensible step towards a better balance, and the circles are very good at showing you where that step might be.
What if your circles don't overlap at all?
Then you've learned something about what's missing, and that's a genuine starting point. Pick the pair that comes closest and ask yourself what one small change would bring them a little nearer together.
If you're good at something and you'd love to be paid for it, that's a goal worth shaping properly in Goal Setting. If you're no longer sure what you love, which happens to a lot of us after a busy decade, The Four Quadrants and Values Clarification will help you look at your life with fresh eyes.
A change of direction at work is a big decision, and you don't have to make it alone. Viv is there to think it through with you at any hour, and if you'd like to talk to a person, the PiViva Coach Directory lists verified coaches you can share your Ikigai with before you meet. Whatever your circles look like today, there's very likely a better fit within reach, and finding it often starts with exactly this kind of honest look.
Questions people ask
What does ikigai mean?
Ikigai roughly translates as "a reason for being" or a reason to get up in the morning. In everyday Japanese use it isn't tied to work, and it can be anything from family to a hobby.
Who created the ikigai diagram?
The four-circle Venn diagram was drawn by Andrés Zuzunaga in 2011 as a diagram about purpose. Marc Winn added the word ikigai to it in a 2014 blog post, and has since said the merger was accidental.
Is the ikigai diagram Japanese?
The word is Japanese, and it was the subject of Mieko Kamiya's 1966 book. The four-circle diagram itself is a Western creation.
How do I use the ikigai diagram?
Fill in the four circles, then look closely at the pairs of overlaps, since each pair tells you something specific about what might be worth changing. You don't need to find a perfect centre for it to be useful.