The Ikigai Test

Try this simple iki­gai test.

I am (like many oth­ers, I’m sure) par­tial to the concept of iki­gai (生き甲斐). Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means “reas­on for being.”

How can you use the iki­gai test for self-development?

Here we go:

The Ikigai Test

Have you been pon­der­ing your rais­on d’être? The term iki­gai comes from two Japanese words:

While the Western adapt­a­tion often treats iki­gai like a pro­ductiv­ity hack or a pur­pose-find­ing work­shop, it’s less rigid in its ori­gin­al Japanese con­text. It doesn’t require you to mon­et­ise your pas­sion or save the world — it can simply mean appre­ci­at­ing small joys, like sip­ping tea on a quiet morn­ing or tend­ing to a bon­sai tree. 

It’s more about pro­cess than out­come.

Ikigai is often described as the inter­sec­tion of what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for — a har­mo­ni­ous con­ver­gence that sup­posedly leads to a ful­filling life.

Here’s the first step of the iki­gai test for the inter­sect­ing middle lay­er, where I would say that:

Then, here’s the second step of my iki­gai test for the out­er lay­er (based on my middle lay­er answers):

1. That which I love (Passion & Mission): Communication & Teaching

2. That which the world needs (Mission + Vocation): Teaching + Learning and Sharing

3. That which I can get paid for (Profession + Vocation): Public Relations + Learning and Sharing

4. That which I’m good at (Passion + Profession): Communication + Public Relations

All good. My answers seem to work well with the out­er lay­er of the Ikigai diagram. 

So, for the third step, and based on my answers, what can I place in the centre (the Ikigai) that works?

Whohoo! That works!
Can you make it work, too?

Nota bene:

I under­stand that turn­ing iki­gai into “find your dream job!” is like using med­it­a­tion to increase pro­ductiv­ity — miss­ing the point entirely.

Life doesn’t have to be per­petu­ally mean­ing­ful or joy­ous. Striving for con­stant align­ment of these circles can some­times add unne­ces­sary pressure.

Learn more: The Ikigai Test

Concluding Thoughts

While doing this little exer­cise, I was sur­prised that teach­ing came to me without hes­it­a­tion. I was sur­prised since there’s a dis­tinct dif­fer­ence between doing things for oth­ers (like a con­sult­ant) instead of show­ing people to do them for them­selves (like a teacher).

Moving for­ward, I will try to be mind­ful of this dif­fer­ence to ensure that my iki­gai becomes a real­ity — for myself and every­one around me.

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Improvement: Renaissance Projects

The Renaissance las­ted from the 14^th to the 17^th cen­tury and was a peri­od of sig­ni­fic­ant cul­tur­al, artist­ic, polit­ic­al, and sci­entif­ic rebirth in Europe. It was marked by a renewed interest in clas­sic­al art and ideas from ancient Greece and Rome.

Inspired by the Renaissance mind­set, I strive to devel­op my cre­at­ive intel­li­gence, phys­ic­al strengths, and men­tal well-being.

Better Identity

• The Ikigai Test
• My Big Five Aspects Scale Test Results

Better Thinking

• Mental Models: How To Be Better a Better Thinker
• 10 Intelligence Types: Howard Gardner’s Theory
• How To Create Knowledge
• Types of Bad Thinking Habits
• Principles of Clear Thinking
• My Mind Palace (and How It Helps Me To Think Better)

Better Skills

• 18 Months of Sudoku
• So, I Blogged for 10 Years to Improve My English
• My Photography Journey: A Descent Into Madness
• My Chess Failure: 12 Months Is Not Nearly Enough

Better Habits

• 10 Years of Annual Reviews (to be published)
• The Epic Year Approach
• Image Streaming 

Learn more: Milestones & Reviews

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