In 2017 I was laid off from my job as a marketing director in a fashion company. Though I went in with my head held high on my final days, I was spiraling on the inside. If my company didn’t want me, would anyone hire me? Was I meant to do this work? Did I deserve it?

The reality was, those were the wrong questions. When I looked at the executives above me, I didn’t want to be them. I didn’t want their jobs, their lives, I didn’t want their purpose. Like all painful moments, it was a lesson. The right question was, how can I use this opportunity to do fulfilling work? But finding your purpose it not an easy task. Unemployment does not pay for career coaches, so I turned to Ikigai.

2025 Ikigai | Photo credit: Natasha Khan Kazi

What is Ikigai?

Ikigai is a Japanese concept often translated to “a reason for being” or “a reason to wake up in the morning.” In short, Ikigai is a sense of purpose or fufillment in life.

Ikigai in the West

The international bestselling book, Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles has increased the knowledge and understanding of Ikigai. In their book, they offer practical advice for exploring your Ikigai through four key elements:

1. What you love
2. What the world needs
3. What you can be paid for
4. What you are good at

Their book captures the essence of Ikigai: living with purpose, embracing challenges, nurturing relationships, and maintaining a positive outlook. Unfortunately, many people (myself included) have oversimplified Ikigai to a career planning tool. Missing the significance of strong social connections and how it plays a vital role in well-being and longevity.

Ken Tsuda wrote, in Addressing the fallacies surrounding the Ikigai Venn Diagram, that the true essence of Ikigai extends far beyond this Westernized framework. By understanding its origins and embracing its deeper meaning, we can align our lives with a more authentic sense of purpose.

Ikigai and the Venn Diagram

If you are familiar with Ikigai you probably have seen the Venn diagram. It combines passion, mission, vocation, and profession into a useful tool for self-reflection. Andrés Zuzunaga, a Spanish astrologer and entrepreneur, created a Venn diagram to represent his concept of ‘propósito’ (purpose). It wasn’t meant to represent the Japanese concept of Ikigai.

Here are some key differences:

• Income and career aren’t central. The diagram’s focus on “profession” and “what you can be paid for” contrasts with Ikigai, which is not inherently tied to work.
• It misses the cultural context. Ikigai in Japan often emphasizes relationships, community, and a sense of belonging—values that are difficult to map onto a diagram.
• It overemphasizes goals. While the diagram frames Ikigai as something to be achieved, the true essence of Ikigai lies in living with meaning in the present, not in striving for a perfect balance.

This worksheet is inspired by Andres Zuzunaga’s Purpose Venn Diagram. You can learn more about the Venn diagram and how to use it in this podcast interview. I still enjoy the Purpose Venn Diagram, inspired by Ikigai. But it’s good to understand the relationship between the two.

You can get the free printable Venn diagram .pdf by sharing your info below!

Peace & Salam,

Natasha Khan Kazi