Why You Shouldn't Use the Ikigai Venn Diagram

While I have such genuine excitement in the global interest observed in understanding the Japanese concept of "Ikigai", in this article, I will be shedding light on why the Venn Diagram is not an accurate representation of this beautiful concept.

I will approach this from two angles - based on my research and a personal standpoint. 

Let's look at the facts.

In 2014, Marc Winn, Way-Finder and Coffee-shaman, wrote a blog post after listening to a "How to live to be 100+" TED talk by Dan Buettner.

Dan is an American National Geographic writer and explorer who studies the world's longest-lived peoples. He mentioned in his TED talk that a key to longevity for the Japanese was a concept called "Ikigai", which roughly translates to "your reason for being" or "what gets you up in the morning".

Marc's blog post repurposed Andres Zuzunaga, a Spanish astrologer's purpose model, by changing "purpose" to Ikigai to represent his understanding of what Ikigai could mean.

As a Japanese native born and raised in Japan 

My initial reaction to seeing the Venn Diagram used heavily in the professional development and coaching space confused me - I shed tears from an overwhelming sense of sadness.

Trying to make sense of my reaction, I thought back to my memories of Ikigai, which took me to my summer months visiting my grandma up north in Aomori, Japan. 

We would have our ritual of sitting down for a cup of tea, and in her gentle, soft voice, my grandma would say that "getting to spend time with you and your sister and to see how much you both have grown" was her Ikigai.

If we take a look at the concept itself, we can see that Ikigai is made up of two parts: "iki", which means "life", and "gai", which translates to "worth living".

Ikigai is a concept that every Japanese person appreciates, but the interpretations of this concept will vary immensely. The reason behind this is that Ikigai is not necessarily something understood by the mind". In Japan, we often reference this as our "soul". Still, it refers to that deeper "something" that words cannot quite clearly define.

Ikigai & Your Career

In Western culture, Ikigai is a term that has become synonymous with career fulfilment. People apply it like a formula meant to churn out the perfect professional path filled with meaning and purpose. Though it's essential to one's wellbeing, the true beauty is that it does not have a fixed equation and can change over time.

Is Ikigai no longer helpful in exploring your career?

You may now be wondering whether Ikigai serves a purpose if it doesn't have a "set formula". 

I would argue that the authentic Ikigai concept provides an even more expansive and helpful approach to crafting a fulfilling life. 

Why? Ikigai lets you evaluate your life from the inside out.

At its core, Ikigai is an empowering concept as it allows you to evaluate your life from the inside out. Ikigai is not based on external factors that are part of the Venn Diagram but is a mindset that will enable you to take control of what drives you. 

A few ways Ikigai can guide you include:

Ikigai lets you see that your life is more than your 'job'. 

Ikigai is not a framework for your "job" but a way of life for your whole self, including your professional and personal life. I can not stress this point enough. The real Ikigai reminds us that we are the ultimate framework, and we have to look at our lives holistically, from both a personal and professional point of view, to find fulfilment. 

Ikigai alleviates work pressure. 

Adding on to the first point, I fear that the Venn Diagram sets unrealistic expectations that our jobs have to give us our purpose in life. In many ways, I find it a privilege to have this consideration for a job. Many of us are at our jobs as a necessity of making income to make ends meet, and I worry that the Ikigai Venn Diagram misguides people to think this is unacceptable. While I think it is something to strive for, I find it to be perhaps a debilitating pressure for companies and individuals. Instead, we should refocus our intention on understanding each individual's holistic wellbeing and prioritizing alignment in corporate and personal values.

Ikigai is part of an overall approach to wellbeing.

Japan, as a country known for its longevity, offer concepts that can empower your wellbeing today. Ikigai is very much part of it. To fully use Ikigai as a tool to find fulfilment, we have to look at the overall approach to wellbeing. I like to use a four-piece framework to help outline the core Japanese wellness concepts that help us understand this approach. 

If we focus on the other four pieces of the Japanese wellness puzzle, we will be able to have a better sense of how Ikigai plays into our lives.

To continue reading how Ikigai lets you evaluate your wellbeing from the inside out, click HERE

Ikigai is a journey, not a destination. It is the outcome of being able to live as your authentic self in your everyday life.

When I talk to individuals about these nuances, it sounds like most people have an inkling of what this Venn Diagram fails to acknowledge, but I would love to hear from you on your thoughts.

For additional Ikigai & Japanese wellness opportunities:

• Subscribe to Mogami's Newsletter which includes our "Ikigai Spotlight Series", where we interview Japanese individuals on their as well as a Free Ikigai Guide

• My Ikigai deep-dive Skillshare Course

• Deep-dive podcast interviews: Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai: Sustainable Wellness and Ikigai with Saori Okada | Rising Creatives Podcast by Kelly Morita: The TRUTH About Ikigai & Why You're Getting it Wrong with Saori Okada | The Ikigai Podcast with Nicholas Kemp: "What does it mean to be Japanese?"

• For speaking and corporate wellbeing engagements, get in touch today.

About Me

Saori Okada is the Founder of Mogami 最上, a Japanese wellness brand headquartered in London (U.K.)on a mission to empower individuals' wellbeing by helping them discover, learn, and integrate the art of Japanese wellness into their daily lifestyles. Mogami provides educational content, wellness experiences, private coaching, and corporate wellbeing services to coach everyday principles to improve their holistic wellbeing.

Saori received her B.S. in Commerce from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia and her coaching training as a Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach from the Institute of Transformational Nutrition. Saori also holds her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from PMI and is a 20-year student of Japanese calligraphy, given the calligraphy name Seisen (星洗). She is also the author of a narrative memoir titled "Until the Death of Me", where she bravely shares her eating disorder recovery journey. After a successful 7-year corporate career in media analytics in New York City and Toronto, Saori moved to London to start Mogami in August 2021.