Ikigai for Visionaries in the In-Between

Finding your reason for living

Ikigai is Japanese for “a reason for being”, blending iki “being” an gai “worth.” And it’s about finding meaning in daily activities rather than waiting until your infinite vision has come into being.
When you have outgrown the old role, business, or identity, this is a really good ritual to look at how you wish to live your life.
I return to my Ikigai again and again.

I remember sitting outside the library, confused about where I was heading. I had grown a successful business but I didn’t want to work in it anymore. Then a man approached me and began to share his story of being in his own in-between and shared a concept I had never heard of before: Ikigai.

Ikigai, is the point that sits across four truths:

• What you love

• What you are good at

• What the world needs

• What you can be paid for

There are moments when life places you in the in-between.
One chapter has closed, but the next hasn’t fully formed.
There may be discomfort in this place.

It threads passion, skill, service, and sustainability.
It is the reason to wake up early each morning.
The place where life and purpose meet.

The conversation with the man outside the library was a turning point for me. It anchored me when I was lost. And I’ve learned that as we grow and shift, our Ikigai also shifts subtly with the heart still intact. I’ve found that these slight tweaks have been signs of my internal transformation and deepened connection to myself and the outside world.

A Ritual for Finding Your Ikigai

Find a quiet place for yourself.

1. Clearing:
   Visualise: Close your eyes and take a few breaths. Imagine placing all the roles, titles, and expectations to one side. Imagine yourself without the weight of this list.
   Writing: Write down all of the roles, titles and expectations and write next to them that they no longer exist.

2. Four Questions:
   On a piece of paper, draw a circle divided into four parts. In each section, answer:

   • What do I love?

   • What am I good at?

   • What does the world need from me?

   • What can I be paid for?

   Let your answers come with authenticity and without judgement. Scribble, draw, let the words fall out as they want to.

3. Threading:
   In the centre of the circle, where is the point of which these four truths meet and write what you see. It might not be a single answer. It might be a feeling, a direction, or a single word. Write that down. Your Ikigai may also be right where you are and all you need is subtle shifts to be more aligned with this.

4. Declaration:
   When you find even a fragment of your Ikigai, write it on a fresh page. Speak it aloud, as if claiming it as your truth. Place this page somewhere you’ll see it often.

5. Reflection and integration:
   The how will unfold over time. Return to your Ikigai again and again and watch as hints of change find you.

There is no rush to find it all at once. Your Ikigai is not hiding; it is waiting for you to listen. Sometimes the simplest way to reconnect is to pause, ask, and allow the answer to find you: slowly, but unmistakably.