The Ikigai Ritual

Finding your work purpose.

There are moments when life places you in the in-between.
One chapter has closed, but the next hasn’t fully formed.
It can feel like drifting, no anchors, no map.

I remember sitting outside the library, confused about where I was heading. My business had closed, and I was standing on bare ground. Then a man approached me and began to share his story of being in his own in-between. He spoke of a concept I had never heard of before: Ikigai.

Ikigai, is the meeting place of four truths:

• What you love

• What you are good at

• What the world needs

• What you can be paid for

Finding your work purpose.

There are moments when life places you in the in-between.
One chapter has closed, but the next hasn’t fully formed.
It can feel like drifting, no anchors, no map.

I remember sitting outside the library, confused about where I was heading. My business had closed, and I was standing on bare ground. Then a man approached me and began to share his story of being in his own in-between. He spoke of a concept I had never heard of before: Ikigai.

Ikigai, is the meeting place of four truths:

• What you love

• What you are good at

• What the world needs

• What you can be paid for

It is the thread that ties together passion, skill, service, and sustainability.
It is the reason to rise early each morning.
The place where work and purpose meet.

That conversation became 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. The heart of it remains unchanged, but the form it takes can look quite different. These slight tweaks are often signs of transformation or a deepened connection to self.

A Ritual for Finding Your Ikigai

You don’t need to have it all figured out. You only need to create space to listen.

1. The Clearing:
   Sit somewhere quiet, somewhere you can hear yourself. 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 what you "should" be doing.

2. The 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 without judgement. Scribble, draw, let the words fall out as they want to.

3. The Bridge:
   In the centre of the circle, where these four truths meet, write what you see. It might not be a single answer. It might be a feeling, a direction, or a single word. That’s enough.

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

5. The Reflection:
   Revisit this ritual as you change and grow. Let it evolve with you. Ikigai is not fixed; it’s a living map, adjusting to each season of your life.

There is no rush to find it all at once. The work purpose you are seeking 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 rise like dawn: slowly, but unmistakably.