The notion of having one true purpose or one true passion are stupid and damaging notions. They don’t make sense today when everything changes so fast. You’ll need to reinvent yourself whether you’re a specialist or generalist.
It does make sense to me to try a bunch of different things to understand what I don’t like to go away from that. It’s personally been confusing to try to do what I absolutely love but it’s easier to find something that I’m neutral toward or enjoying.
I also find it upsetting that the Venn diagram is some sort of meme that was popularized. I’m sure the principles would provide more interesting guidance.
Same here, never been able to find something I absolutely love and the whole “one thing” construct has been detrimental for me.
Yeah it’s weird how the Venn diagram took off attached to Ikigai when that was not even why it was created.
I don’t think the original book has been translated into English so we’re only getting other people’s interpretations of what Ikigai means. Part of me is curious to read the original source text.
Exactly! And, well said. This notion of perfect application of one’s self is damaging and frankly wrong. I do not believe that as a ‘meme’ concept, Ikigai can even exist.
I always had issue with finding the one purpose as described by that diagram, but I took a different approach.
I realized my one thing is to be myself and follow my curiosity wherever it takes me. If it takes me to thousand places it's still while only doing one thing.
I've roughly landed in a similar place, my one thing is to be someone that does a lot of things, which does not align in any way with the Ikigai diagram. In other words, I am an Octopus person.
Completely agree with you David. If you look at that whole image as a star, then "Ikigai" at the center is what you get when a star collapses: a black hole that is dense and from which no light emanates! Trying to reduce our human complexity to the "one thing" is totally self-defeating.
I read a book a while ago called “Refuse to Choose!” By Barbara Sher - she had this concept of being a “scanner” i.e. multi-passionate and how to work with that. I do recommend it 😊
Thanks Lou, I’ve heard of that book but not read it, but you’re spot on, there are certain types of people who do not want to be boxed into a single “one thing” or Ikigai, we like scanning across many areas of interest and our lives are richer and better for it!
I do have one thing I absolutely love, a passion. But I'm also deeply and profoundly interested in everything else, because that's how I understand the world, through connections. The worst advice I ever received was "pick a topic and stick with it, you need to show consistency". Yeah, I am consistently interesting in everything.
(okay, maybe not everything everything, but still)
Some creative folks I know get their best ideas by pursuing a train of thought better or farther. I get mine by making connections, often across academic disciplines.
The question for me is, which interests matter to me most AND are worth the energy investment (in money, happiness, opportunities, new ideas, etc). It's hard having many interests with limited energy -- I burn out quickly trying to do as many as possible. My brain seems to be made to focus, while I'm inconveniently interested in All The Things. 😭
Am I the only person dealing with this sort of mess?
I think this is a common conundrum for people with many interests. We are limited in time thus cannot do everything we want. That's why I like the octopus concept, it has 8 arms. That feels like enough to keep us engaged, but not so many that we can be overwhelmed. Most people do more than 8 things in their life, without even thinking about it. It's been helpful for me to say 8 is my limit. If the options are limitless, I feel paralyzed and it's hard to move forward or make progress on anything. But 8 feels do-able, and helps me focus on the most important things I want to accomplish.
Completely agree, as someone with a portfolio career, I never found the "this is it" job/role, rather than a "this is it for now" and "next year I may be at a different place". This is because adaptability makes us human and unique, after all we're a species that has been evolving in millennia by adapting and adjusting to the demand of our environment. Glad that mission and passion are there too as they may illuminate our paths but not necessarily prescribe them.
Hi Sekar, thanks for your comment. The whole "pick one thing" movement in recent days is hurting a lot of multi-dimensional people, and does not allow the adaptability you mention. Fluidity and evolution are hallmarks of the human experience, and as I've told some other people, narrowing to one specific thing is like an Octopus with 7 tentacles tied behind its back. It is not allowed to fully express itself and deploy its full powers. We should be allowed to do the same without these artificial restrictions disguised as productivity and focus.
"As someone with a portfolio career, I never found the 'this is it' job/role, rather than a 'this is it for now' and 'next year I may be at a different place'." Damn, your words hit HOME for me!! Felt heard and seen in many ways!
Thank you!! A big relief 🤸♀️🙏🏼 I'd always hated that thing bit felt inept as a result without quite understanding why (surely it's applicable to everyone but me! Ha)
Hi Irina, I know the feeling! There’s nothing inept or wrong with you, Ikigai is just not the right framework for you. Find one that works for you, or invent your own that fits who you are :)
I've always thought that ikiagi was particularly offensive to individuals who have less choice over the work that they do. Jobs like cleaner and janitor often top the list of least liked jobs. Sure, the world needs it, pays for it, and the individuals might be good at it. But there's no ikiagi.
On the other hand, jobs like telemarketer are also high on lists of least liked jobs. Maybe the world doesn't need actually need telemarketers (and we'd be wise to take direction fro ikiagi)
Hi Jules, I agree. In order to even consider your Ikigai, you must have achieved some kind of financial stability, education, skills, or status that gives you options. If you have no or few options, Ikigai is not really a helpful exercise, as you would struggle to actuate it in the real world.
Hi Cora, that film's on my list but haven't gotten around to it, I heard it was an interesting meditation on work, did you think the main character was living out some form of Ikigai as a janitor?
I like your approach; I think the concept of Ikigai is very binary insofar as the lack of any "overlap" between the three domains suggests you haven't quite found your purpose and passion. Perhaps it is unrealistic for most people to find any overlap between these three domains, and instead it's more suitable to put your eggs in multiple baskets (as your Octopus concept suggests).
As individual pieces, the components of the Venn diagram are not bad, but the danger is trying to force an intersection between all of them. I think this is the source of eternal frustration for generalist Octopus people, and makes you feel like you have to purpose or meaning in life, because you can't find your Ikigai.
The algo worked today, Dave... this randomly hit my inbox as a recommend, and it's a concept I've been talking about for awhile. How wrong it felt and how it can just muddy the waters! Love this.
I have to say, I was shocked that Ikigai is not in fact what it is purported to be. But I'm so not surprised and thank you for teaching me that.
I totally agree that people place too much emphasis on their job providing them with meaning (and that that meaning will make them happy).
But there are various other things which make people happy (backed up by science) - things like variety, which you've pointed out (hobbies, friends, spirituality etc.)
However, I do think that the "Purpose" arm of the Octopus Day is potentially an overarching (or perhaps separate?) arm, under which all the other arms sit?
Hi Aron, thanks for your comment. I just wrote a piece on how Maslow's pyramid was also never in Maslow's original writings, so it's interesting how these diagrams get "attached" to these systems somewhere along the way. In Maslow's case I think the diagram was mostly helpful, but in Ikigai's case, I think it made things worse.
Regarding "Purpose", I think that's a fair assessment. The idea for Octopus Day wasn't necessarily that all 8 of those things have equal footing, the main point was that it would be nice to be allowed more time to spend on doing/thinking about things that are more meaningful vs work.
But as you get up into the "higher level" meta concepts like, purpose, meaning, freedom, those do start to take on an "overarching" role as you say vs say something like exercise. Purpose might encompass some of those other things, such as work, raising a family, giving back etc. In the Octopus Day I just want to encourage people to spend time thinking about Purpose vs not thinking about it at all, or relegating it to some tiny time slot relative to life e.g. year end review, or worse, suppressing/ignoring it and waiting until one has a midlife crisis.
Hi Femy, sorry I wrote this too late to save you a decade :) but I guess better late than never, right? I saw you're finally embracing your creative side and just wanted to encourage you to keep going! I resonate with what you wrote about creative pursuits being frowned upon as impractical, etc. My culture (Korean) is not particularly supportive of these things either, as they're not prestigious and lucrative enough, but I realized I can't live forever under the weight of those beliefs. Have you heard of the book, The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying? The #1 regret was, "I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me." I know you're embracing your authentic creative self later in life, but you'll be glad for this season at the end of it all, knowing you didn't keep walking down a path that wasn't who you truly are. Keep going :)
Oh wow this note is so beautiful. Thank you for writing this and encouraging me. Yes I read that book. That and my mom’s unexpected death has been at the back of my mind for quite some time.
Hi Femy, I'm sorry to hear of your mom's passing. My mother-in-law passed away a couple years ago, and it really made me ponder some philosophical/existential/spiritual things about life. Still working through the implications, sounds like you are too, I wish you peace and blessings in your journey.
Love this! You made a point-> this Ikigain concept has been exploited and modified so often and honestly are so many Japanese fulfilled,happy and follow Ikigai? Insightful piece!
Hi Mila, thanks for reading, it would be interesting to know how many Japanese people actually use the Ikigai concept, I suspect it's less than we might think. There are so many ways to approach life, and Ikigai is only one of them. Glad you liked the piece!
Some Japanese people have commented on this post, and most of them have said the Venn diagram is not the way Japanese people think of Ikigai. True Ikigai is not found by filling out a diagram, it’s something that finds you more organically, and there is definitely no “one thing” in the middle of it all.
Hi Claire, glad you enjoyed it. Yeah I gave up on Ikigai after the initial excitement wore off and I realized this just isn't the right paradigm for the way I want to live.
First, way to blow the myth apart. Second, it is masterfully done with the principle of progression. Third, it is adaptable to anyone vs force-fitting. Wonderful.
Thanks Richard, glad you liked it. Yeah when I found out the original "myth" of the Venn diagram I couldn't believe it. I just assumed the diagram came from the Ikigai way of life. Strange how incorrect associations like this catch on in popular culture.
The notion of having one true purpose or one true passion are stupid and damaging notions. They don’t make sense today when everything changes so fast. You’ll need to reinvent yourself whether you’re a specialist or generalist.
It does make sense to me to try a bunch of different things to understand what I don’t like to go away from that. It’s personally been confusing to try to do what I absolutely love but it’s easier to find something that I’m neutral toward or enjoying.
I also find it upsetting that the Venn diagram is some sort of meme that was popularized. I’m sure the principles would provide more interesting guidance.
Same here, never been able to find something I absolutely love and the whole “one thing” construct has been detrimental for me.
Yeah it’s weird how the Venn diagram took off attached to Ikigai when that was not even why it was created.
I don’t think the original book has been translated into English so we’re only getting other people’s interpretations of what Ikigai means. Part of me is curious to read the original source text.
Life got a lot simpler for me when I realized I am the one thing.
Cool way to look at it!
Thanks for being multifaceted :)
THERE IS NO ONE ANSWER TO ANYTHING
Exactly! And, well said. This notion of perfect application of one’s self is damaging and frankly wrong. I do not believe that as a ‘meme’ concept, Ikigai can even exist.
I always had issue with finding the one purpose as described by that diagram, but I took a different approach.
I realized my one thing is to be myself and follow my curiosity wherever it takes me. If it takes me to thousand places it's still while only doing one thing.
I've roughly landed in a similar place, my one thing is to be someone that does a lot of things, which does not align in any way with the Ikigai diagram. In other words, I am an Octopus person.
Completely agree with you David. If you look at that whole image as a star, then "Ikigai" at the center is what you get when a star collapses: a black hole that is dense and from which no light emanates! Trying to reduce our human complexity to the "one thing" is totally self-defeating.
haha love that! Black hole indeed, where attempts at finding life purpose disappears into uselessness!
gorgeous! love this framing. Sometimes collapse is the way to break through. Sometimes it only leaves a pile of rubble to be cleared.
Thanks Andrea! Great comment!
I read a book a while ago called “Refuse to Choose!” By Barbara Sher - she had this concept of being a “scanner” i.e. multi-passionate and how to work with that. I do recommend it 😊
Thanks Lou, I’ve heard of that book but not read it, but you’re spot on, there are certain types of people who do not want to be boxed into a single “one thing” or Ikigai, we like scanning across many areas of interest and our lives are richer and better for it!
I do have one thing I absolutely love, a passion. But I'm also deeply and profoundly interested in everything else, because that's how I understand the world, through connections. The worst advice I ever received was "pick a topic and stick with it, you need to show consistency". Yeah, I am consistently interesting in everything.
(okay, maybe not everything everything, but still)
I'm the same way.
Some creative folks I know get their best ideas by pursuing a train of thought better or farther. I get mine by making connections, often across academic disciplines.
The question for me is, which interests matter to me most AND are worth the energy investment (in money, happiness, opportunities, new ideas, etc). It's hard having many interests with limited energy -- I burn out quickly trying to do as many as possible. My brain seems to be made to focus, while I'm inconveniently interested in All The Things. 😭
Am I the only person dealing with this sort of mess?
Hi Emily,
I think this is a common conundrum for people with many interests. We are limited in time thus cannot do everything we want. That's why I like the octopus concept, it has 8 arms. That feels like enough to keep us engaged, but not so many that we can be overwhelmed. Most people do more than 8 things in their life, without even thinking about it. It's been helpful for me to say 8 is my limit. If the options are limitless, I feel paralyzed and it's hard to move forward or make progress on anything. But 8 feels do-able, and helps me focus on the most important things I want to accomplish.
Andreea, I'm the same way. I think you're an Octopus person :)
Completely agree, as someone with a portfolio career, I never found the "this is it" job/role, rather than a "this is it for now" and "next year I may be at a different place". This is because adaptability makes us human and unique, after all we're a species that has been evolving in millennia by adapting and adjusting to the demand of our environment. Glad that mission and passion are there too as they may illuminate our paths but not necessarily prescribe them.
Hi Sekar, thanks for your comment. The whole "pick one thing" movement in recent days is hurting a lot of multi-dimensional people, and does not allow the adaptability you mention. Fluidity and evolution are hallmarks of the human experience, and as I've told some other people, narrowing to one specific thing is like an Octopus with 7 tentacles tied behind its back. It is not allowed to fully express itself and deploy its full powers. We should be allowed to do the same without these artificial restrictions disguised as productivity and focus.
"As someone with a portfolio career, I never found the 'this is it' job/role, rather than a 'this is it for now' and 'next year I may be at a different place'." Damn, your words hit HOME for me!! Felt heard and seen in many ways!
Thank you!! A big relief 🤸♀️🙏🏼 I'd always hated that thing bit felt inept as a result without quite understanding why (surely it's applicable to everyone but me! Ha)
Hi Irina, I know the feeling! There’s nothing inept or wrong with you, Ikigai is just not the right framework for you. Find one that works for you, or invent your own that fits who you are :)
I've always thought that ikiagi was particularly offensive to individuals who have less choice over the work that they do. Jobs like cleaner and janitor often top the list of least liked jobs. Sure, the world needs it, pays for it, and the individuals might be good at it. But there's no ikiagi.
On the other hand, jobs like telemarketer are also high on lists of least liked jobs. Maybe the world doesn't need actually need telemarketers (and we'd be wise to take direction fro ikiagi)
Hi Jules, I agree. In order to even consider your Ikigai, you must have achieved some kind of financial stability, education, skills, or status that gives you options. If you have no or few options, Ikigai is not really a helpful exercise, as you would struggle to actuate it in the real world.
The film Perfect Days might bring an interest perspective to this.
Hi Cora, that film's on my list but haven't gotten around to it, I heard it was an interesting meditation on work, did you think the main character was living out some form of Ikigai as a janitor?
During an emergency, what is your vocational ability, as a response, what is your ability.
Ikigai, is from the ruins of *in Gia, to respond in calm response of knowing.
I like your approach; I think the concept of Ikigai is very binary insofar as the lack of any "overlap" between the three domains suggests you haven't quite found your purpose and passion. Perhaps it is unrealistic for most people to find any overlap between these three domains, and instead it's more suitable to put your eggs in multiple baskets (as your Octopus concept suggests).
As individual pieces, the components of the Venn diagram are not bad, but the danger is trying to force an intersection between all of them. I think this is the source of eternal frustration for generalist Octopus people, and makes you feel like you have to purpose or meaning in life, because you can't find your Ikigai.
The algo worked today, Dave... this randomly hit my inbox as a recommend, and it's a concept I've been talking about for awhile. How wrong it felt and how it can just muddy the waters! Love this.
Hey Khalen, I have no idea how the algorithm works here, but glad it found you, and thanks for reading. Have a great weekend.
I have to say, I was shocked that Ikigai is not in fact what it is purported to be. But I'm so not surprised and thank you for teaching me that.
I totally agree that people place too much emphasis on their job providing them with meaning (and that that meaning will make them happy).
But there are various other things which make people happy (backed up by science) - things like variety, which you've pointed out (hobbies, friends, spirituality etc.)
However, I do think that the "Purpose" arm of the Octopus Day is potentially an overarching (or perhaps separate?) arm, under which all the other arms sit?
Hi Aron, thanks for your comment. I just wrote a piece on how Maslow's pyramid was also never in Maslow's original writings, so it's interesting how these diagrams get "attached" to these systems somewhere along the way. In Maslow's case I think the diagram was mostly helpful, but in Ikigai's case, I think it made things worse.
Regarding "Purpose", I think that's a fair assessment. The idea for Octopus Day wasn't necessarily that all 8 of those things have equal footing, the main point was that it would be nice to be allowed more time to spend on doing/thinking about things that are more meaningful vs work.
But as you get up into the "higher level" meta concepts like, purpose, meaning, freedom, those do start to take on an "overarching" role as you say vs say something like exercise. Purpose might encompass some of those other things, such as work, raising a family, giving back etc. In the Octopus Day I just want to encourage people to spend time thinking about Purpose vs not thinking about it at all, or relegating it to some tiny time slot relative to life e.g. year end review, or worse, suppressing/ignoring it and waiting until one has a midlife crisis.
Mmm yeah I get that, thanks for the further explanation.
And again, great read :)
Oh wow I wish you had written this earlier. Wud have saved me a decade. 🙈thanks for writing this
Hi Femy, sorry I wrote this too late to save you a decade :) but I guess better late than never, right? I saw you're finally embracing your creative side and just wanted to encourage you to keep going! I resonate with what you wrote about creative pursuits being frowned upon as impractical, etc. My culture (Korean) is not particularly supportive of these things either, as they're not prestigious and lucrative enough, but I realized I can't live forever under the weight of those beliefs. Have you heard of the book, The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying? The #1 regret was, "I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me." I know you're embracing your authentic creative self later in life, but you'll be glad for this season at the end of it all, knowing you didn't keep walking down a path that wasn't who you truly are. Keep going :)
Oh wow this note is so beautiful. Thank you for writing this and encouraging me. Yes I read that book. That and my mom’s unexpected death has been at the back of my mind for quite some time.
Hi Femy, I'm sorry to hear of your mom's passing. My mother-in-law passed away a couple years ago, and it really made me ponder some philosophical/existential/spiritual things about life. Still working through the implications, sounds like you are too, I wish you peace and blessings in your journey.
Love this! You made a point-> this Ikigain concept has been exploited and modified so often and honestly are so many Japanese fulfilled,happy and follow Ikigai? Insightful piece!
Hi Mila, thanks for reading, it would be interesting to know how many Japanese people actually use the Ikigai concept, I suspect it's less than we might think. There are so many ways to approach life, and Ikigai is only one of them. Glad you liked the piece!
Oh yes! I really doubt many Japanese use Ikigao at the same way we “exploit” this concep.
Some Japanese people have commented on this post, and most of them have said the Venn diagram is not the way Japanese people think of Ikigai. True Ikigai is not found by filling out a diagram, it’s something that finds you more organically, and there is definitely no “one thing” in the middle of it all.
This makes so much sense. I always wondered why my version of it seemed empty (and therefore, unhelpful).
Really enjoyed a different perspective
Hi Claire, glad you enjoyed it. Yeah I gave up on Ikigai after the initial excitement wore off and I realized this just isn't the right paradigm for the way I want to live.
First, way to blow the myth apart. Second, it is masterfully done with the principle of progression. Third, it is adaptable to anyone vs force-fitting. Wonderful.
Thanks Richard, glad you liked it. Yeah when I found out the original "myth" of the Venn diagram I couldn't believe it. I just assumed the diagram came from the Ikigai way of life. Strange how incorrect associations like this catch on in popular culture.
Not John Frum level, but a good point.