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Discover Your Ikigai - Your Guide to Purposeful Living
H Sudersan
Updated: 28 April 2026
Understanding The Concept Of ikigai
Ikigai is a Japanese term similar to the French raison d’etre. It roughly translates to a reason for living or being: a purpose in life.
Humans have grappled with philosophical questions like “Who are we?”, “Why are we here?”, and “What is our purpose?” for millennia. Having a purpose is a necessary anchor for most human beings, fundamental to our existence.
Finding one’s Ikigai and channelling it into one’s endeavours can help us resume control over one’s life, steer our lives in the right direction, and feel more content. Determining our Ikigai can also improve our confidence and ability to face hardship.
Ikigai represents the sweet spot where what you love, what the world needs, what you can be paid for, and what you're good at intersect.
If you are looking for articles on burnout and workspace stress, we have addressed these here.
How Do We Find Our Ikigai?
When you live in alignment with your Ikigai, your daily tasks stop feeling like random chores and start feeling like intentional steps towards your life purpose.
Ikigai Step One: Self-Reflection
In order to arrive at our Ikigai, we must engage in self-reflection, specifically to understand what the four circles in the picture represent: what you love doing, what the world needs, what you can get paid for, and what you are good at.
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The first circle represents what you love doing, things that you love in any sphere of your life. For example, you might love stargazing or gardening.
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The second circle represents what the community needs, that you could provide. It could be providing a service or even just helping a specific person in the community, who needs help.
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The third circle represents your skills that can generate income. What can you do that you could get paid for?
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Finally, the fourth circle represents your skills and talents, where you shine. What are you really good at doing?
Ikigai Step Two: Finding Overlaps
You may find that some of your responses fit into more than one circle. This could be, for instance, where a skill that you have is both something you excel at, and something you could get paid for.
Those areas of overlap represent your passion, mission, vocation and profession.
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Your passion is what you excel at, and also love doing.
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Your mission is something that you love doing, and that the world needs or would benefit from.
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Your vocation is something that the world needs or would benefit from, and that you could generate some income from.
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Your profession is something you could generate income from, and that you excel at.
If you find anything that fits into all four circles, congratulations! You have found your Ikigai. Confusing? Let’s consider an example.
Example: Tara Finds Her Ikigai
Tara works in the marketing team of a large social media company. She loves reading and writing, especially children’s stories. She used to edit the literature journal in her university, for a stipend, and also used to freelance as a ghostwriter, being commended for her work by her clients.
Tara has small children and worries about the extent of screen addiction among little children. She thinks that little children need to read more, learn to grow their imaginations more, rather than mindlessly watch videos. She believes that by writing good books for children, she can help children become more engaged with books and reading.
Tara therefore finds that writing children’s books is her Ikigai.
Ikigai: Quick Summary In Discovering Your Life Purpose
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Reflect on your passions and skills
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List causes or needs that inspire you
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Identify work you enjoy and are good at
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Explore how these can overlap
Short on time? Start your morning with our 3-minute Ikigai audio reflection to set an intentional tone for your day.
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Centering
Ikigai 1
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Centering
Ikigai 2
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Ikigai 3
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Ikigai 4
Finding Ikigai Is An Ongoing Process
Finding one’s Ikigai may be a relatively quick exercise or take long. One may have more than one ikigai, depending on the situation. One’s Ikigai may also change over time. It is important to understand that the process of finding and being in touch with one’s Ikigai is as important as the Ikigai itself, as it ensures that we remain aligned with our purpose or purposes of being.
Integrate Ikigai into your daily life. Live intentionally by aligning your tasks and goals with your Ikigai. Your Ikigai evolves with you. With reflection and mindful living, you can uncover and nurture your reason for being
The Neurological Anchor Of Purpose
Having a clear sense of purpose is a biological win. How so? Research suggests that working toward a meaningful goal activates the brain's reward system, releasing dopamine that sustains focus and reduces the perception of effort. By anchoring your day in your Ikigai, you shift your energy out of a looping mind and into intentional action, making it physically easier for your nervous system to stay centered amidst modern distractions.
Ready to find your Ikigai now?
ZEN-it offers a comprehensive Ikigai Menu!
ZEN-it offers a deep-dive, comprehensive writing workshop (a series of guided writing sessions) to help you find your Ikigai, on our Centering section in Mindfulness. For those ready for a deeper audit of their energy and purpose, do not miss our 6-part Ikigai audio series!
We also offer shorter sessions on finding Ikigai on our Morning Minute by ZEN-it podcast. You can also access these tracks in our Morning Minute Section of the Mindfulness Page.
Find your Ikigai and open your heart and mind to your true purpose! See a quick video on all about Ikigai, here.
ZEN-it FAQs: Discover Your Ikigai - Uncovering Life's Purpose
How does Ikigai help with productivity?
Ikigai acts as a long-term anchor; when you know your "why," you are less likely to be tossed around by minor setbacks or everyday chaos.
Is Ikigai just about my career?
No. While it includes what you can be paid for, it is equally about what you love and what the world needs, helping you achieve a holistic balance rather than just professional success.
How do I find my Ikigai if I'm currently overwhelmed?
Start by noticing your flow state, the tasks that make time fly by, and identify one thing you did today that felt like a total slog to find where your natural strengths live.
Author Bio
Harini Sudersan is a lawyer, entrepreneur, and lifelong believer in the idea that technology should serve people — not overwhelm them.
As the co-founder of ZEN-it, Harini combines her background in technology law and privacy with a deep interest in mindfulness, focus, and human behaviour. Over the years, she has worked across legal advisory, product strategy, and emerging technology, developing a practical understanding of both how digital systems are built, and how they affect the people who use them.
Her vision for ZEN-it was shaped by a simple but deeply personal question: how can we stay ambitious and productive without burning ourselves out?
Through ZEN-it, Harini hopes to create tools that encourage calmer thinking, healthier productivity, and a more intentional relationship with technology.
When she’s not working, she can usually be found reading before bed, making chai, thinking about AI ethics, or experimenting with new ideas for mindful living.
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