Ikigai and purpose
Texts to read slowly on ikigai, purpose and the distance between what you do and who you are. Here I write slowly; the shorter, more personal letters live in the newsletter (in Spanish).
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Start here
Ikigai: what it really is and what nobody told you
What the word means, what ikigai is in Japan and where the four-circle diagram really came from. The reference introduction, with the three layers kept apart: what is Japanese, what the West added and IKIGAIER’s own perspective.
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History of ikigai: from Mieko Kamiya to the four circles
The word is centuries old, its study began in 1966 with a Japanese psychiatrist and the diagram was born in the West. The full story, from Kamiya and Inoue to the four-circle poster.
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Ikigai: what the word really means
Where ikigai comes from, how it is written in Japanese and why “reason for being” is a lovely but incomplete translation. A look at the literal sense before it became a poster.
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The ikigai diagram: the four circles and their origin
What the four-circle diagram shows, where it really came from —not Japan— and what it is and isn’t useful for. The story behind the most famous image of ikigai.
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How to find your ikigai
You don’t find it by filling in a diagram or waiting for a revelation. Where to start, what questions to ask yourself and what signs to look for in your everyday life.
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Is ikigai the same as life purpose?
They are used as synonyms, but they aren’t quite. How they are alike, how they differ, and why confusing them changes what you look for.
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Ikigai quotes: which ones say something and which just sound good
The internet is full of ikigai quotes; many pretty and empty, some even invented Japanese proverbs. Which ones really say something and how to use them.
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The ikigai method: what it is and how to apply it
What almost everyone calls “the ikigai method” is the four-circle exercise. How to use it well, what it lacks and what the IKIGAIER method proposes.
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Ikigai test: what it can tell you (and what it can’t)
No test hands you your purpose in five questions. What a good test can really give you and how to use it to start looking at yourself.
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Ikigai examples: what it looks like in real life
The examples going around are grandiose and hard to believe. The real ones are smaller and everyday, and that’s why they help you recognise yours.
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Books about ikigai: which to read (and in what order)
Not all books about ikigai say the same thing, and some don’t even describe Japanese ikigai. An honest guide depending on what you’re looking for.
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This blog grows slowly, a couple of articles a month. If you’d like to know when I publish, there are the letters (in Spanish).