“Ikigai” is the Japanese concept referring to something that gives a person a sense of direction or purpose in life, in turn providing fulfillment and sense of satisfaction. Ikigai is cited by the World Economic Forum as one of the contributing factors to those living in the Blue Zone of Okinawa for their long and healthy lives.

With so much conversation about the “great resignation”, coined by Associate Professor Anthony Klotz to describe “the sharp increase in employees who have left or wish to leave their jobs in the near future” in the US during 2021, COVID-19 has caused many of us to reconsider what it is that is important to us, not just professionally, but personally and socially as well.

Pip Marlow, CEO Salesforce ANZ, recently featured in the Australian Financial Review, redefined this as the “great relocation” and “great realignment” which seems to be more relevant to Australia, and especially to those of us fortunate to work in the STEM domain (tech, cyber, data, digital, AI, ML…) where we have seen an increase in demand for the digitisation and automation of services and processes. The ability (and requirement) for many people to work from home, yet continue to be productive, has been enabled by technology, and we’ve seen the adoption of new tools and capabilities accelerate as people have adjusted to a different way of working.

“Design a Better Business” by van der Pjil, Lokitz and Solomon contains brilliant tools and suggestions to enable entrepreneurs to literally design a better business for themselves and their customers or stakeholders, and I was intrigued to see that one of the linked resources contains an an Ikigai Canvas.

I really enjoyed sitting down to work through the ikigai canvas and more firmly define my own personal ikigai, and below is a summary of the canvas as described by WRKSHP:

1. What you’re good at: we do exist in a tall poppy society that values humility, however this is not the place to minimise what you’re good at. I found this challenging but also exciting to fill in. Perhaps I’m good at more things that I originally thought.
2. What the world needs: I love thinking about the big picture and big issues, and one the areas I’m passionate about is greater diversity in STEM fields so that inventors, entrepreneurs, designers, ethicists, creatives, engineers, scientists more appropriately represent our diverse population to develop the most inclusive and sustainable solutions for our community and our planet.
3. What you love: providing an environment where my team can shine, feel valued and empowered is something I value and gives me so much satisfaction. What do you love?
4. What you can be paid for: this is an important one, and again I needed to think about how I add and create value to teams, organisations and customers.

Now the magic starts as the individual elements come together:

1. Your passion: things you are good at AND you love to do
2. Your mission: things you love to do AND are what the world needs come together to create your personal mission
3. Your profession: things you are good at AND can get paid for define your profession
4. Your vocation: things you can get paid for AND are what the world needs determines your vocation.
5. And finally, your ikigai: at the very centre of the canvas is your own personal intersection of what you are good at, what the world needs, what you can be paid for, and what you love

Such a simple yet powerful way to reconnect with what matters to you in a holistic way, incorporating all elements of our lives. We’re not just managers or employees, we’re not just wives, husbands, daughters and sons, we’re not just friends and supporters. We’re all of these together, and understanding how all the elements fit together is really rewarding.