I want to introduce you to a concept I love, and one I think more people should know about: ikigai. It’s a Japanese idea often translated as “reason for being,” and once you try it, you’ll be surprised how well it works.

Finding Purpose at a Career Crossroads

A senior technical writer contacted me a few weeks ago. She’d just been made redundant, her role effectively taken over by AI. She was devastated, and felt she had nowhere left to go. But underneath the shock was a strong desire to keep working, to find whatever came next.

I was delighted to recommend she try ikigai, a simple framework a coach once used with me years ago, and one I still return to.

It comes down to four questions:

1. What do I love?
2. What am I good at?
3. What does the world need?
4. What can I be paid to do?

Ikigai: A Better Way to Find Your Next Step

My client approached it with real creativity, sitting with each question and answering it honestly rather than rushing to a neat conclusion.

Two weeks on, she’s still weighing her options. But ikigai has given her something she didn’t have before: an informed, grounded platform from which to make her next decision, rather than reacting out of fear or panic.

That last question matters more than people sometimes admit. It’s tempting, in career conversations, to focus only on passion and talent. But being good at something and loving it isn’t enough on its own; you still need to earn a living. Ikigai works precisely because it holds all four questions together, keeping you honest about what’s realistic while still leaving room to dream.

If you’re facing a crossroads of your own, it might be worth sitting down with these four questions yourself.

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