The division you made of the Ikigai really makes sense. I was feeling bad for not knowing how to solve the equation that may be impossible to solve. Thanks for sharing those thoughts.
Thanks for the article. It felt like a real slap in the face — fifty years of living in delusion went up in smoke. But it also helped me understand (or at least glimpse) Matt. 6:25–34 in a completely new way.
I have been juggling 3 part time jobs for like a year now after losing my corporate job last December. I have been trying to figure out what new career to start at the age of 35 and separating my identity from how I make money has been more challenging than I realized. I still feel like a failure deep down because I am struggling to support myself and the job market is trash and I still can't get out of this pit. Even though I agree with and understand everything being said here its hard to make myself actually feel it. The societal programming runs very deep, but I keep chipping away at it bit by bit and articles like this really help, so cheers.
This is brilliant — and fascinating to read as a Japanese physician. You arrived at “split the Ikigai” through career theory. My older patients in Tokyo arrived at the same structure without ever thinking about it. One man opens a park gate at 6:15, tends his balcony herbs in the afternoon, and plays shogi on Saturdays. Three separate sources of meaning, no overlap required. In Japan this was never a framework — it was just how people lived before the Venn diagram flattened it into a single career question. I wrote about the medical side of this — how losing that structure more than doubles mortality risk within three years. https://tokyolongevity.substack.com/p/ikigai-the-invisible-software-running?r=7j1xk1
I was slightly floored when I got to this part: 'Then came the capture…’ - not because I believed in a specific dream job, but that I couldn’t articulate why the illusion is so well exploited by corporations. I needed a moment to absorb this before moving on.
Yes, all of this. Since abandoning the idea of a “successful art career” I have finally been able to make better art. I make money by doing something completely unrelated. The best thing I can do for my art is work fewer hours and not burden my job with the need to be meaningful.
This article is great. Really
this was very relevant for me. I especially loved how you broke apart the incentive structures and spoke to sequencing. thank you!!
"You are not the protagonist of reality, sorry."
however also
"You are not not the protagonist of reality, sorry."
also also... on the road to having it all, one discovers bridges between the ikigai bubbles
The division you made of the Ikigai really makes sense. I was feeling bad for not knowing how to solve the equation that may be impossible to solve. Thanks for sharing those thoughts.
Good essay!
Thanks, Andrew
I liked it. I'll think about it.
Thanks for the article. It felt like a real slap in the face — fifty years of living in delusion went up in smoke. But it also helped me understand (or at least glimpse) Matt. 6:25–34 in a completely new way.
Wow. Thank you so much. You make complexity so refreshing.
I love your post for how it articulates so many experiences I've had, and it also brings to mind all the people I see who look like counterexamples. For instance, what about this one? https://sashachapin.substack.com/p/some-non-sociopathic-sales-ideas?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2&utm_campaign=posts-open-in-app&triedRedirect=true
I have been juggling 3 part time jobs for like a year now after losing my corporate job last December. I have been trying to figure out what new career to start at the age of 35 and separating my identity from how I make money has been more challenging than I realized. I still feel like a failure deep down because I am struggling to support myself and the job market is trash and I still can't get out of this pit. Even though I agree with and understand everything being said here its hard to make myself actually feel it. The societal programming runs very deep, but I keep chipping away at it bit by bit and articles like this really help, so cheers.
This is brilliant — and fascinating to read as a Japanese physician. You arrived at “split the Ikigai” through career theory. My older patients in Tokyo arrived at the same structure without ever thinking about it. One man opens a park gate at 6:15, tends his balcony herbs in the afternoon, and plays shogi on Saturdays. Three separate sources of meaning, no overlap required. In Japan this was never a framework — it was just how people lived before the Venn diagram flattened it into a single career question. I wrote about the medical side of this — how losing that structure more than doubles mortality risk within three years. https://tokyolongevity.substack.com/p/ikigai-the-invisible-software-running?r=7j1xk1
I was slightly floored when I got to this part: 'Then came the capture…’ - not because I believed in a specific dream job, but that I couldn’t articulate why the illusion is so well exploited by corporations. I needed a moment to absorb this before moving on.
This seems like the right platform to point out that a 4 circle Venn diagram is not working.
The above is missing:
Love doing x can get paid
Good at x world needs
Needs to look like this:
"And finally, it sucks to suck." This made me laugh really hard!
Thanks for giving me a new perspective/critique on an established concept which I think gets quoted a lot without question.
Yes, all of this. Since abandoning the idea of a “successful art career” I have finally been able to make better art. I make money by doing something completely unrelated. The best thing I can do for my art is work fewer hours and not burden my job with the need to be meaningful.
I wish I read this before I started my sabbatical. Better late than never. Thanks for writing it!