Some questions stay with us all our lives: what makes sense to me? What is what I do for? Why does everything sometimes look right on paper and yet something is still missing? Ikigai is one of the simplest and most beautiful tools for looking at these questions.

What is Ikigai

Ikigai is a Japanese word that can be translated as “reason for being” or “what makes life worth living”. In the West, it became known through a diagram of four overlapping circles:

• What you love: what brings you joy and makes you lose track of time
• What you are good at: your talents and skills
• What the world needs: how you can contribute to others
• What you can be paid for: what allows you to make a living

Ikigai would be at the centre, where all four meet. More than a formula, it’s an invitation to look at life honestly and see where there is balance and where things are out of alignment.

It isn’t an answer, it’s a path

A common mistake is to think of Ikigai as something you discover one day and settle forever. In fact, it changes with us. What made sense to you at 25 may not be the same at 45. So more than finding the right answer, it’s about learning to ask the right questions, and coming back to them from time to time.

Three exercises to get started

• The four circles. On a large sheet of paper, write down everything that comes to mind for each of the four circles, without filtering. Then look for what repeats.
• The perfect day. Describe in detail an ordinary day, not a holiday, in which you would feel whole. Where are you? Who with? What are you doing?
• Other people’s questions. Ask three people close to you what you’re good at and when they see you happiest. Sometimes others see what we don’t.

Why doing this on a retreat helps

In everyday life it’s hard to hear the answers beneath the noise. Away from routine, in silence and in touch with nature, the questions settle differently. That’s why we created the Ikigai Retreat, in spring: three days in the Serra da Arada with the “Discover your Ikigai” workshop using the Points of You tool, systemic family constellations, meditations, laughter yoga and silent walks.

If you feel it’s time to find clarity and purpose again, this retreat could be a good first step. The new date for 2027 will be announced soon.