Ikigai is the cruellest document in history, being peddled as a self-improvement tool.
What you love may not be what you are good at, or what the world needs.
What you can be paid for is an entirely different ballgame. The profession or vocation has nothing to do with passion or mission. It is simply the best opportunity available to you in a world driven by competition and corruption.
The lucky few who claim to have found the sweet spot are FEW, NOT ALL, and they are not being 100% honest.
How many billions have you made as a writer?
Creative Experiments and More 
Such a refreshing dose of realism, Reena! The expectation that everyone’s passion, skills, and paycheck should neatly overlap sets up so much unnecessary disappointment. Doing what pays the bills while saving joy for separate boxes is often the most practical path forward. 💡✨
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Thank you! Glad it resonated with you.
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😊
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Reena, finally someone saying it. The ikigai diagram is beautiful but it’s a lie for most of us. We do what pays, we do what we’re good at, we do what we love, usually in separate boxes with no overlap. And that final question about billions as a writer? Ouch. But necessary.
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It takes a Chetan Bhagat or Ravi Subramaniam who sell better than they write 🙂
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Occasionally, Arundhati Roy happens – by God’s Grace.
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Believe me when I first read Arundhati Roy, I was fed up with opening the dictionary again and again and when I finished “The God of Small Things”, I came to know a truthful writing takes a mental toll on you because a reader can feel it.
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I resonate with “Mother Mary comes to me.”
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That line brings such a peaceful, grounding comfort every single time. 🎶 It’s amazing how a simple song or phrase can carry so much quiet strength when we need it most. Wishing you a peaceful and wonderful rest of your week, Reena! ✨
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What a provocative and refreshingly honest take on Ikigai! 😄 I particularly like your challenge to the popular idea that everyone can magically discover one perfect intersection of passion, talent, purpose, and income.
Life is rarely that neat. Sometimes we do what pays the bills, sometimes what we are good at, and sometimes what simply gives us joy—even when none of these are the same thing. And perhaps that is perfectly okay.
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It is the only way to survive. Everything else is someone else’s sales strategy.
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