A reflection exercise that does the rounds of the internet every so often is the Ikigai diagram. The traditional representation has some failings, including two sections that are missing entirely!
This is due to it being impossible to make a Venn diagram displaying all the overlapping combinations of 4 dimensions using circles.
While there is no science behind the meme, evaluating your current role across the four dimensions can help identify if something is missing.
You can try a variant of the exercise for yourself below. Answer the true or false questions, then view where your answers place you on the diagram.
Which dimensions were missing?
How closely do those missing segments reconcile with your feelings towards the job?
The goal of these exercises was to explore why a person might be experiencing that ennui feeling.
References
- García, H. and Miralles, F. (2017), ‘Ikigai – The Japanese secret to a long and happy life‘, Penguin Random House