Ikigai PRO: not just where your circles meet, but what to do next
The diagram shows what you wrote down. The PRO test measures how much of each circle is really in your life, how much joy, direction and worth you feel, and finds the one circle worth strengthening first. You get a 4-week plan for it, two Japanese practices and a re-check after 3 weeks.
Four circles, six questions each
Not what you could list, but how much of each circle is in your life right now: how much time goes to what you love, whether you use your strengths, whether you see who you help, and whether you are paid for it.
- What you love
How much of your week goes to things you genuinely enjoy and care about.
- What you are good at
How strongly you have, use and develop real skills.
- What the world needs
How much what you do helps other people or something bigger than you.
- What you can be paid for
How well what you can do is valued in money, and how secure your income feels.
The circles are half of the answer
Japanese researchers describe ikigai as the feeling that life is worth living. So the test measures its three parts separately: joy in the present, drive forward and a sense of worth. Sometimes all circles are strong and the feeling is missing, and the other way round.
- Joy in the present
Contentment and small pleasures in everyday life.
- Drive forward
Goals, growth and a future that pulls you.
- Sense of worth
Feeling needed and that your life matters.
This is what the result looks like: circles, profile, plan
Below is a real excerpt of a report with sample answers. Yours is built from your own 40 answers.
The stronger a circle, the larger and brighter it is in the diagram.
What you can be paid for
Want more: 5 of 5, strength 25%. This is where the gap between what you want and what you have is largest.
What you do well and what you earn from are far apart, or the income feels fragile. Money worries take attention away from everything else, so this circle quietly affects the other three.
You love it, you are good at it and it helps; it does not pay yet.
LeverSmall paid tests: describe your offer, sell it once, learn, repeat. Build the bridge gradually while your current income keeps you safe.
- week 1Find three examples
Find three people or organisations who earn from something close to what you do well. Note what exactly they are paid for.
- week 2Describe your offer
Write one paragraph: who you help, with what, and what result they get. Make it concrete enough that a stranger would understand it.
- 2 more weeks in your report
Which of the seven is yours?
Your profile comes from the combination of all four circles and your sense of ikigai. Each has a description, its main risk and the one lever that helps most.
All four circles are strong and so is your sense of ikigai.
You love it, you are good at it and it helps; it does not pay yet.
Skills and income are there; what you love is missing.
You know what you love and who needs it; the skill is still weak.
You have skills and maybe income; you rarely see who benefits.
The four circles look solid, but your sense of ikigai is low.
Most circles are weak right now, so ikigai is still taking shape.
Not tips, but tested methods
The report picks two practices based on what you lack most: from Morita therapy, Naikan, Okinawan moai, kaizen, flow research and Viktor Frankl's logotherapy. Each with clear steps.
What needs doing now?
From Morita therapy, founded by Japanese psychiatrist Shoma Morita in the early 20th century.
How to do it- When you notice doubt, anxiety or lack of motivation, name the feeling without arguing with it.
- Ask yourself: what needs doing now?
- Do that one thing, however small, while the feeling is still there.
- In the evening, write down what you did, not how you felt.
Kaizen: one small step
From kaizen, the Japanese principle of continuous improvement through small steps, known from Japanese industry.
How to do it- Choose one area: a skill, a habit, an income idea.
- Define a step so small it feels almost too easy: five minutes, one page, one message.
- Do it every day for a week and tick it off.
- At the end of the week, make the step slightly bigger.
Not one number, but a direction and a plan
How much of each circle is in your life now, from 0 to 100%, and how much more of it you want.
Joy in the present, drive forward and sense of worth, each on its own.
The shape of your ikigai, its risk and its lever.
One step a week for the circle worth strengthening first, and two quick wins for the second.
Chosen for your result, with steps.
After 3 weeks you answer again and see what changed.
- 4 circles and their overlaps
- about 10 min
- your candidates and what's missing
- 40 questions
- Strength of the 4 circles and your sense of ikigai
- Your profile, 1 of 7
- 4-week plan and a re-check
Through the secure mr.lt checkout, like the site's other reports.
About 8 minutes. The link also arrives by e-mail, so you can come back later.
Instantly on the page. After 3 weeks the same link lets you re-check.
Frequently asked questions
How is PRO different from the free diagram and test?
The diagram shows what you write into the four circles yourself. The free test rates your sense of ikigai in 12 statements. The 40-question PRO test measures both the circles and the sense, sets your profile, the circle to strengthen first, and builds a 4-week plan with Japanese practices.
Do I need to fill in the diagram first?
No. The PRO test stands on its own, but the diagram complements its plan well: it shows the concrete things to work with.
How long does it take?
About 8 minutes.
How does the re-check work?
Three weeks after your first answers, the same link lets you answer again. The report then shows how each circle and your sense of ikigai changed.
How do I get my result?
Instantly on the page, and the link arrives at the e-mail you gave at checkout. If you are signed in, the report also appears in your account.
Who sees my answers?
Only you, through your personal link. Answers are not shared with anyone.
Ikigai isn't found in a day. It is built in small steps.
40 questions, your profile, the circle to start with, a 4-week plan, Japanese practices and a re-check.