Ikigai

Lesson 1. What is Ikigai?

Ikigai is the Japanese word for ‘a reason to live’ or ‘a reason to jump out of bed in the morning’.

Ikigai is similar to “happiness”. But it has a subtle difference between the two. Ikigai is what allows you to look forward to the future even if you’re miserable right now. It is a place of balance, a place where your needs, desires, ambitions, and satisfactions meet. Studies show that finding your ikigai might be closely linked to living longer. Someone’s value in life can be work – but it is certainly not limited to that. The Japanese people believe that the sum of small joys in everyday life results in a more fulfilling life.

The problem for millions of people is that they stop being curious about new experiences as they assume responsibilities and build routines. Their sense of wonder starts to wear away. But you can change that, especially if you are still looking for meaning and fulfillment in what you do daily. Fulfillment is fast becoming the main priority for most of us. Millions of people still struggle to find out what excites them or what they are meant to do. 

They struggle to find that one thing which brings out the best in them and makes them lose the sense of time. “Our intuition and curiosity are very powerful internal compasses to help us connect with our ikigai,” write the authors Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles.

“Your Ikigai is at the intersection of what you are good at and what you love doing”

Lesson 2. How to discover your Ikigai.

Our ikigai is different for all of us, but one thing we have in common is that we are all searching for meaning. When we spend our days feeling connected to what is meaningful to us, we live more fully. When we lose the connection, we feel despair. Our ikigai is hidden deep inside each of us, and finding it requires a patient search. Once you discover your ikigai, pursuing it and nurturing it every day will bring meaning to your life.

Just as some humans have lusted after objects and money since the dawn of time. Others have felt dissatisfaction with the relentless pursuit of money and fame, and have instead focused on something bigger than their own material wealth. Over the years, this has been described through many different words and practices. But the central core of meaningfulness in life is something that’s constant in all of them.

Ikigai is seen as the