Ikigai (生き甲斐 ,“a reason for being”)

How to find and do work that you love

ikigai is all about finding joy in life through purpose. In other words, your ikigai is what gets you up every morning and keeps you going.

Finding your ikigai

If you’re feeling lost or unsure about what your ikigai is, there are a number of ways to refocus your mind and purpose.

Start by putting together a note of the top 10 things you have spent your time on this week. After writing them down, ask yourself if those things are adding purpose to your life. You can subdivide by asking yourself four questions:

· Is it something that I love doing?

· Is it something the world needs?

· Is it something I’m good at?

· Is it something I can get paid for? If it’s not something you can get paid for, is what you can get paid for a good trade-off for really financially supporting your ikigai?

After filling this chart with the answers you got you can find your ikigai at the middle of chart. Finding your ikigai can be helpful in many ways, in knowing what profession to look for, what to improve in order to reach your goals and discovering what is important to you. You’ve just dealt with perhaps the most crucial questions you will come across in your life.