Ikigai: The Japanese Lifestyle Secret to a Long and Happy Life
ikigai: Is there one secret to living longer and happier? It could be as simple as finding your IKIGAI, which roughly translates to a reason for being in Japanese.
The philosophy was popularized by Japanese writer Ken Mogi in his book The Little Book of Ikigai, and has since taken the world by storm.
Contents
What is ikigai?
Ikigai is loosely translated as the reason for which you wake up in the morning. It’s not your job, it’s not your career, it’s not just your passion…it’s much bigger than that. IKIGAI is what happens when all of those things come together to create one happy lifestyle. When we think about our lives in terms of ikigai, we take our life back by becoming happier and more fulfilled with every passing day.
One way to do this is by identifying what makes us happiest, and then working on doing more of it. For some people this might be travel, spending time with family or playing an instrument; for others ikigai may involve meditation or yoga.
With our days full of activities from start to finish, we can’t always give ourselves enough time for self-care activities like these—but the truth is that these types of practices are what will keep us going in times of challenge and give us the energy to tackle anything life throws at us (literally).
Discovering your own ikigai
Ikigai is a word that doesn’t have an exact translation in English. It roughly means the reason for which you wake up in the morning. As your ikigai represents your purpose, it will help inspire you to look at challenges as opportunities.
If you are worried about what happens if we don’t take care of our health, then search for ways on how to improve your lifestyle and follow healthy habits such as eating well, exercising regularly, sleeping early and waking up early.
In other words, discover your own ikigai. You will see that not only can those habits improve how you feel physically but also mentally so that you are more productive in achieving your goals while focusing on living life happily.
Tips for discovering your own ikigai
In Japan, finding your ikigai means learning how to live a meaningful life. The term has been defined as the reason for which you get up in the morning, or what makes you want to get out of bed every day. While it might be easier said than done, these are some tips for discovering your own ikigai: Look for something that sparks joy.
IKIGAI is all about creating happiness — through anything from doting on animals, surfing, or knitting. If you find yourself immersed in an activity that makes you happy, chances are there’s an opportunity to turn it into a business venture. Connect with people who care about what you care about.
How to find happiness?
For years, we’ve searched for happiness outside of ourselves. We rely on others to make us happy—and when they let us down, we find happiness in our work or our possessions.
But there’s something far more powerful that we can control: how we think about life. In his book Finding IKIGAI , Ken Mogi argues that happiness comes from finding value in what you do every day—and that everyone has something that they can do better than anyone else.
We’ve compiled some of his tips for finding your ikigai and applying them to your daily routine. Take the ikigai test at the end of this post!
What is the connection between mind, body, soul, and nature?
Many people believe that it is possible to live in harmony with nature. In Japan, many people follow an ancient practice of what they call ikigai, which means the reason for being. When it comes to having a good life, finding ikigai can do wonders.
It all begins with self-awareness and gratitude for everything that you have already received in your life. After that, you need to find meaning in whatever you do – take care of yourself (body), be kind toward others (soul), and respect nature as well as all living things (mind).
Practical advice on how to achieve all four in balance
ikigai is also sometimes referred to as the reason for being, or your raison d’être. It has been popularized in recent years by award-winning writer and cultural commentator, Sarah Hepola. In her book devoted to ikigai, she defines it as:
A reason for getting up in the morning. And once you have that reason—once you know what makes you happy—then all you need is three other things: (1) clarity (2) flow (3) presence.
With these four things(mind, body, soul, and nature), you can create an ikigai lifestyle. IKIGAI is not something that happens overnight; it takes time and patience to figure out one’s purpose in life.
Ikigai sounds complex but really isn’t! If we are fortunate enough to find our passion in life and work towards achieving it every day then we will most likely be fulfilled and live a happier life than those who do not even know what their passion is or how they can go about achieving it.
What exactly is Ikigai? Well put simply, Ikigai means finding happiness while living the way one wants to live life and doing work they enjoy on a daily basis.
Where can you find more information?
For more information on how you can find your ikigai, check out our guide on IKIGAI. This will help you discover what it means, how you can achieve it, and many other helpful tidbits along the way. From there, go even deeper by learning about some of Japan’s best practices for working a fulfilling job, finding balance in life and having more success at work. And don’t miss our post titled Ikigai vs.
Your Purpose in Life — What’s More Important?(have not published yet) It digs into why we should all strive for both of these things rather than choosing just one over another.