Japan is one of the world's most homogeneous countries, with approximately 98% of the population being ethnic Japanese. The Japanese secret to a long, happy, and meaningful life is “ikigai.” Ikigai is where your passion meets your mission, vocation, and profession. It is the intersection of:
What you love
What you are good at
What the world needs
What you can get paid for
Ikigai (生き甲斐, "ee-kee-guy") is a Japanese concept that describes the things that make your life worthwhile; the things that give you a deep sense of purpose, satisfaction and joy. Ikigai is made up of two Japanese words, iki (生き), which means life, and kai (甲斐), meaning effect, result, value, benefit, or worth. Iki and kai come together to give us ikigai: a reason to live/to exist.
For those of you that know me or follow my blog then it will come as no surprise that Japanese culture is near and dear to my heart. And this curiosity has led me to find out more about the concept of ikigai.
In Japan, true ikigai is not about making money. It’s not about what the world needs from you or what you’re good at, or even what you love. It’s not any lofty goal to achieve. True ikigai is embracing the joy of the little things, being in the here and now, reflecting on past happy memories and cultivating a state of mind that can lead to a happy future.
The 10 rules rom the book IKIGAI: The Japanese Secret To a Long and Happy Life, are:
Stay active, don’t retire
Take it slow
Don’t fill your stomach
Surround yourself with good friends
Get in shape for your next birthday
Smile
Reconnect with nature
Give thanks
Live in the moment
Follow your passion
