Ikigai – What it is and Why You Want it For Yourself and Your Children

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Ikigai – What it is and Why You Want it For Yourself and Your Children

What do you want to be when you grow up?

These are common conversation starters that we probably have all heard at some point in our lives.

But perhaps these are not the most thought-provoking or insightful questions to ask or be asked.

Instead, “What is your passion?” or “What inspires/motivates you?” or “What makes you want to get out of bed in the morning?” or “What creates flow for you?” may be more thoughtful questions that encourage greater self-reflection.

There is a Japanese concept called ikigai that loosely translates to “a reason for being.” This framework suggests that one should attempt to find the intersection of four things:

  • One’s interests

  • One’s abilities/talents

  • What the world needs

  • What one can be paid for

When any two of these intersect, you will have the following:

A passion: something that interests you and you excel at

A profession: something that you excel at and are paid for

A vocation: something that the world needs and that you’re paid for

A mission: something that interests you and that the world needs

Finding that “sweet spot” that intersects all four is the ideal prescribed by ikigai.

Ultimately, ikigai challenges us to find purpose, and finding this alignment of purpose can subsequently help us plan our professional and personal lives.

Of note, several of the world’s communities that are known for longevity/higher proportion of centenarians are linked by the common concept of ikigai. While there isn’t strong evidence that this phenomenon is correlated with or predictive of longevity, I believe we can all agree that finding purpose can lead to increased satisfaction, happiness, and perhaps less stress.

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