Ikigai is the Japanese term for “the reason you wake up in the morning for”. The french have a similar term – raison d’être (pronounced something like “reason date”, with a french accent).
In my opinion, ikigai is not an abstract concept. Putting it as “the purpose or meaning of life” – makes it feel like an abstract concept and people have been trying to find the answer long since they learned to question things around them (personally, I do not know the progress we have made in this front). However, to me, ikigai is something profoundly intrinsic and something you choose for yourself. It is something that changes and grows with you. It gives you the sense of clarity, vision or perhaps a goal in life.
I was wondering, how many of us know what our Ikigai is – everyone has it, I am sure. But how many of us know what we want to live for, what drives us to wake up in the morning and do what we have to do to fulfill our ikigai. It drives you forward, motivates you and helps you grow. The pursuit of your ikigai gives you the sense of satisfaction and accomplishment – a sense of wholesome happiness.
Every religion has a similar concept – a quest to learn ones self. I feel that often the way it is depicted is quite complex, which makes it difficult for people to follow.
What I liked here is that for japanese, it is rather simple. Everyone has an Ikigai – and people try to follow it – it is something they choose for themselves – it can be as simple as “feeding one’s family” – doing his job, or just to see your loved ones happy. You don’t need to go on a quest to discover yourself, you don’t need to meditate for long hours. The difference is, once you KNOW your reason to wake up in the morning – you tend to enjoy what you do. THAT singular idea makes a whole lot of difference in one’s life.
I have always had my goals set clearly. Yeah, they changes and develop with time – but as I have said, for me, Ikigai as a localized concept is good enough. I know it’s time for me to take the right steps towards fulfilling it. :).