Ikigai: Finding Your Reason for Being
People with a sense of purpose live longer (Alimujiang et al., 2019). Not metaphorically. Measurably. A 2019 JAMA study of 7,000 adults found that those with the strongest sense of purpose had significantly lower mortality rates over the study period. Purpose predicts lower mortality, better health outcomes, and higher life satisfaction.
The problem: most people can’t articulate theirs.
TL;DR
- Ikigai (Japanese): Your reason for being. What makes tomorrow worth showing up for.
- Ikigai model (Western diagram): A career-purpose framework built from 4 questions.
- Practical approach: Don’t wait for clarity. Run small experiments. Purpose emerges from action, not before it.
What Is Ikigai?
Ikigai (生き甲斐) is a Japanese concept meaning “reason for being” or “reason to wake up in the morning.” In Okinawa, one of the world’s Blue Zones where people routinely live past 100, ikigai is considered essential to a long, fulfilling life.
The Japanese understanding of ikigai is simple: it’s whatever gives your life meaning. It doesn’t need to be grand. It can be tending your garden, teaching children, or mastering a craft. The key is having something that pulls you forward.
The Western Ikigai Model (Four Circles)
You’ve probably seen this diagram: four overlapping circles representing a framework for finding purpose.
The four circles (questions):
- What you love: What consistently pulls your attention?
- What you’re good at: What do you have aptitude for (or could develop)?
- What the world needs: Where does your effort actually help someone?
- What you can be paid for: Where is there market demand?
The overlaps:
- Love + Good At = Passion
- Good At + Paid For = Profession
- Paid For + Needs = Vocation
- Needs + Love = Mission
- All four = Ikigai (the center)
Important caveat: This diagram is actually a Western invention, popularized by Marc Winn in 2014. It’s useful, but it’s not traditional Japanese ikigai. The Japanese concept doesn’t require all four elements, especially not “what you can be paid for.” Many Japanese find ikigai in activities that have nothing to do with income.
Use the model as a tool, not a requirement. You don’t need perfect overlap in all four areas. Even partial overlap creates meaning.
Ikigai Portfolios (You Can Have More Than One)
A common trap is believing you need one all-encompassing purpose.
In practice, most healthy lives have a portfolio of ikigais that change over time:
- Work ikigai: Problems you like solving, skills you like building
- Relationship ikigai: People you show up for consistently
- Body ikigai: Training, sport, health practices that give you energy
- Creation ikigai: Writing, building, making, teaching
- Community ikigai: Volunteering, mentoring, participating
This matters because it reduces the pressure to find a single perfect answer. You can be purposeful even when your career is just “fine.”
Purpose Isn’t Found. It’s Built.
The myth is that purpose exists somewhere, waiting to be discovered. Lightning-bolt clarity that tells you what you’re meant to do.
The reality: Purpose emerges from action, not contemplation. You try things, notice what feels meaningful, and build from there. Waiting for clarity keeps you stuck.
Research on career satisfaction shows that passion often follows mastery, not precedes it (Newport, 2012). You become passionate about things you get good at. This means the path to purpose is often: try something → get competent → find meaning in competence → deepen commitment.
What Purpose Actually Looks Like
Purpose isn’t grand. It’s usually simple:
- Contribution: Who do you help? How?
- Creation: What do you make that wouldn’t exist without you?
- Connection: Who do you show up for?
- Mastery: What do you want to get better at?
You don’t need a world-changing mission. “Raise good humans” is a purpose. “Build things that work well” is a purpose. “Help people feel less alone” is a purpose.
The Okinawan examples: Researchers studying Okinawan centenarians found ikigai in:
- A 102-year-old karate master teaching the next generation
- A 100-year-old fisherman who still fishes daily
- A grandmother whose ikigai is her great-great-grandchildren
None of these are “change the world” missions. They’re reasons to get up.
How To Find Your Ikigai
Look backward: When did you feel most alive? Most useful? What were you doing?
Identify values: From a list of 50+ values, pick your top 5. What would you fight for?
Write a draft statement: “I want to [action] for [who] because [why].” It will be wrong. That’s fine. Iterate.
Test through action: Volunteer. Start a project. Take on new responsibilities. Purpose clarifies through doing, not thinking.
Try the “100 people” exercise: If you could only help 100 people in a specific way for the rest of your life, who would they be and how would you help them?
A 30-Day Ikigai Experiment
If you’re stuck, don’t try to think your way out. Run a 30-day experiment.
Week 1: Generate candidates (30 minutes)
- Write 10 activities that reliably give you energy
- Write 10 problems you care about (even small ones)
- Write 10 skills you either have or want to build
Week 2: Run 2 micro-experiments (2-4 hours total)
Pick two and do something real:
- Volunteer once
- Teach something to a friend
- Start a tiny project
- Join a recurring community
Week 3: Add a constraint (make it more real)
- If it must be paid: what would someone pay for?
- If it must help someone: who exactly?
- If it must be sustainable: what pace can you keep for 6 months?
Week 4: Write a draft ikigai statement
Use this format:
- “I help [who] by [doing what] because [why it matters].”
Then decide on one repeatable next step you can do weekly.
Ikigai Anti-Patterns
Common traps that prevent finding purpose:
| Anti-Pattern | The Problem | The Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting for clarity | ”I’ll act when I know my purpose” | Purpose emerges from action, not before it |
| Requiring income | ”It must pay the bills” | Ikigai can be separate from career |
| Demanding grandeur | ”It must change the world” | Small, consistent meaning compounds |
| Perfectionism | ”I haven’t found THE thing” | Multiple ikigais are normal and healthy |
| Overthinking | Analysis paralysis | Try things, reflect later |
Daily Integration
The big purpose statement matters less than daily alignment:
- Morning: “How does today connect to what matters?”
- Decisions: “Does this move me toward or away from my values?”
- Evening: “What felt meaningful today?”
When Purpose Feels Absent
If everything feels pointless:
- Check the basics: Sleep, exercise, social connection. Meaninglessness often has physical roots.
- Help someone. Purpose through contribution is immediate and reliable.
- Lower the bar. You don’t need a Life Purpose. Just something worth doing tomorrow.
- Consider depression. Persistent meaninglessness can be clinical. See Mental Health Check.
Related
- Passion vs Pragmatism: Why “follow your passion” can be bad advice
- Hustle vs Balance: Sustainable pursuit of meaning
- Attention Economics: Where focus goes, meaning follows
- Mindfulness Practice: Cultivating presence
- Loneliness Epidemic: Connection is a core source of meaning
Purpose isn’t discovered in meditation. It’s revealed through action. Try things. Pay attention to what resonates.