ikigai
Reason for being
Ikigai is a Japanese concept meaning one's reason for being—the thing that gets you out of bed in the morning.
It combines passion, purpose, and satisfaction: She found her ikigai in teaching.
Western usage often frames it as the intersection of what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.
Peaceful satisfaction with circumstances
- satisfactionState of fulfilled desires
- happinessJoyful emotional state
- joyIntense positive emotion
- flourishingProspering vigorously
wholeness · balance · harmony · serenity · peace · well-being · gratification · completeness
What something signifies
- fulfillmentState of achieved purpose
- callingStrongly felt purpose
- missionPurpose-driven task
- directionWay something faces
self-realization · motivation · life's work · passion · aspiration · goal · intention · destiny
Intense emotional drive
- professionTrained occupational field
- vocationDedicated career path
- missionPurpose-driven task
- sweet spotOptimal point or area
intersection · self-discovery · career guidance · coaching · worksheet · assessment · personal development
Lifelong occupational pursuit
- professionTrained occupational field
- craftSkilled manual art
- livelihoodMeans of earning income
- occupationOne's regular paid work
work · meaningful work · expertise · mastery · specialty · contribution · service · talent
Japanese island, martial-arts origin
- longevityDuration of existence
- centenariansPeople aged 100+
- wabi-sabiAesthetic valuing transience, incompleteness
- zenMeditative calm
contentment
Peaceful satisfaction with circumstances
- satisfactionState of fulfilled desires
- happinessJoyful emotional state
- joyIntense positive emotion
flourishing · wholeness · balance · harmony · serenity · peace · well-being · gratification · completeness · enrichment
meaning
What something signifies
- fulfillmentState of achieved purpose
- callingStrongly felt purpose
- missionPurpose-driven task
direction · self-realization · motivation · life's work · passion · aspiration · goal · intention · destiny · pursuit
passion
Intense emotional drive
- professionTrained occupational field
- vocationDedicated career path
- missionPurpose-driven task
sweet spot · intersection · self-discovery · career guidance · coaching · worksheet · assessment · personal development
career
Lifelong occupational pursuit
- professionTrained occupational field
- craftSkilled manual art
- livelihoodMeans of earning income
occupation · work · meaningful work · expertise · mastery · specialty · contribution · service · talent · gift
Okinawa
Japanese island, martial-arts origin
- longevityDuration of existence
- centenariansPeople aged 100+
- wabi-sabiAesthetic valuing transience, incompleteness
zen · kaizen · blue zones · mindfulness · intentional living
ikigaipurposelessness
State of lacking intention
meaninglessness · aimlessness · directionlessness · futility · nihilism
ikigaiapathy
Absence of feeling
lethargy · ennui · listlessness · torpor · languishing
ikigaiexistential despair
Anguish at life's meaninglessness
existential crisis · alienation · disillusionment · hollowness · spiritual emptiness