Hygge, the Danish lifestyle trend that embraces all things cozy and comforting, won us all over. Hygge taught us that it was okay to stay in, knit and make heaping pots of soup to share with friends and family. We began to embrace the slow living movement; we read books by the warmth of a fire pit, invested in indoor gardens, shopped local and experimented with creative tea blends. As captivated as many of us were by this charming lifestyle, there were still a few people who weren’t quite as enamored with it. If you’ve been searching for something that isn’t quite hygge, you may just find your place with the Japanese concept of Ikigai.
Ikigai, is composed of two Japanese words- iki, meaning life and gai, meaning value or worth. When paired together, iki and gai, translates to the idea of having a purpose in life and finding your reason for being. Co-author of Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, Hector Garcia states, “Ikigai can be translated as “a reason for being” – the thing that gets you out of bed each morning”.
How do you practice ikigai? How do you find your ikigai? Experts recommend asking yourself 4 simple questions to determine your ikigai:
- What do you love?
- What are you good at?
- What does the world need from you?
- What can you get paid for?
Tapping into and exploring the answers to these questions can help you find your purpose, however these questions are just a starting point. If you’re retired or a paying job has nothing to do with finding your purpose in life, you can eliminate the last question, and still get a good idea of what your ikigai is. Many Japanese individuals have stated that their reason for being has nothing to do with their jobs or income. In a 2010 study of 2000 Japanese men and women, only 31% of the participants stated that work was their ikigai. Having a sense of purpose with hobbies and interests outside or your job can also help an individual feel more fulfilled when they’re not at work, they’re in between jobs or they’ve retired.
Discovering your purpose in life can be as simple as pausing throughout the day to ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?” Take the time to notice when you find yourself so absorbed in a task that you lose your sense of time. When we’re involved in activities that are meaningful, time passes more quickly. Typically these are the moments when we’re living our ikigai. Once you recognize these activities try to make changes in your life so that you can do these activities more often.
Garcia says, “I’ve become stronger at my daily job when it comes to saying ‘no’ to things I know I dislike and I’m not good at, and putting myself into situations where I’m doing things that I love and I’m good at…I’ve also put more time and dedication into my hobbies: yoga and photography, and I’m enjoying them more than ever.”
Lifestyle trends come and go, but ikigai goes beyond being a lifestyle trend. This is a thought provoking concept that encourages us all to take a closer look at our decisions and take action on what is and isn’t working in our daily lives.
