I often wondered how many people live their lives with a clear purpose. For many years, I felt like I had none. Every day felt the same—quiet, predictable, and a little empty. I knew I should have been grateful for having a home, food, and good health, but something still felt missing. While searching for that “something,” I came across the Japanese word 生きがい (ikigai) — the feeling that your life has meaning.
Do You Have an Ikigai?
If you feel the way I once did, you may need to find yours. You might be wondering why ikigai is important, what makes it so meaningful, and why so many people talk about it.
The answer is simple: ikigai has real, positive power.
Longevity
Ikigai is widely known as one of the reasons behind Japan’s remarkable longevity. In fact, Japan consistently ranks among the countries with the highest life expectancy, and many researchers have tried to understand why. Of course, the country’s healthcare system and healthy diet matter—but studies have found something more.
One famous study comes from the idea of Blue Zones, regions where people live exceptionally long and healthy lives. Okinawa, the southern island of Japan, is one of them. Researchers identified five key factors for longevity there:
1. Eating a healthy and varied diet
2. Choosing low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods
3. Eating until you are 80% full
4. Maintaining regular, low-intensity physical activity
5. Having a purpose in life — ikigai
Most people understand the first four easily. But the fifth—purpose—often surprises them.
Can having a reason to wake up in the morning really extend your life?
According to researchers, yes.
You can learn more from the bestselling book The Blue Zones.
How to Find Your Ikigai
This diagram—famous online—was actually created outside Japan by foreigners who wanted to understand the concept. It suggests that your ikigai lies at the intersection of:
1. What You Love (Passion)
Activities that make you forget time; things you enjoy deeply.
2. What You’re Good At (Vocation)
Skills, strengths, talents—what people naturally rely on you for.
3. What the World Needs (Mission)
Problems or needs you feel motivated to respond to.
4. What You Can Be Paid For (Profession)
Jobs, industries, or opportunities that fit your skills.
Example:
- Passion: I love baking
- Vocation: I’m good with my hands
- Mission: Children want special character cakes for their birthdays
- Profession: Pastry chef
At first glance, the diagram looks simple, but filling it out is not. I tried many times and struggled for years. Even now, I can’t fill every section, but I can finally say that my life feels full. I have my family, friends, hobbies, and work—and that’s enough.
The Western ikigai diagram became popular on the internet, but it does not exist in Japan. Japanese people don’t calculate their ikigai by combining mission, passion, and profession. The diagram simplifies the concept in a way that is more suitable for career coaching than for daily life.
The True Meaning of Ikigai
Here is something many foreigners misunderstand:
Ikigai doesn’t need to be huge, impressive, or world-changing.
Western books often talk about “finding your life purpose” as if it must be one grand mission. But in Japan, ikigai is much simpler.
Your ikigai can be:
- drinking a nice cup of tea in the morning
- talking with someone you love
- watering your plants every day
- caring for your pet
- enjoying a quiet hobby
Ikigai can be small.
It can be ordinary.
If it gives your day meaning, it counts.
Ikigai is not something you must achieve or work toward.
It’s not a responsibility or a mission.
Instead, ikigai is about the small joys woven into your everyday life.
Many Japanese people describe their ikigai as something ordinary—like morning walks, caring for grandchildren, or enjoying seasonal foods. It is less about “finding your purpose” and more about “noticing what already brings you joy.”
The moment when you feel glad to be alive — that is ikigai in Japan.
As for me, I play table tennis as a hobby, and I would say that is one of my ikigai.
It gives me energy to work all week.
Having a nice cup of coffee with a nice cake also relaxes me and gives me a moment when I feel happy to be alive.
These aren’t the massive things that Western books often talk about.
Do you have a big mission in your life? That’s great — that is your ikigai.
You don’t? It’s okay. Not everyone is special like Steve Jobs.
It’s okay to be an ordinary person.
Mimetic Desire — We Want What Others Want
The French philosopher René Girard said that desire is imitative: we want things because others want them.
I think this applies to hobbies, too.
For example, people watch Netflix, so I watch Netflix.
Similarly, people go on holiday, so I go too.
They go to karaoke, and I follow.
They visit cafés and take nice photos, so I do the same.
But were those really my hobbies?
Were they what I truly wanted?
Let me ask you: can you answer the question “What is your hobby?” without hesitation?
For a long time, I was imitating others without even realizing it. I was young and didn’t understand myself yet. Watching movies or going out was fun, but in my early twenties, I never took the time to look deeply at what genuinely made me happy. I was simply busy living—earning money, spending money, and keeping up with trends.
In fact, I think my ten-year-old self understood me better than I did. I used to love playing games like Fire Emblem—games usually loved by boys. My older brother introduced them to me, and I absolutely loved them. That kind of love, something unique to me and not influenced by trends, was real. It wasn’t imitation.
I shouldn’t let myself be swept away by trends or what everyone else is doing.
I should follow what my heart truly desires.
Ikigai Changes Throughout Life
Unlike the Western idea of having “one true purpose,” ikigai is flexible.
Your ikigai at 20 may be completely different from your ikigai at 40 or 70.
It grows with you.
It shifts with your family, your work, and your health.
This flexibility takes away a huge amount of pressure, doesn’t it?
You don’t need to find one grand purpose that defines your whole life.
When I was a teenager, my ikigai was my boyfriend.
(This wasn’t a healthy thing, but it’s the truth.)
What I thought about all the time is him. I prioritized him over everything—even my studies.
And interestingly, when a girl chases a boy too much, he often gets bored.
Mine was no exception.
After he left me, my ikigai shifted entirely to studying.
I threw myself into my education, and it paid off—I was eventually selected for a degree program abroad with a full tuition waiver and even a living stipend.
My heart was broken, but studying gave me a reason to keep moving forward.
Ikigai doesn’t have to be permanent.
You only need something that makes you want to wake up in the morning now.
Other People’s Ikigai
From various surveys, common ikigai examples include:
- Raising children
- Family
- Hobbies
- Pets
- Travel
- Sleep
- Cooking
- Gardening
Interestingly, 25–35% of people say they don’t have an ikigai.
That’s completely normal. Many discover it later in life.
I Struggled to Find Ikigai Abroad
When I moved out of Japan to marry my British husband, everything changed.
I had to quit my job, so my daily life shifted completely—from a full-time worker to a housewife in a foreign country.
Living abroad also made me realize how much I relied on the small routines I had in Japan: seasonal foods, convenient services, and the overall feeling of safety.
Without those familiar things, I felt empty for a long time.
However, that experience taught me something important:
ikigai is not tied to a specific place.
It’s something you can rebuild, even in a new environment, simply by paying attention to what brings you joy right now.
Little by little, I created new ikigai here in the UK—my weekend routines, table tennis, and my website.
So if you are struggling right now, I want to tell you this:
It’s okay. If you keep going, you will be okay.
Ikigai Checklist
Ikigai Checklist
To help you discover your ikigai, ask yourself the following:
• First, what do you enjoy doing most each day right now?
• Next, if you had a day completely free, how would you spend it?
• Also, what is something you’ve done recently that made you feel genuinely glad?
• Finally, what would you like to keep doing even if it didn’t earn you money?
This is easier than the Western diagram, isn’t it?
No pressure—just listen to yourself.
You will eventually feel what you want to do.
Conclusion
Overall, Ikigai in the West is often seen as something huge—the big purpose of life.
But in Japan, ikigai can be small and simple.
It can be a hobby or anything that makes you feel glad to be alive.
However, human beings tend to want what others want, so it’s important to listen to yourself carefully. When you learn to understand your own feelings, you begin to see what you truly desire. That is the key to finding your ikigai.
Do you have a purpose in your life?
Yes? — That’s wonderful.
No? — That’s okay. Just listen to yourself and explore what makes you happy.
Find a reason to look forward to waking up.
Japan has many beautiful concepts that help us live better.
Everyone struggles with their identity when they are young, and finding a purpose in life is no different. I struggled a lot in my twenties, but now, at 32, I finally feel okay.
I hope this post helps you relieve some pressure and enjoy your life a little more.
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