Ikigai

A reason for being

What is Ikigai

• Pronounced as ee-ki-guy is a Japanese concept

meaning reason for being i.e. what gets you out
of bed in the morning.
• Everyone has ikigai, the challenge is discover it -
finding the reason or purpose for living.
• The basis of ikigai is not only to enrich your life,
but to also enhance the lives of others.
• Ikigai is very useful in finding contentment in
life, and in everyday tasks.
• You can have as many ikigais as you like,
throughout your life.
“The grand essentials to
happiness in this life are
something to do, something
to love, and something to
hope for.”
(Washington Burnap)
Ikigai – Book highlights
• “Our ikigai is different for all of us, but one thing we
have in common is that we are all searching for
meaning. When we spend our days feeling connected
to what is meaningful to us, we live more fully; when
we lose the connection, we feel despair.”

• “The happiest people are not the ones who achieve

the most. They are the ones who spend more time
than others in a state of flow.​”

• “One thing that everyone with a clearly defined ikigai

has in common is that they pursue their passion no
matter what.”

• “Our ability to turn routine tasks into moments of

microflow, into something we enjoy, is key to our
being happy, since we all have to do such tasks.”

• “Artists, for example, who carry the torch of their

ikigai instead of retiring, have this power. Art, in all
its forms, is an ikigai that can bring happiness and
purpose to our days. Enjoying or creating beauty is
free, and something all human beings have access to.​
”

https://www.sloww.co/ikigai-book/
What’s your ikigai? Finding your sweet spot
1. What does the world need? (mission)
• What are your top three core values?
• Are there any social/ environmental or
economic problems you want to help solve?
• If you were to ask the people around you, what
would they say you are an advocate for?
• Are there causes in your community or in the
world that touch you emotionally?
• Are there any volunteer originations that seem
to fit in and align well with your values?
3. What do you love? (passion)
• What would you do if money wasn’t an option? • Do you feel that you are doing enough in your
• If you had some spare time, what would you
spend your time doing?
• If you were asked to present to a room full of
people on a topic, what would it be?
• What gets you really excited?
2. What are you good at? (vocation)
• What are your strengths? What do you find
easy to do?
• With what activities do you experience
flow? i.e. when does your time fly.
• What it something you could spend hours
actively doing? This is an activity in which you
will feel fully engaged and won’t be thinking
about anything else while doing.
• What did you like doing when you were a child?
4. What can you be paid for? (profession)
current career path?
• Is there any overlap with your career and your
other aspects of Ikigai?
• Do you use your talents and passions in what
you do for a career?
• Did you study or can you study further to
develop your career? What professional
development do you have planned?
“Excellence, then, is
not an act but a
habit.”
(Aristotle)