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The Okinawans call it ‘Ikigai’ and the Nicoyans callit ‘plan de vida;’ for both, it translates to ‘why I wakeup in the morning.’”  In other words, our purpose orwhat makes life worth living. According to Japanese culture, everyone has ahidden ikigai. Finding it requires a deep andsometimes lengthy search of self. This search isregarded as essential, as the discovery of one’sikigai brings satisfaction and meaning to life. Consider this Japanese fable:In a small village outside of Osaka, a woman in acoma was dying. She suddenly had a feeling thatshe was taken up to heaven and stood before theVoice of her ancestors. “Who are you?” the Voice said to her. “I am the wifeof the mayor,” she replied. “I did not ask whose wifeyou are but who you are.” “I am the mother of fourchildren.” “I did not ask whose mother you are, butwho you are.” “I am a school teacher.” “I did not askwhat your profession is but who you are.” And so itwent. No matter what she replied, she did not seemto give a satisfactory answer to the question, “Whoare you?” “I am a Shinto.” “I did not ask what yourreligion is but who you are.” “I am the one who wakes up each day to care formy family, and nurture the young minds of thechildren at my school.”  She passed the challenge and was sent back toearth. The next morning she woke at sunrise,feeling a deep sense of meaning and purpose. Shetended to her children’s lunches, and planned funlessons for her students that day. The woman haddiscovered her ikigai.

purpose & ikigai

The Blue Zone studies  (Buettner et al., 2004) identified universal health habits for a long andmeaningful life, and along with a healthy diet,regular exercise, connection to family/community,having a sense of purpose was key. The research indicates that having a sense ofpurpose helps in the following ways: 1. It gives you direction. When you have a clearpurpose you can then set the right goals and takethe right steps to create your most meaningful life. 2. It reduces mortality risk. Studies have shown thathaving a purpose in life is an indicator for healthyageing. 3. It increases your resilience. Having a purpose inlife may motivate you to reframe stressfulsituations to deal with them more productively. Inthe long run, this will help you facilitate recoveryfrom stress and trauma. 4. It improves quality of sleep. Studies have shownthat a higher level of meaning and purpose in lifeamong older adults is related to better sleepquality. It can also be protective against symptomsof sleep apnea. 5. It motivates you. When you discover yourpurpose you pursue and stick with your goals andare more likely to achieve success in important lifedomains. 

the science

A research study that asked over40,000 Japanese people if theyhad an ikigai in their life, foundthose that did lived longer. Sone et al. (2008)

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Try writing your own ikigai in a simple sentence,such as the example given in the story: “I am the one who wakes up each day to care formy family, and nurture the young minds of thechildren at my school.” "For sale. Baby Shoes. Never Worn." The writer, Hemingway, wrote this short 6-wordstory. This short but impactful style of writing isnow called flash fiction. Try writing your own flashfiction ikigai, for example: •  To joyfully provide for my family.•  Inspire & influence excellence & beauty.•  Appreciate my space in the world.•  To learn. Have adventures. And achieve. Map out on a timeline from birth to now of anyimpactful events or experiences (positive ornegative). Then, taking each into consideration,write what you learned about yourself from eachof these events. •  How did they shape you?•  What do they say about who you are as aperson? Your strengths, passions, skills.•  What do they tell you about what matters most(and least) to you?  Reflecting on our values can help us understandour purpose in life. Try doing a values card sorttask to identify your top values. Discover more byreading our Values info sheet atwww.themindroom.com.au/library and/or purchasea card sort pack from our online shop.

Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl  TED Talks, Dan Beuttner on Blue Zones (2009).  Values Ink, a values card sort mobile app George, L. S., & Park, C. L. (2016). Meaning in life ascomprehension, purpose, and mattering: Towardintegration and new research questions. Review ofGeneral Psychology, 20(3), 205-220. Positive Psychology Program, Blog post https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/meaning-of-life-positive-psychology/ Purpose Literature Reviewhttps://www.templeton.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Psychology-of-Purpose-FINAL.pdf Blue Zone Studyhttps://bluezones.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Nat_Geo_LongevityF.pdf      

taking action resources

The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to becompassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

what is your ikigai?

flash fiction

time line reflection

values card sort

books

podcast

apps

references

“Life has no meaning. Each of us hasmeaning and we bring it to life. It isa waste to be asking the questionwhen you are the answer.” – Joseph Campbell