It won’t surprise anyone to hear that focusing on the things that you love and bring you joy can help you create a life that makes you feel well, inspires you, and feeds your happiness and contentment. Yet so often we’re stuck in the push to excel, be productive at all costs, and aim for targets of success that can seem somewhat empty.
So it can feel refreshing, instead, to focus on appreciating the things that impart meaning to our lives. This brings us to the Japanese concept of ikigai.
“When we bring attention to what matters to us, it makes us feel life is worth living,” says Nick Kemp, ikigai coach, podcaster, author, and DailyOM course creator.
Here’s what you need to know about the theory of ikigai, and how it can make a difference in your life and well-being.
Interested in learning more? Check out The Japanese Secret to Slow Aging.
Meet Your Teacher: Nick Kemp
Nick Kemp is the founder and head coach of Ikigai Tribe and the author of Ikigai-Kan: Feel a Life Worth Living. The story of how he first learned of ikigai stems from his time in Japan when a coworker asked him, “What’s your ikigai?”
He tells us, “I had never heard of that term before, but she gave me an incredible explanation about how this is your purpose in life and the reason you battle on through. I was so inspired that there was this one word that articulates all of that.”
Since then, Kemp has made it his mission to share the concept of ikigai with the world — and clear up misconceptions about what it is and what it isn’t.
What Is Ikigai?
Ikigai — iki meaning “to live” and gai meaning “reason” — is a phrase in Japanese culture that roughly translates to “feel a life worth living.” Unfortunately, says Kemp, the concept of ikigai has become misconstrued in Westernized media.
“There is the incorrect message that ikigai is bliss or a life purpose. And while it can include those ideas, that is not the sweet spot,” he tells us. “For me, there is this sense of injustice of a beautiful Japanese concept that’s so inspiring being oversimplified and romanticized, and it’s wrong.”
Here’s what you need to be aware of to better understand the real meaning of ikigai.
- Know ikigai can be anything. Life’s purpose sometimes gets misconstrued with professional goals. And while ikigai can include your profession, it doesn’t have to. It’s based on what feels meaningful to you. This can include activities, relationships, practices, even challenges — and so much more.
- Know you can tap into ikigai by thinking like a child. Kids are particularly great at finding ikigai, Kemp says. They’re in awe of little things and pursue joy. You can take a page from their book and do the same. Whatever your ikigai is, “do it and be present,” says Kemp.
- Know that ikigai is not always a health habit. Ikigai might not necessarily be in line with Western wellness culture, Kemp explains. “Your ikigai might be [considered] ‘unhealthy’ if it’s something that gets you through the week or offers a reprieve,” he tells us. For example, it might be drinking a glass of wine after a long week or staying up way too late with friends.
- Know that it can test you. Ikigai doesn’t have to be a (figurative) walk in the park. “If it’s challenging or presents a hardship — but it feels meaningful to you — that can be a source of ikigai,” Kemp says.
Why Is Ikigai Important?
When you know what the sources of your ikigai are, you can build a life that feels good to you and that you’re proud of. Here’s why understanding your ikigai is key for health, happiness, and longevity.
It Tunes You Into What You Value in Life
Where do you really find joy? Parents might say it’s their relationships with their children. Grandparents might say the same for their grandchildren. Perhaps it’s taking your dog for a walk or petting your cat. It may be a hobby, like camping or bike riding, or something small in your day-to-day routine that you relish, like journaling or sipping a cup of tea in the morning. As people get older, it might be something like a calm, internal experience, says Kemp.
Although ikigai differs for everyone, what’s clear is that it’s the big and small things that make your life worth living.
It Helps You Focus on Your Present Experience
Westernized culture is filled with the push to hustle as you achieve one thing after another.
“Every day, we wake up and we have things to do,” Kemp says. “The things we want or hope for are usually material things or success. In the West, we’re very much focused on the thought of ‘I’ll be happy when ….’ It creates this sense of pressure where we’re not living in the moment, but are regretting the past and worried about the future,” Kemp tells us. In response to all of this, we continually strive for certain things, convinced that if we achieve them, we will finally be happy.
But how true is that for people? Often, we find out that the promises of success ring hollow.
“Ikigai offers an alternative to all of this, where there’s not this focus on an outcome; it’s more about your intrinsic experience,” Kemp explains.
You Can Lean Into Ikigai to Enhance Your Life
By focusing on what makes your life worth living — and then carving out time for it or putting energy toward it — you can move toward a better future, says Kemp. “Even if you’re struggling with life now, you can have something to work toward and maintain the belief that it will get better,” he tells us.
Ikigai May Improve Your Overall Health
Pursuing ikigai might even impact your longevity. Studies have shown that people with a sense of ikigai had up to a 15 percent lower risk of dying from any cause compared to those who did not. Other research discovered similar associations, concluding that those who didn’t have a sense of ikigai had a 60 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Another study found that ikigai was associated with 36 percent lower odds of developing dementia, acted as a buffer for depression, and boosted happiness and life satisfaction.
Why? Having a higher sense of purpose with intention and presence causes you to be more resilient against stress, makes you more likely to have a healthy lifestyle (by participating in physical activity, for example), and may also help reduce inflammation, a driver of disease.
It Will Make Life Worthwhile in the Short and Long Term
Ask yourself this: How can I schedule things that bring me ikigai?
Those things may be small joys, like taking a walk in the crisp morning air, mindfully enjoying a glass of water while sitting down, or giving your kids a big bear hug. If social connection is core to your ikigai, then set up at least one social activity per week to catch up in person with a friend or family member, rather than relying on digital communication. If you find that being in service to others feeds your purpose, then make a plan to do it at least once a month.
“Lean into your ikigai sources, which means giving them time, care, and attention. Be focused and engaged with them,” says Kemp.
The Bottom Line
Ikigai is a concept from Japanese culture that means “feel a life worth living” — in other words, to lean into the activities, relationships, and challenges that bring you joy or give you purpose, with intention and presence. By uncovering the sources of your ikigai — or the things that you feel make your life worth living — and figuring out ways to practice them, you may find it easier to focus your energy and attention on all that’s meaningful to you.
