Unlocking Your Happiness: The Power of Ikigai in Finding Life’s Purpose
Unlocking Your Happiness: The Power of Ikigai in Finding Life’s Purpose
In times of uncertainty, adversity, or trauma, we often find ourselves questioning our purpose in life. You might ask: Am I enjoying the life I’m living? Is my work fulfilling? Do I spend my time in ways that reflect my values? Am I loved, and do I love? What will my legacy be? Purpose can be defined as a consistent aim to achieve something personally meaningful that leads to productive engagement with the world. The upheavals of recent years have likely sparked such reflections in many of us.
Why Purpose Matters
Living a purposeful and meaningful life is closely tied to enhanced physical and mental wellbeing. The origins of psychological research in this area trace back to Viennese psychologist Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor. Frankl observed that prisoners with a sense of purpose showed greater resilience to the harsh conditions of concentration camps. His work, including the acclaimed book Man’s Search for Meaning, has laid the foundation for ongoing research showing that living in line with your purpose can:
- Protect against heart disease by lowering cholesterol and obesity, and reducing inflammatory responses.
- Lower the risk of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Enhance your ability to manage pain.
- Boost motivation and provide a reason for living.
- Support faster recovery from setbacks.
- Increase the frequency of positive emotions, especially optimism and hope.
- Enrich relationships through heightened engagement.
- Increase overall life satisfaction.
Discovering Your Purpose
Defining your purpose can be complex, but frameworks can help simplify and clarify our thoughts. One such framework is ikigai, an ancient ideology from Okinawa, Japan. Ikigai, pronounced “e-key-guy,” translates to “life’s purpose.” Notably, Okinawa, where ikigai is a way of life, has more centenarians per capita than anywhere else in the world.
Understanding Ikigai
Ikigai is the intersection of four main elements:
- What you love
- What you are good at
- What the world needs
- What you can be rewarded for
To explore your ikigai, take some uninterrupted time to reflect on the following questions:
- What do you love? What brings you energy and lights you up when you talk about it?
- What are you good at? Is there something you do that people consistently give you positive feedback about, or that makes you feel masterful?
- What does the world need? Using your values as a compass, what do you believe is important for the world and its people as we move forward?
- Will you be rewarded for it? Is your ikigai something you can be paid for, or will it remain a hobby?
Ikigai is an action. It reminds us that living a purposeful life is not a destination but a way of living. What one small action could you take today that would express your ikigai and, therefore, your life’s purpose?
For more insights on living a purposeful life, you can explore Viktor Frankl’s work here.
