Ikigai: A Japanese concept to improve work and life

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The secret may have to do with what Japanese call ikigai . There is no direct English translation, but it's a term that embodies the idea of happiness in living. Essentially, ikigai is the reason why you get up in the morning.

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To those in the West who are more familiar with the concept of ikigai, it's often associated with a Venn diagram with four overlapping qualities: what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.

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History of Ikigai

According to Hasegawa, the origin of the word ikigai goes back to the Heian period (794 to 1185). " Gai comes from the word kai ("shell" in Japanese) which were deemed highly valuable, and from there ikigai derived as a word that means value in living."

There are other words that use kai: yarigai or hatarakigai which mean the value of doing and the value of working. Ikigai can be thought of as a comprehensive concept that incorporates such values in life.

There are many books in Japan devoted to ikigai, but one in particular is considered definitive: Ikigai-ni-tsuite (About Ikigai), published in 1966.

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Blue zone Dan Buettner

Japan has some of the longest-living citizens in the world -87 years for women and 81 for men , according to the country's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Could this concept of ikigai contribute to longevity?

Author Dan Buettner believes it does. He's the author of Blue Zones: Lessons on Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest, and has travelled the globe exploring long-lived communities around the world, which he calls " blue zones ".

One such zone is Okinawa, a remote island with a remarkably high number of centenarians. While a unique diet likely has a lot to do with residents' longevity, Buettner says ikigai also plays a part.

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Ikigai is purpose of living;)

But, knowing your ikigai alone is not enough. Simply put, you need an outlet. Ikigai is "purpose in action," he says.

For 92-year-old Tomi Menaka, her ikigai is to dance and sing with her peers in the KBG84 dance troupe, she told the Mainichi newspaper . For others, it might be work itself.

In a culture where the value of the team supercedes the individual, Japanese workers are driven by being useful to others, being thanked, and being esteemed by their colleagues, says Toshimitsu Sowa, CEO of HR consulting firm Jinzai Kenkyusho.

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