Simplify Your Life with Japanese "Ikigai"

If you've ever looked into the concept of ikigai, then you've probably seen this diagram. The one with the four circles. Do what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. And then somewhere in the middle of that is supposed to be your purpose in life. This diagram was popularized in the best-selling book Ikigai, the Japanese secret to a long and happy life by Hector Garcia and Francesc Morales. While neither author is Japanese, Garcia did live in Japan for many years. For many people this was a very inspiring idea, and they found a lot of value and use in that book, the Ikigai book. And if that's you also, if you really enjoyed that book, that is absolutely amazing. For me, when I first saw this book many many years ago, while I was intrigued by the concept of ikigai, this diagram has always felt a little bit stressful for me. Because finding something that perfectly fit all of those four categories, for me, felt like kind of a big ask. Like what if it doesn't make enough money, or people don't value it anymore, or your circumstances change. Like for me, this idea felt like it would be quite difficult to achieve, and only for maybe like a few lucky souls out there. Over the last couple of months I have been learning more about ikigai, reading about it, watching videos from Japanese creators, and also reading this book from Ken Mogi, who is a Japanese neuroscientist, and who has written extensively about ikigai. And what surprised me most, is that the famous diagram that most of us immediately think about when we hear the word ikigai, is not actually how most Japanese people experience that concept. The original idea turns out to be a little bit simpler, smaller, and for me personally, more inspiring and more comforting. It's not necessarily about finding your one true purpose in life, it can be more ordinary than that. Like a morning walk in the sunshine, or reading by an open window, or a conversation with a friend, or listening to your favorite music, or really enjoying and savoring your cup of coffee. Just something that makes life feel a little bit more worthwhile and special. Of course, as always, feel free to join me and grab yourself something nice to drink. I actually just have a glass of water here, but I'm drinking it from my very special My Neighbor Totoro glass, that I bought in Tokyo. So it still feels nice and special. So feel free to grab yourself something nice too. For those of you who haven't heard of the Japanese term ikigai yet, there isn't really like an agreed upon translation that everyone uses, or like a definition of that sort. But it translates to reason for living, or life purpose. With iki meaning to live, and gai meaning reason. So it is a sense of purpose, or hope, or a sense of your life having meaning. And a reason to get up in the morning, other than the fact that you have to get up because you need to be at work at a certain time. In 2025, a study was published that looked at the results of 86 scientific articles of the impact of ikigai on mental health outcomes, but also on the potential impact on physical and social health outcomes. Findings indicate that ikigai positively influences depression scores, helps cultivate a sense of purpose, and enhances well-being and life satisfaction. Further, ikigai is associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality and functional disability, additionally increasing social connectedness and participation in recreation and employment. In other words, having ikigai is good for us. I want to start by saying that I haven't read the entire book by Garcia and Miralles myself yet. I did own it for a little while, because I was gifted this book many years ago when I left my second to last job from my colleagues, which is very nice of them. And after like reading through it a bit, I decided that it wasn't really for me. At least not at that point in my life, because I was severely burnt out back then. So it was just too much, too overwhelming for me. So I decided to give that book away. But of course I did learn a little bit more about it also in doing research for this video. One thing that I found very interesting is that the book that popularized ikigai, the concept of it, outside of Japan over the rest of the world, wasn't actually written by Japanese authors. And when I started looking into what certain other Japanese writers say about ikigai, like Mieko Kamiya and Ken Mogi, the emphasis to me feels quite different. Less about finding that perfect intersection between passion, mission, vocation and profession, and more about the small things that make life worth living. And I think that's where the biggest difference lies, with western interpretations focusing more on optimization and career and purpose, and Japanese discussions focusing more on meaning, daily life, small joys and the things that make our existence feel worthwhile. So in today's video I want to talk a bit more about what ikigai really means, or what it can also mean. And of course about how we can find our own ikigai, or rather, learn to be someone who has ikigai. And of course I want to say that in this video I am not bashing on the book by Garcia and Morales, or anything like that at all. If you have that book, if you enjoyed that book, that is wonderful. And I think that of course there is value in it. And I know that many people have actually done like courses on it and everything else and found that very helpful. So this is not being like negative about that book, it's just pointing out some of the differences and why the other interpretations of ikigai personally for me fit a little bit better. And I also want to preface this video by saying that I'm still no expert on the subject of ikigai, and I'm also going to be talking about a Japanese concept while myself not being Japanese, just like Garcia and Morales. So I totally acknowledge this, I see the irony there. For me this is just something that I'm naturally very interested in as someone who is interested in Japan, Japanese culture, Japanese language, and then also philosophy. You know, life, meaning, purpose, existence, happiness, all that kind of stuff that I've loved learning about ever since I was like a teenager. So because of that, this concept just fits me very well and it's something that I'm naturally very interested in. If you're watching this and you think that maybe I made a mistake, or you are Japanese and you disagree with something, or agree with something that I said, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section. I'm always eager to learn, so feel free to share what you think about ikigai in the comment section down below. But let's start with a little background on ikigai, what it really means, and how it can improve our lives. So before I talk about this book, I want to talk first about another book. One that was written in 1966 by Japanese psychiatrist Miyako Kameya. This book is called ikigai ni tsuite, which means about ikigai, or on the meaning of life. Miyako Kameya was a psychiatrist and a physician, and she worked with patients suffering from leprosy. And through that, she became interested in the question why is it that some people maintain hope and a sense that life is worth living, even though they are dealing with enormous suffering, while others lose that sense of hope and meaning. The concept of ikigai was around before that as well, but she was one of the first people to actually study ikigai extensively. And her book was very influential in Japan. For example, she talked about one of her patients who was blind, but who every day sat by the window and wrote haiku, poems. And he said that he felt very fulfilled because he was able to express himself through these poems, being inspired by the sounds of nature and like the feeling of the wind through the open window. And another patient who was also blind and he didn't have fingers, but he taught himself how to read with a braille using his mouth. And he also talked about how this gave him fulfillment. For Kameya, this raised the question what is it that makes life feel worth living, even in the most difficult of circumstances? One of the most important ideas of Kameya's work is that ikigai has two sides. The thing that gives life meaning, and the feeling that life is worth living. She writes there are two ways of using the word ikigai. When someone says this child is my ikigai, it refers to the source or target of ikigai. And when one feels ikigai as a state of mind. The latter of these is close to sense of meaning. Here I will tentatively call it ikigai-kan. She distinguished between ikigai being the source of ikigai, and ikigai-kan which is the feeling or experience of ikigai. So in other words, a person might have something meaningful in their life, but it also depends on whether or not they feel connected to that, whether or not they experience it like that. Or someone might be facing very difficult circumstances, but still experience a feeling of ikigai because of something simple that brings them joy and a sense of meaning. And this really spoke to me, because I think that a part of ikigai is also being a person who sees their ikigai, and who can be mindful and appreciative and slow down enough to really experience the things when they are happening. Perhaps we can even say that ikigai can also be a skill, rather than something you either have or don't have. So for example for me, I find reading fiction definitely gives me that feeling of ikigai-kan. But I do very much experience still a difference between days. Sometimes I'm reading and it's fun, but it doesn't like get any more than that. And sometimes I'm reading and I really have this like deep sense of appreciation and fulfillment and joy from it. And I really feel like so enriched by it. So I think that that is a difference between your own mindset, also when you are engaging in the thing that brings you that experience of ikigai-kan. Tsukimiya was very interested also in hope, meaning resilience, and how we can take that with us also into the future direction of our lives. To kind of like propel us forward. And then she also talked about how if the thing that you want to do is also your duty or your job, then it is possible to experience ikigai in that the thing that we feel ikigai should be, like the one purpose in life that is also like your job and your your thing. But she also did warn that it doesn't have to be the same thing, and that trying to force our ikigai to also become our livelihood can be stressful for many people. And in her interview she learned that for many people their ikigai is separate from their job. So I guess you could say that the western version asks what should I do with my life, whereas Kamiya's version is closer to what makes my life worth living right now. For me, the first thing feels a little bit overwhelming, and also kind of like searching for that elusive thing that we should be doing. Whereas the second question can actually be answered quite easily, and by something really small and simple. So it encourages us to look at what we already have, rather than on searching for what we can create, or strive for, or achieve somewhere in the future. From watching Japanese creators on youtube talk about ikigai and the diagram, they mostly talk about two problems with the diagram. The first one being, it shouldn't have to depend on benefit or on making money for you. So it should be something that brings you a small sense of joy or fulfillment, and that makes you feel alive every day. Even if no one sees it, if no one praises you for it, and if it doesn't make you any money. Because being able to make money from it is not something that is fully under your own control. And then what if, you know, that benefit disappears? You might feel demotivated or burnt out. It also doesn't have to be a special skill, or something that you are naturally very good at. Of course if it is something that you do every day, you might, you know, eventually get better at it. But it should be something that brings you joy, even if you kind of suck at it. The second problem is that it shouldn't have to be something so big, like your one true purpose in life. Like that is a very difficult question to answer, and it can be too daunting to even like begin to understand for ourselves what our purpose is, or what should we do with our life. Like that feels super big. And instead, we can look at what we already have, what we can already do, and it can be something simple. Or multiple things that are simple. These two things really speak to me personally as well. And I've been thinking while doing research for this video over the last couple of months about my own job with Simple Happy Zen, and whether or not I consider that to be one of my ikigais. And it's a very difficult question to answer, because yes, I really enjoy it. And it does give me a sense of purpose, and so much meaning, and so much joy. But it's also my job, and it also gives me stress sometimes. Sometimes I have to, you know, really plow through an editing job when I'm really tired, or sometimes I'm really passionate about a video. Sometimes halfway through, I completely lose my passion for it. I completely lose confidence in it. But I'm like, I've already put so much work into it, so now I have to finish. Like it's a bit of a roller coaster. And then also, the benefit part. Like Simple Happy Zen is now my job, and it does make me money, and it's how I pay my part of the bills. But the views and the money is ever changing. Like sometimes my channel is doing very well, other times really not. Right now it's in a bit of a down slump again, so it's really not going super well in terms of like the views and things like that. But nevertheless, I still feel excited about it. So maybe it is my ikigai. Because that excitement that I feel for it is not dependent on the benefits that I get from it. Even though of course I do hope that the channel will start doing a little bit better again. But yeah, it's a difficult question to answer whether or not it's my ikigai. Maybe it is, yeah. So I guess I'm lucky. But I do really like that emphasis on valuing the small things, because that is something that everyone can, I think, learn to cultivate for themselves. And I started thinking about it, and perhaps that is one of the reasons why Kamiya was so inspired by her patients. Because when you're really sick, I think that you might start to notice the simple joys more, and not take them for granted. As much as we sometimes do. When people are healthy and they have all the options in the world, like in in modern times, like you can be so many things, you can study so many things, there are so many options. And even with things like entertainment and joy and things we do for fun, there are endless amounts of options for us. So maybe that's why it can be a little bit more difficult to stop and appreciate the small things. Because every time you do something, you're also missing out on all the other things. It's like a little bit overwhelming maybe sometimes. So perhaps that's one of the reasons why people might take the small joys, or the people in their lives, or the things that bring them a sense of every day for granted. Because it's like it's there every day. And then people who are sick really know what are the things that make life special and worthwhile, and they don't take them for granted. So maybe that's also why Kamiya was so inspired by her patients, and I am too. So we've talked about what Ikigai really is, let's now talk a little bit about how we can cultivate it more in our own lives. Which is where this book comes in by Ken Mogi, which I read and overall definitely enjoyed. Ken Mogi is a Japanese neuroscientist and author, and has written a lot about Ikigai. And also about how we can take these ideas of Ikigai and make them more practical and accessible for everyone. I got the tip to check out this book from one of the Japanese creators who made a video about Ikigai that I watched on YouTube. So I will leave a list of all the YouTube videos that I used for a research for this video, as well as some articles and information that I used, in the description box below for anyone who's interested. So according to Ken Mogi, Ikigai is not this like rare or mysterious thing that only a few lucky people can find. It is accessible and available for all of us. And in this book he talks about the five pillars of Ikigai. And they are pillar one, starting small. Two, releasing yourself. Three, harmony and sustainability. Four, the joy of little things. And five, being in the here and now. So I thought it'd be fun to quickly go over these five pillars and what they could actually mean in our life. So starting small, lowering the threshold to do the thing that we would love to do. And taking one small tiny action that can help you do that. So what is one very small thing that I can start doing today that already feels a little bit meaningful? Maybe you have the goal to like walk a very long distance, or make walking like this everyday thing in your life. Then just going for a very short walk can be much more easy than immediately deciding to have to walk two hours every day, for example. Or if you would like to slow down a little bit more and find some peace and calm in your everyday life, then maybe one small thing that you could do is make yourself a cup of coffee or tea without any distractions, and drink it mindfully and really savor the experience. In this book he also talks about a Japanese term called kodawari, which is something that I've never heard about before. It's like this feeling of having like a personal standard to doing things, or really paying attention to every small detail, and taking pride in what you do. So for example when you're making food, instead of just kind of like slapping something together, you really pay attention to the small details, and you try your best to make it come out as good as you can. For me this is something that I practice with making my green tea. This is something that I've always really enjoyed. Paying attention to the small details, the temperature of the water, the steeping time, how many grams of tea leaves to use. And I've always said that how a green tea comes out is 50 percent dependent on the quality of the tea, and 50 percent on the person who prepares it, and their skill, and their effort, and attention to details. So that is something that I really like. Because yeah, it does give me that moment of meaning when I can make a green tea, and not just like slap a teabag in there, but really like pay attention, and try my best to get it to come out as well as I can. He also talks about many bars and like small scale restaurants in Japan having a kodawari no ippin, a particular signature dish of which the owner is proud. It might involve specific ingredients, or focus on the region from which they've been sourced, or on the amount of time taken to prepare the dish. Customers appreciate that these places where uniquely prepared dishes can be consumed, are born from a wish to celebrate personal interaction and a sense of community. Like ramen noodles is a very famous example. Pillar two is about releasing yourself. And this is about letting go of certain just unnecessary pressures that we might feel that we don't have to be a certain way, or we don't have to be more successful, more productive, more impressive. So letting go of this constant like self-judgment, and this idea that you don't have to earn the right to enjoy your life, that you already deserve ikigai right now. And this happens to be something that I've also been practicing with, I would say over the last like maybe two years. Because I've done a lot of self-reflecting, and it turns out that I'm actually not so good at this yet. Sometimes I often feel like I need to, like I don't deserve to, I don't know, it's a whole thing. Anyway, this is something that I've been practicing with too, and it's in small things. I've talked about this before in another Patreon video, about how I started to play Stardew Valley, simply because it brought me so much joy and comfort in that time of my life, when I was dealing with some stuff. And it is a game that I've played for a long time, like I've put quite many hours into it. And it was kind of like a personal breakthrough to experience that, and to just be like, okay I deserve that, like it's a hobby, I enjoy it, it's fine. And Ken Mogi doesn't really talk about this in the book, but I also think that releasing yourself can be about ego as well. To do things not because you want it to be seen or praised by others, to like boost your own ego. And Miyako Kamiya talked about this as well, when she wrote that a carefree child isn't burdened with a social definition of the self. It's not tied to a specific profession or social status. So it would be wonderful to maintain a child's way throughout one's life, which I love. And in this book also, Ken Mogi talks a little bit about Hayao Miyazaki, who is the writer and director of many of the Studio Ghibli films that I love so much, and that millions of people around the world love so much. He actually had the privilege of interviewing him in person, which I'm not at all jealous about. And he writes about how Miyazaki is so good at understanding the psychology of a child and being in touch with that inner child within himself too. Then harmony and sustainability. This is about how pursuing your ikigai shouldn't have to be like either isolating or pushing you to something more extreme that is hard to keep up long term. That it actually should be super easy to incorporate it into your life, and to have it be a continual thing. So we asked the question, how do I live my life with joy and fulfillment in a way that I can do every day for the rest of my life? For me, I have found this to be super helpful over the course of my life when trying to implement changes to my lifestyle, or new habits, or quit certain other habits, or any kind of change. With the idea that I don't want to implement a change, if I already know that this is not something that I can do every day for the rest of my life, it is too extreme or like not sustainable to keep up in the long run, then I will also not do it in the short term to like get results faster. I really believe in the small steps, and slow and steady wins the race. So small things that you can easily keep up every day. And he also talks about how it is okay to just be whoever you are right now, and that you can be ourselves, and we don't have to be like everyone else. So he talks about the Japanese proverb junin toiri, which means 10 different colors for 10 different people. Hey, editing Vera here. So I made a mistake, I said toiri and not toiro, which makes a lot of because junin means 10 people, and toiro should mean 10 colors, I think. So yeah, at least I didn't say junin toire, which I think would mean toilet for 10 people. But yeah, back to the video. And I really like that, because if we can really be ourselves in pursuing ikikai, then that already also makes it easier to keep it up long term. And then the fourth pillar, the joy of little things. Probably the most easily recognizable in everyday life, just seeing and noticing and appreciating the small pleasures and joys that are already there. A nice drink, sunlight coming through the window. For me, it's always that moment that I really really love, when dusk is coming. And it's like, you know, I always say that the birds are going to sleep, because that's what my father used to tell me. We would sit in the backyard during that time, like right before I had to go to bed, to drink a cup of tea or something, and just listen to the birds. Because there were many birds where my parents lived, and my father would always say yeah, they're loud and chirping because they're ready to go to bed. Just like because I had to go to bed, you know. So that's what always brings me such a sense of joy, when I am just sitting on the balcony open, I can hear all the birds as they are going to bed. It's just a really nice feeling. And the idea here is that we only really experience them as being pleasurable and nice and joyful and meaningful, if we slow down enough to notice them and appreciate them. And the fifth pillar, being in the here and now, has to do with presence and awareness, and enjoying things while they are happening, and not being distracted by other things. A famous example that he writes about is Hanami. This is when in Japan all of the blossom trees are blossoming, which is only for a very short time of the year. And then people go out to watch the leaves, and maybe picnic underneath the trees, or walk through parks, and enjoy that very short moment that is very like transient and ephemeral, and really take in the beauty. So let's talk about my ikigai. And one of the things I've learned reading all of this, is one thing that I like as a definition of ikigai is reason to get up out of bed, other than the fact that you like have to get up because you have to work or do stuff. And I really like having something already in the morning to look forward to when I wake up, which gets me excited to get up when I'm, you know, sleepy and comfortable in my bed. So one of things that I really like is oatmeal. I love oatmeal. I just, every day I have oatmeal basically, or sometimes I have chia pudding, but most days we have oatmeal now. And it's something that I really like. I love the taste, I love how like warm it is and comforting. And when I'm in bed and the alarm clock goes off, I'm actually excited to like get up, because I like eating oatmeal. And another thing that I really enjoy in our morning routine is drinking green tea. So I know if I get up, I can make oatmeal, we can drink green tea, and it's going to be nice. And that gets me excited to get up out of bed. And then also something bigger in my case, my partner. He is someone that I would do anything for, like I would always get up out of bed to be with him during my days. So that is like a really big and meaningful ikigai for me. Maybe for you it's kids, grandkids, someone else, your relationships that are the most meaningful. And then I have many more things that I deeply enjoy. Like reading, or learning, or creating. Whether it's you know this video, or creating a little drawing, or cooking something, just making something where before there wasn't anything. Like that is something that brings me great joy. Walking outside and being in nature, walking by the water, going to my favorite vegan bakery and having their amazing coffee and super delicious pastries. So I really do like this idea that ikigai can be a skill. Something that we can practice and become better at. Whether it is noticing which things bring us that ikigai feeling, and also appreciating them, being grateful for them, not taking things for granted, really reminding you that that's very special. And then also learning to prioritize it more in our life. And being someone who really feels like they deserve that, and actually makes time for it, and prioritizes it. And taking Mieko Kamiya's view, many things can be sources of ikigai that make life worth living. People, activities, hopes, goals, interests, pleasures, and so on. So all these things together can bring us ikigai-kan, that feeling of fulfillment in our lives. Based on everything I've learned, I have four tips to share at the end of this video. And the first is, try to evaluate for yourself whether or not you have something to look forward to when you have to wake up in the morning. And if you don't, try to find a way to give that to yourself. I've just really found that it can be so nice if your first thing that is one of your ikigais is not like after your work day. For example, when you come home after work, you don't have to wait the entire day for it. It can be nice if you have one small thing already in your morning to look forward to. Second tip is, start paying attention to what makes you lose track of time. What you enjoy doing so much that you forget to look at the clock, or that you are like, oh wow two hours have gone by, like I've hardly noticed. Like that gives you a very big clue about what gives you that sense of flow and meaning and joy. Third, make a habit of being present and noticing small moments of simple joys. These moments are, I think, easy to overlook, but they are very very powerful. Even if they are very simple and small together to give our life meaning. And these are also, I think, one of the things that we easily start to miss. When, for example, we get sick and we can't do these things anymore. And it can be something as like relatively innocent as the flu. For example, when I'm really sick, like I can't really focus on my book, and that's when I really miss reading. So it can be small things like that. Try to get in the practice of noticing these things more and appreciating them more. And fourth, be mindful that you are not waiting for your life to either be perfect before you can start enjoying it, or for something to change or happen before you can enjoy your life. You probably already have some things that you can really enjoy and that can be your ikigai right now, just as you are. And of course, I would love to know from you in the comments what are your thoughts about all of this. Have you heard about the word ikigai before? Have you read the book by Garcia and Morales? What do you think about it, or not? And also, what are your, you know, ikigais in your life? I would love to read it. Overall, when it comes to this book, I really did enjoy it overall. Not everything in this book really resonated with me. And also, I did find that most of the examples that he mentioned were of people that did have like a big overcompensating ikigai that was also their job. Like for example, a sushi chef, or a pottery maker, or things like that. So I wish that it maybe was a little bit more geared towards those small things. But they are definitely in there also as well. And one thing that I did really like about this book, is you would think with the five pillars that that would also be the structure of the book, like five chapters. But that's not how he structured it. It's more so different examples. And then for each example, how the five pillars are present in that. So for example, chapter two is your reason to get up in the morning. Chapter four is about the sensory beauty of ikigai, or accepting yourself as you are. So I really like that. It makes it a more immersive book to read. So for anyone who's interested, I will leave the link for that book, as well as all the other links that I used in research for this video, down in the description box below. Thank you so much for sticking around all the way until the end of this video. I have been thinking about ikigai so much for the last couple of months, so I'm very happy that, you know, I was able to film it today. I definitely feel like I learned a lot. And these are definitely ideas that I think I will bring with me further also. As always, I wish you all a wonderful, wonderful day. And we'll chat again soon. Thank you, bye bye. So do you think I've said the word ikigai more or less often than a hundred times? Actually, I think I can check using my script for this and just seeing how often I use the word ikigai. Wait, I'll check. If I follow my script exactly, which usually I don't do, I've said it 65 times.