I am a software developer turned entrepreneur. Working as a software developer I liked what I did but would rarely be able to experience the fruit of my labor. I have struggled to find personal fulfillment through working a job. In fact, I have never held a job that I have really cared about, except in terms of getting paid and making friends with other colleagues. I never felt I could be fulfilled in all the areas of my life that was important to me, whether it was family, friends, finance or freedom.

Waking up everyday I would wonder if there was more to life than being alarmed out of deep sleep, scraping ice off the windshield on an wintry cold morning in New Jersey and rushing to sit in traffic. That’s when I came across the concept of IKIGAI.

Ikigai (pronounced “eye-ka-guy”) is, above all else, a lifestyle that strives to balance the spiritual with the practical.

Ikigai is an ancient Japanese philosophy that has enveloped the way Japanese people live. Some believe it’s even the reason for their happiness and longevity. Ikigai means your ‘reason for being.’ ‘Iki’ in Japanese means ‘life,’ and ‘gai’ describes value or worth. Your ikigai is your life purpose or your bliss. It’s what brings you joy and inspires you to get out of bed every day.

It basically means your career includes these four qualities:

·      You love what you do

·      You are good at what you do

·      You get paid for what you do

·      You are making or providing something that the world needs

The below ikigai diagram helps you visualize these four overlapping qualities.

The center point on the Venn diagram where all four circles overlap is your ikigai.

Why is ikigai important? 

Japan is ranked second in the world for life expectancy, with women expected to live 88.09 years and men expected to live 81.91 years. While it’s true that diet plays a role, many Japanese people believe ikigai has a lot to do with their longevity and living a happy life.

Apart from living a longer and happier life, knowing your ikigai can help you:

• Design your ideal work lifestyle

• Create strong social connections

• Create a healthy work-life balance 

• Pursue your dreams 

• Enjoy your work 

Most of us have our priorities in disarray. The best way to find your ikigai is by answering few questions.

1.   What are my priorities?

2.   Is my time spent based on my priorities?

3.   Do I spend most of my time on things that I value the most?

4.   Am I happy doing what I do for a living?

5.   Am I good at what I do for a living?

6.   Do you have an emotional connection to the results from your day to day work? Remember, it is not only about loving what you do, it is also about loving the results of your effort doing what you do.

7.   Do I add value to people’s life doing what I do for a living?

 Spend some time visualizing your ideal day from start to finish. Believe it or not, this is going to help you determine your ikigai and your true meaning. When you’re finished visualizing, make sure to write it down (or write it down as you’re visualizing).  Next, look at the questions you answered ‘no’ to. Your goal in life should be to find something that helps you get closer to answering in the affirmative to most of those questions, if not all.

Like for me, I always wanted to be financially successful but I also liked being around people and helping them. According to me there are 3 levels of success.

Success 1.0 - I get Rich.

Success 2.0 – I get rich and do some philanthropy by contributing financially to the charitable organization of my choice.

But the next level of success is what I was looking for (my ikigai), to be in my own business in which as I became successful, my give back is built into my business plan. In other words, my business carries with it the bottom lines of planet, people, purpose and prosperity.

I am glad to say, because of what I do today I am working towards the third level of success. Hope you are blessed with an opportunity to experience the same.