A Year of Ikigai

Nick celebrates the launch of A Year of Ikigai and read the book’s introduction, separating myth from meaning and showing how purpose lives in daily moments. 

Nick shares why Ikigai is felt more than defined, and how small sources of value build a life worth living.

This episode covers:

• what ikigai means in simple, daily terms
• why popular Western takes miss the point
• the problem with the four-circle Venn diagram
• the kanji roots pointing to protection and beauty
• intrinsic values like hope, growth and social ties
• personal journey from Tokyo spark to research
• sources of ikigai across roles, work, hobbies and memory
• ikigai-kan as the felt sense that life is worth living
• book launch timing across regions and preorder

You can actually pre order the book on Amazon, but we hope you find it in your local bookstore

Transcript

Launching The New Ikigai Book

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey, it's Nick here with episode 124 of the Ikiguy podcast. This is a solo episode. I'm celebrating the release of my new book, A Year of Ikigai, which is being released today in Australia. In March it will be released in the States, and then in April it will be released in Europe and the UK. So it's a staggered release. And I thought I would read the introduction to preview the book for you. So here we go, the introduction of a year of Ikigai Daily Inspiration for Creating a Happy and Fulfilling Life the Japanese Way. Introduction What is Ikigai? The fact that you're alive to read these words is nothing short of a miracle. Thousands upon thousands of generations in your ancestral chain all lived long enough, met and procreated at the exact right time to eventually produce you. In short, you and I won the jackpot in the evolutionary lottery. Yet we don't treat life as a miracle. Most of the time we struggle to get through each day. The Japanese concept of Ikigai reminds us that life is a miracle, a patchwork of small wonders and special moments, once in a lifetime experiences, and life-changing opportunities we can embrace, nurture, and appreciate if we choose to do so. In short, having Ikigai makes life feel worth living. For close to a decade the West has had a fascination with Ikigai, believing it is a concept from Okinawa, the secret to living a long and happy life, and a sweet spot where you find your dream job or bliss in life. Best selling books, numerous TED Talks, thousands of blog post articles, and endless social media posts perpetrate and continue to promote false notions of what Ikigai is and what motivates Japanese people to get out of bed in the morning. Unfortunately, many common Western thoughts are nothing more than romanticized interpretations that have misled millions of people into believing that Ikigai originates from a blue zone, a part of the world that has a high concentration of centenarians. Another false interpretation is that Ikigai must be something you love, are good at, that serves the world, and can be paid for in order for you to experience it. The truth is, Ikigai encompasses all aspects of one's life with an emphasis on the intrinsic elements that provide a sense of meaning and fulfillment. Ikigai includes life affirming facets we might relate to positive psychology, such as life satisfaction, growth, hope, social affiliation, freedom, self-actualization, meaning and purpose. A closer look at the word and its kanji, ikigai, helps us understand ikigai's meaning and application. Ikigai is a compound of two words, iki from the verb ikidu, meaning to live, and gai, meaning value or worth. In a nutshell, ikigai is what you live for, what makes your existence meaningful. If we take a closer look at the kanji of the suffix kai, it leads us to a deeper level of understanding. The first character means armour or shell, suggesting that ikigai includes the things that protect you or help you cope with life. The second character indicates something beautiful and patterned, much like how life is a tapestry. Together these two kanji characters suggest that Ikigai encompasses both the things that help you endure life's challenges and enjoy the beautiful moments and experiences that make life feel worth living. Here it is crucial to understand what we mean by life. We are not referring to your life in the broad existential sense. Ikigai is rooted in daily existence, in the small, meaningful moments that shape everyday life. Ikigai is not made of grand plans or embracing an all or nothing attitude. Ikigai is what you make of everyday life. Despite the growing popularity of Ikigai in the West, the irony is that most Japanese rarely use the word or consciously think about the concept in daily life. For Japanese people, Ichigai is something they feel rather than talk about. If they do discuss it, it's often in a casual way, much like they would speak about their hobbies. Ichigai isn't a grand life philosophy or a structured framework. It's simply something that brings joy and a small lift to life. Ultimately, Ichigai is personal and unique to each individual. For a new parent it may be their child. For an entrepreneur it may be their work, and for an alcoholic it may be booze. There's no universal right or wrong Ikigai, but it can be deeply life affirming. Ikigai entered my life more than twenty five years ago in 1998 through a casual conversation I had with a Japanese co-worker on the first day of a job in Tokyo. My co-worker's explanation of Ikigai filled me with excitement and left me intrigued. I couldn't believe the Japanese language had a single word that encapsulated what makes our life worth living, the reasons we battle on through life. The following day, keen to learn more about Ikigai from my Japanese co-worker, I was disappointed to learn that she had been transferred to another office. More immediate matters got in the way that day. The word Ikigai quickly went into hibernation somewhere in the recesses of my brain, and my life moved on. Twenty years later I encountered the word again in the center of a four circle Venn diagram with the following questions. Are you doing something that you love? Are you doing something that you are good at? Are you doing something that the world needs? Are you doing something that you can be paid for? In the center where all four circles overlap was the word Ikigai. It is believed and perpetuated by many Westerners that as Ikigai lies at the center of these interconnecting circles, if you are lacking in one or more of these areas, for example, you are doing something that you love and are good at, but not serving the world or not making money from it, then you can't experience Ikigai and are therefore missing out on living a meaningful and fulfilling life. This is obviously not the case. Seeing Ikigai defined with a Venn diagram was very unjapanese. I passed it off as a Western interpretation and chose to ignore it. But weeks later I started seeing the word Ikigai and this Venn diagram more and more on the web. It was everywhere, on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, now X, and Instagram. I found the word as the subject of blog posts and TED talks or sharing this Venn diagram interpretation of Ikigai. Then one day I was shocked to discover the Venn diagram as the Ikigai concept on the World Economic Forum website. Horrified by this cultural appropriation being branded on such a trusted and credible website, I felt something had to be done about it. That was the spark that started my journey and a podcast to uncover the mystery behind the Venn diagram and the truth about Ikigai. Six years on, and the journey to understanding Ikigai has dramatically changed my life. For one, I'm writing this book. Through my podcast, the Ikigai Podcast, which explores Ikigai from the perspectives of the Japanese, I've connected with many inspiring Japanese academics, researchers, artists, team masters, Shinto priests, Zen monks, as well as everyday people who were willing to share their Ikigai. The podcast led me to establishing a coach training business and building a community of inspiring coaches and educators I call the Ikigai tribe. And more recently, Ikigai has brought me back to Japan, and I now take business leaders, coaches, and entrepreneurs on Ikigai retreats, Japanese cultural study trips where guests can experience Ikigai in Japan with locals through cultural practices and traditional craft. According to Japan's research pioneer, Miko Kamiya, whom I like to call the mother of Ikigai, the word Ikigai refers to the sources of value in one's life, the things that make one's life worthwhile. These sources can include people, roles, relationships, work, hobbies, goals, dreams, and even memories. The life affirming feelings that arise from these sources, the deep awareness that life is worth living, are called Ikigai Khan, with kan meaning sense, perception, awareness of feeling. In short, Ikigai is what makes life feel worth living. That's it, that's the introduction of my book, A Year of Ikigai, Daily Inspiration for Creating a Happy and Fulfilling Life the Japanese Way. You can actually pre order the book on Amazon, but I hope you find it in your local bookstore. Thank you for listening to this episode on my new book, A Year of Ikigai.