Existential crisis? Find your ikigai

It may be an overused phrase, but if we’re honest with ourselves each of us has experienced some moment of existential uncertainty. Wondering if we have an individual purpose in life, or if we all have the same purpose. Whether purpose is something to discover, or something to create.

What it all means.

Spiritual philosophies, cultures, and experiences provide different answers, but most people are still left somewhere between mystified and unsatisfied. So when a reader introduced me to a new approach, which seemed not to replace or conflict with any of those, but potentially works in complement, the concept seemed worth sharing.

Ikigai.

Roughly translated Ikigai is Japanese for “a reason for being” — from “iki” (life) and “kai” (realization of hopes and expectations), it has no English equivalent, so it’s hard for us Americans to grasp.

We can start by asking four questions:

What do I love?

What am I good at?

What does the world need?

What can I be paid for?

Even with four answers, which can take a lifetime to get, we’re not done. It’s where they overlap that counts. You really need the visual (pictured here) to see the idea, because where they intersect can be illuminating.

That’s where we find ikigai.

Where they intersect we may find passion, a mission in life, avocation. Who we are — beyond our relationships to others, beneath the “hats” we wear (worker, parent, spouse), without cultural labels.

Don’t get hung up on “paid for.” While entrepreneur sites are getting into it, it’s not about jobs, at least for most Japanese. According to BBC News, a 2010 survey of 2,000 Japanese men and women conducted by Central Research Services found less than a third considered work as their ikigai. In Japan, ikigai is a slow, deliberate process of self-awareness and discovery, which for most cultures is not about work and income. (Although in those for whom work is a true avocation and passion, it could be.)

Best I can tell, there’s no one way to find ikigai. You can look at each pillar individually. That which you love can mean “follow your bliss” — art or alpacas, soccer or serially raising children. Or in combination — combining what you’re good at and what the world needs. Running a health-food cafe. Inventing a cure.

The point seems to be, where do they intersect, and how can you order your life to see that happen? If you’re truly happy doing it, it’s probably your ikigai.

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Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network who isn’t sure if she’s found her ikigai, but is enjoying the journey. Contact her at [email protected].