The greatest goal in anyone's life is perhaps to be happy. We work hard to earn money and spend time with our family and friends. We even buy nice things for ourselves, all so that we can be happy in our lives. Yet, is there a secret to this happiness?
Perhaps so as described by the Japanese concept of Ikigai.
Ikigai is loosely translated to the purpose in someone's life. It is a combination of what one likes doing, what one is good at, what one is paid for, and what the world needs.
Yet, how does one find such a combination?
These can be identified by incidents where one is so absorbed in a task that one forgets to eat or drink. These may be instances where one is playing music, cooking or writing. Losing oneself is a sign that one has found their Ikigai. It is ideal to try to incorporate more of such tasks into one's daily life, and is especially helpful for someone who is unhappy at work.
To find one's Ikigai, one must start with finding a purpose in something that one truly believes in. This finding may come from a variety of sources such as life changing experiences and through deep inner reflection, yet what is key is to stay in that path to staying true to oneself and being focused on persisting through difficult times.
It is ideal to stop thinking about doing something and rather to just start doing it. Perhaps the greatest waste of time for any individual is to be stuck in the area where one keeps planning and hoping, yet one never ends up starting on the mission.
Connecting with people with similar passions is another key tip to success. Many opportunities to learn and collaborate arise from meeting others who are on a similar path.
The last key bit of tip that one must keep in mind is that setbacks are a normal part of the journey. Too often do people quit something because of failure and setbacks, yet in the path to find one's Ikigai, one must be persistent to follow through and overcome failures that come in one's way.
The writer is working for social development of Bangladesh. He has founded Casper Foundation- a Bangladeshi non-profit organisation which works with student leaders from local universities. He can be reached at
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