Ikigai--The Difference Between Surviving and Thriving

Ikigai (ee-key-guy)…the Japanese construct that describes “the reason we get up in the morning”. The word ikigai translates from Japanese to English as iki (to live) and gai (reason). The concept of ikigai however is much more significant. We are often thrust into survival mode and many of us do well in the external measures of “success”. However, when we look closer, we are surviving (albeit quite successfully) but not thriving? The New York Times Magazine sheds light on this phenomenon in Wealthy, Successful and Miserable . In examining how we live our lives using the construct of ikigai, have we perfected the art of profession/vocation/what we can get paid for and neglected passion, mission and what we love? I would argue that we have and this is a factor in our collective stress, lack of resilience and unhappiness. Numerous studies have identified certain characteristics of stress hardy or resilient individuals — interestingly these traits and states overlap with the concept of ikigai. Ikigai is not a static concept, but one that depends on observation, exploration, curiosity, creativity and yes, a bit of risk taking to step out of our comfort zones. Building skills of mindfulness and resilience into our work lives may help to reset our personal ikigai. As we begin to explore a broader definition of success, perhaps we can find ways to shift from simply surviving to actually thriving.