Ikigai: a reason for being

Having clear meaning and purpose in our life has many positive effects for our overall wellbeing.

We can therefore place considerable importance on understanding, as individuals, what our Ikigai is.

Ikigai is an age-old Japanese concept that means ‘your reason for being’ - Iki in Japanese means life, and Gai describes value or worth.

Having a clear understanding of what their Ikigai is can help support a person to arrive within an alternative career outside their sporting profession, which also provides them with genuine meaning and fulfilment at that stage of transition.

You should strongly consider the following when discovering your Ikigai:

What are you good at?

What do you love?

What does the world need in relation to skills?

What can you be paid for?

If a person can bring all the above together within their chosen career path, then it doesn’t just become about work for them, it becomes about a reason for being.

To ensure that someone’s Ikagai is strong, they can ask themselves a series of questions which will put their Ikigai to the test.

The essential characteristics of a strong Ikigai are:

1 – It’s challenging - your Ikagai should lead you to both mastery and growth;

2 - It’s your choice -  you feel a certain degree of autonomy and control in pursuing your Ikigai;

3 - It involves commitment - of time, perseverance and belief – to a cause, vocation, specialisation, community or group

4 - It boosts your wellbeing - your Ikigai should provide you with more energy than what it takes away from you.

For more information or if you would like more support in finding your Ikigai, please contact RL Cares Wellbeing and Projects Manager Steve Hardisty – steve.hardisty@rlcares.org.uk

Further reading

• The Japanese secret to joyful life
• Three examples about finding purpose
• The reason why you get up in the morning