Understanding “Ikigai”, The Japanese Philosophy of Purpose
What one chooses for their career or vocation bears a lot of weight. That can be for a myriad of reasons. One’s ability to support themselves and ones closest to them is a result of how they design their trajectory for their career or vocation: what credentials they perceive, what their work environment looks like, and finally, what does the job do for their well being.
In Japanese culture, there is a word: “ikigai”. Ikigai is a principle that is based on the fundamental belief that something gives a person a reason for living. Combining two Japanese words: “iki” for “life or living” and “gai” for “worth or reason”. Japanese psychologist Michiko Kumano (2017) has stated that ikigai is a state of wellbeing that arises from devotion to activities one enjoys, which also brings a sense of fulfillment.
In an era post Great Resignation and Great Reshuffle, there has come the Great Reflection. Career exploration and preparation is not the same it has been but now more than ever, it is under great examination and scrutiny.
Career Consultant Margie McGee-Newton, in her 2024 article for Career Leadership Collective, writes, “One of the main contributors to this stress is uncertainty surrounding their futures and career goals. Students constantly worry that they haven’t made the right decision about their majors or are not moving the needle on succeeding after graduation…additionally, research increasingly shows that career uncertainty is a significant predictor of students’ college enrollment status.” This has prompted many education institutions to respond to the cultural shift in the reevaluation and rejuvenation in career exploration and development.
One’s job, career, occupation, vocation- however it may be defined – has more impact on one’s mental or physical health than probably anything else. What “ikigai” is alluding to is it may not be one singular job or activity may not bring fulfillment but in order to seek and find fulfillment, one must place value and put in work to create a pathway that is as closest to the aforementioned fulfillment as possible, no matter how non-linear it may be.
Furthermore, “ikigai” is not a new concept and the reevaluation and rejuvenation of career exploration and reflection is also not a new concept. Perhaps, what is being felt is the raw uncertainty that lingers the practice of finding one’s career or vocation. Many people, instead of being oblivious to the uncertainty, are perhaps acknowledging its presence and engaging further to find their own forms of “ikigai”.
