A Powerful Tool for Finding Purpose 🙏🏻

How to build a more meaningful life using the Japanese concept of Ikigai

When it comes to living a long, happy life we know many things factor into the equation: genetics, socio-economic status, stress, trauma, diet, exercise, relationships — but have you ever considered the role purpose plays in your ability to live well?

Having a sense of purpose doesn’t just boost your mood and mindset, though it certainly does that. Studies also show it has real, measurable effects on our physical health, helping us become more resilient to stress and adversity. Purpose even makes us more likely to take preventative health measures like getting regular check-ups, vaccines, and screenings.

This can lead people with a strong sense of purpose to experience:

😴 Better sleep
🩺 Fewer strokes and heart attacks
🧠 Lower risk of dementia
☠ Lower risk of disability or premature death

A couple years ago, I came across an article on this topic that’s been living rent-free in my head ever since. Here’s the line that keeps playing on repeat:

"The key to a deeper, healthier life, it seems, isn't knowing the meaning of life — it's building meaning into your life. 

Yet, only a quarter of American adults feel that they have a clear sense of purpose. This is both a social and public health problem: research increasingly suggests that purpose is important for a meaningful life — but also for a healthy life." (source)

That means three out of four people reading this feel right now feel like their life lacks purpose (!!!).

Which is a problem, because along with the health benefits, a sense of purpose serves another important role in the lives of us modern workers. It can help prevent burnout! Something that the majority of adults experience at least once throughout their career.

And while many of us attribute burnout to high levels of stress or poor work/life balance, there’s another factor that plays a huge role — a lack of impact.

When we feel like our work doesn’t matter or isn’t having an impact, we end up feeling like we’re on a hamster wheel that is going nowhere. Soon, we’re cynical, exhausted, and unmotivated.

But knowing what our purpose is and being able to integrate it into the work we’re doing or just infuse more of it into our free time can be game changing for helping us feel impactful.

So if you are part of the 75% of us who feel like they’re lacking a purpose in life, I have an exercise that can help and this post is for you.

It’s a Japanese concept called Ikigai (pronounced “E-key-guy”), which translates to "A Reason for Being." To start, you identify these four things:

🧡 WHAT YOU LOVE
🌎 WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS
💸 WHAT YOU CAN BE PAID FOR
👏🏻 WHAT YOU’RE GOOD AT

Then you plug those answers into a 4-part Venn diagram to find the sweet spot where these four vital factors converge — AKA your “IKIGAI” or reason for being.

A fun example to play with is Steve Jobs, the former CEO of Apple, who passed away in 2011. Most people remember Steve Jobs as a tech genius who was well versed in both marketing and communications and revolutionized computing and mobile phones.

But a lesser known fact about Steve Jobs was that he also had a passion for beautifully crafted Japanese ceramics. In the years before his death — and before the release of the iMac and iPhone — Jobs made several trips to Japan, where he visited artists and antique dealers to study the form and shape of traditional Japanese ceramics, adding several pieces to his collection and likely inspiring the beautiful, simple design of Apple products.

Understanding this side of Jobs helps us see his work in a different light. Yes, he was a tech CEO and brilliant marketer, but his purpose was creating products that were functional and beautiful — much like ceramics! For Jobs, it wasn't just about selling technology — it was about improving people's lives through simple, elegant products that combined form and function.

Many of us may be years or decades into a career, hobby, or life focused on just one of those four areas. Perhaps financial hardship in your childhood pushed you to focus on careers that offered stability and high pay. Maybe people were always telling you that you were great at math and you never stopped to consider if it was something you loved enough to do for forty years.

But identifying your Ikigai can be a catalyst to begin shifting the way you work and live. It doesn’t mean you need to change careers or go full-speed into a mid-life crisis. Instead, let it inspire small shifts that align with your purpose:

Is there at least one aspect of your work that fits with your Ikigai? Could you start doing more of that? Ex. If your Ikigai is improving the lives of children, perhaps you can request to work on projects for local schools.

Is there a hobby or volunteer role that suits your Ikigai? Could you make that a priority? Ex. If your Ikigai is preserving history, perhaps you can volunteer at a local museum or historical society.

Are there small ways you could integrate your Ikigai into your everyday life or free time? Ex. If your Ikigai is taking care of the environment, maybe you can take a long walk every evening to connect with nature in your area.

If you're interested in discovering your own Ikigai, a great place to start is by creating this same Venn diagram, which can help uncover where these intersect for you.

Here are a few questions to help you get started:

• What makes life worth living for you?

• Why do you get out of bed in the morning?

• If money wasn’t a factor, what would you choose to do every day?

• How would you spend a free hour if you could do absolutely anything?

• If you're unsure where to start, ask a close friend or loved one what they think your calling or purpose might be. Sometimes others can see our strengths more clearly than we can.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned through my own journey of discovering and honoring my Ikigai, it’s that purpose isn’t something we develop suddenly — it’s something we build over time. So go at your own pace, trust the process, and allow yourself and your purpose to evolve.

Paying subscribers can download a printable PDF of the Venn diagram worksheet below: