How to Live a Fulfilled Life with the Ikigai Methodology

Posted by Adam Jelic on November 20, 2020

To have lived a fulfilled life is the ultimate dream. We each have a different definition of what a fulfilled life is, and as such, this vision can take form in many different ways. 

Indeed, it’s a great dream to have, but it’s certainly an ambitious one. And when you’re caught up in the speed of life and distracted by the outside noise, sometimes we lose sight of it. 

This is where the Ikigai concept comes in handy. In this article, we’ll unpack this ancient Japanese ideology and teach you how you can use it to keep you on track with your own life purpose. 

What is Ikigai? 

Ikigai basically means “a reason for being”. In other words, it’s the source of your life and everything that you do - from careers to relationships and more - should enrich that. 

It’s commonly organised into the circular diagram that you see in this article. For example, this is what our Ikigai looks like at MiGOALS: 

As you can see, Ikigai is an excellent way to stay intentional throughout your life, which in turn, helps you create goals that better align with your values and purpose. 

Whenever you feel yourself straying or being distracted by all of the noise, having an Ikigai brings you back to reality by reminding you of what’s important and what isn’t. 

So how do I create my own?

Creating your own Ikigai is easy and fun, however, it does require quite a lot of reflection before getting started. To ensure the Ikigai stays beneficial for you throughout your entire journey, ask and answer these questions:

What are my core values?

What values do you have that drives most, if not all, of your decisions? Think about the things in your life that make you tick. Examples could be family, health, travel, career and more.

What am I passionate about?

Passion is incredibly important if you want to live a fulfilled life. This is where you can think big and audaciously. For example, if you had unlimited money, what would you do with it? Or if you were at a conference that let you speak about anything at all, what would that topic be? The dream would be to get paid for something you’re good at. 

What is my mission?

In other words, what do you want to achieve that contributes to a wider society. Is there somewhere that you’re naturally drawn to, and feel compelled to work with? What do you feel like you were put on this Earth to do? Your mission should align not only with your core values, but also with your unique skill set and what you genuinely enjoy doing.

What is my career and what am I being paid to do?

Our career takes on many shapes and forms, but with each experience comes bigger and better growth. So ask yourself - how does my career align with my core values? Does it need to change? Am I getting what I want from it? Ideally, what you are being paid to do should align with your passion and career path. 

What is my purpose?

Similar to your mission, this part encourages you to dig even deeper into your core values. What gets you up in the morning? What puts you to bed at night with a smile on your face? Your purpose should be bigger than yourself and your life, so this is where actions like volunteering can help bring fulfillment. It should align with not only what you love to do, but with what the world needs.

Our own Ikigai at MiGOALS is just one of the many forms it can take. However you decide to draw yours, remember that it should always align back to your core values. Once you’ve figured it out, then you can start goal setting! 

And if you’re in need of extra help and direction for goal setting in 2021, we’ve got the best diary collections and 2021 planners to help you with exactly that. 

By Aleczander Gamboa