Imagine waking up every morning feeling excited, rather than dreading the day.
This is the opposite of dragging yourself out of bed, scrolling through your phone for twenty minutes and watching other people live their best lives.
Or there might be times where you went to work, came home exhausted, binged Netflix, and then wonder why life feels so… empty.
There is a better way to live.
It’s called Ikigai. It is a Japanese secret to a long, happy life. Ikigai means your “reason for being.”
When you find your Ikigai, you don’t just work; you come alive. You build skills that actually matter to you and the world.
Let’s dive in and see how it changes everything.
The Danger of Being “Skill-Less”
Many people feel stuck in “zombie jobs and businesses.”
You show up. You do the work. You go home. Repeat.
Nothing changes. Nothing grows. You’re not learning anything new.
This “skill stagnation” quietly destroys your confidence. When you stop growing, you start wondering if you even matter anymore.
Here’s what happens next: you panic. You try to learn everything at once. Spanish, coding, marketing, fitness. All at the same time. Then you burn out in two weeks.
The problem isn’t effort. It’s direction.
To become your highest self, you need a compass. You need a reason to get better every single day.
That is where Ikigai comes in.
What Exactly is Ikigai?
Ikigai (pronounced ee-key-guy) is a Japanese concept.
It combines “Iki” (life) and “Gai” (value or worth). Ikigai is the sweet spot where four things meet:
- What you love
- What you are good at
- What the world needs
- What you can be paid for.
But Ikigai isn’t a diagram. It’s a way of living.
Ikigai is more than just a diagram
There’s a famous story about a chef that captures the Ikigai philosophy.
Jiro Ono is a 98-year-old sushi chef in Tokyo. He’s been making sushi for over 75 years. His restaurant has only ten seats and serves a simple menu, yet it earned three Michelin stars (this is the highest distinction a restaurant can achieve)
Here’s the amazing part: Jiro still goes to work every single day.
At 98 years old, he’s not retired on a beach somewhere. He’s in his restaurant, perfecting his craft. When asked why, Jiro said he still hasn’t made the perfect piece of sushi.
Every morning, Jiro wakes up excited to try again.
That’s Ikigai in action. Jiro found work he loves, became excellent at it, serves others through it, and earns a living from it.
Think of Ikigai as the real reason you get out of bed in the morning. It understands the importance of money while capturing the overall feeling of being useful and satisfied.
The Ikigai Skill Loop: Why Meaning Accelerates Mastery
You might be thinking, “That’s nice for an old Japanese sushi chef, but what about me?”
Here’s why Ikigai is crucial for your everyday life.
First, the world is more distracted than ever.
Social media, streaming services, and endless entertainment make it easy to waste years without developing real skills.
Ikigai gives you a reason to turn off Netflix and actually build something.
Second, careers aren’t stable anymore.
The days of working one job for 40 years are gone. You need skills that matter, and those skills need to connect to something deeper than just a paycheck.
Ikigai stops you from quitting when things get hard.
Third, mental health is declining worldwide.
Depression and anxiety are at all-time highs. But when you wake up knowing your skills serve something bigger than yourself, life has meaning again.
Ikigai creates a loop for deeper skill mastery
Ikigai isn’t just about finding a job. It’s about building a life where your daily actions align with who you want to become.
In the modern world, you can learn almost any skill for free online.
YouTube, courses, books. It’s all there. The problem isn’t access to information but motivation.
Ikigai solves this. When you connect skill development to your purpose, learning becomes exciting instead of exhausting.
Four Steps to Find and Practice Your Ikigai
Ready to discover your reason to wake up? Here’s how to start.
Step 1: Discover What You Love
Make a list of activities that make you lose track of time.
What do you do when nobody’s paying you? What did you love as a child before the world told you to be “practical”?
Don’t overthink this.
Write down everything, even if it seems silly. Drawing. Teaching. Cooking. Solving puzzles. Helping people. Writing stories.
Spend a week paying attention to when you feel most alive. Those moments are clues.
Step 2: Identify What You’re Good At (Or Could Be)
The next step requires honest feedback and self-observation.
What skills do people compliment you on? What comes more easily to you than to others?
Here’s the key: you don’t have to be great yet.
Ask friends and family what they think you’re good at. Sometimes others see our gifts before we do.
Step 3: Find What the World Needs
Ikigai deepens when your skill helps someone else.
What problems do you see? What makes you angry or sad about the world?
Maybe you see kids struggling in school. Maybe you see small businesses failing. Maybe you see people’s health declining.
The world needs solutions to these problems.
Your Ikigai might be in serving one of these needs. This step is crucial because it takes your skills from “hobby” to “purpose.”
When what you’re good at involves helping others, everything changes.
Step 4: Find Ways to Get Paid
Now for the practical part.
How can your skills pay the bills? This doesn’t mean selling out. It means finding people who will exchange money for the value you create.
If you love writing and you’re good at explaining complex topics, maybe businesses will pay you to create their content. If you love fitness and you’re good at motivating people, maybe clients will pay you to train them.
Start small.
You don’t need to quit your job tomorrow. Begin by offering your skills part-time. Build proof. Get testimonials. Then grow from there.
Real-Life Heroes Who Found Their Ikigai
Let’s look at people who became successful by following their Ikigai, even if they didn’t call it that.
Stephen Curry loves basketball.
He got exceptional at shooting despite being told he was too small. The world needed inspiration and entertainment. He revolutionised how basketball is played and became one of the greatest players ever.
His Ikigai made him legendary.
Marie Kondo loves organising and creating peaceful spaces.
She got incredibly good at decluttering. The world needed help managing the stress of modern life and too much stuff. She built a global business teaching people to “spark joy.”
Her Ikigai made her famous worldwide.
Hayao Miyazaki loves telling stories through animation.
He spent decades mastering the craft of drawing, pacing, and visual emotion. The world needed stories that felt human, gentle, and deeply meaningful. He created films that reminded people how to feel wonder again.
His Ikigai keeps him creating, even into old age.
Tony Elumelu loves Africa and its untapped potential.
He became highly skilled at investing and building businesses. The world needed strong, profitable African enterprises that could create jobs and wealth. He built Heirs Holdings and helped grow UBA into a pan-African institution.
His Ikigai is fuelling African capitalism.
Do you notice the pattern now?
None of these people stumbled into success.
They all found the intersection of their passion, talent, the world’s needs, and economic value. Then they worked relentlessly to develop their skills within that sweet spot.
Your Journey Starts When You Have a Reason
Here’s the bottom line that changes everything.
Most people fail at self-improvement because they’re trying to become someone they’re not.
They chase money without passion. They follow their passion without developing real skills. They develop skills the world doesn’t need. They help others but can’t pay rent.
Ikigai brings it all together.
When you find your Ikigai, skill development stops being boring. It becomes your purpose.
You don’t need discipline to practice because you’re excited to practice. You don’t need motivation because you have meaning.
You have something inside you right now.
A skill waiting to be developed. It can be a problem you’re meant to solve. Or a reason to wake up excited tomorrow.
The modern world offers unlimited distractions and excuses to stay comfortable.
But comfort isn’t the goal. Purpose is the goal. Growth is the goal.
Becoming who you were meant to be is the goal.
Your Ikigai is waiting. The only question is: will you start looking for it today? Or will you hit snooze again tomorrow?
Find your Ikigai.
Develop those skills. Watch your entire life transform. Your reason to wake up is out there.
It’s time to find it.
Ikigai is a Japanese concept that accelerates skill mastery
Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:
- Become Your Highest Self Newsletter: Every Sunday, I share actionable tips from successful people on how to master money, mindset and meaning.
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