Ikigai

Derived from the words, ikiru, meaning “life” and kai, which means “the realization of what one hopes for”. Put together, Ikigai trans?lates as”a reason to live”.
Simply put, Ikigai embodies the happiness in living3.
Japanese dictionaries define Ikigai in such terms as ikiru hariai, yorokobi, meate (something to live for, the joy and goal of living) and ikite iru dake no neuchi, ikite inu kofuku, rieki (a life worth living, the happiness and benefit of being alive)4.
Ikigai is not just a life philosophy or an ideology, but a transformative human experience. These are princi?ples on which you can base your life’s fulcrum. It can give you motivation and resilience in times of hardship, also leading to seIf-actuaIisation, to becoming your true self. A longer life expectancy is just an outcome or the by-product of such a healthy, mindful lifestyle.