Ikigai: giving everyday meaning and joy by Yukari Mitsuhashi

​"Ikigai: giving everyday meaning and joy" by Yukari Mitsuhashi - Understand what it is!

This book is published by Kyle books in 2018 and has 112 pages. 

Ikigai is a Japanese concept. It is made of iki (life) and gai (value or worth); meaning value of life or happiness of life. Life here is not lifetime but day to day life. Your Ikigai can be work, hobby, loved ones, company of friends, coffee with spouse; it can be anything. Ikigai is the action we take in pursuit of happiness. 

Paying attention to detail on what is right in front of us is important. A person can have more than one Ikigai at any given time and Ikigai can change with time. With Ikigai in mind, you will know what to prioritize. 

Job crafting is the art of crafting and designing your job instead of passively taking the job given to you. Make small changes at your work that satisfy you. 

Doing work that affects the wellbeing of others motivates employees. 

Author has dedicated a chapter for interviews of 6 persons who have found their Ikigai. They have Ikigai ranging from aspiring for beautiful world, connect different worlds, helping people achieve their goal, setup goals and achieve them, work, gaining deeper understanding of something. Roka Yakima says “Ikigai is something you do even if no one has asked you to, simply because you want to”. They all say their Ikigai hasn’t changed and it has helped them make difficult decisions.

This book explores the concept of Ikigai and provides few examples of Ikigai. This concept doesn’t have a direct translation in English. It needs to be understood. Ikigai is so deeply rooted in Japanese culture that it’s not taught. It comes with life. Author provides numerous quotes and references, majority of them, surprisingly, western. So how to find ones Ikigai? Author has given list of question to ask yourself to find your Ikigai. A pattern is expected to emerge from answers to the questions. The pattern will help a person find his/her Ikigai.

Why did I read this book? Aditi’s interest in Ikigai. 

What did I like? Simplicity. 

What I didn't like? Not going into the depth. 

Read to understand Ikigai.