Ikigai (生き甲斐) is a Japanese concept meaning "a reason for being." It lives at the intersection of what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.

How do I find my ikigai?

Use the four-circle reflection: list what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. The overlap is your ikigai. The Ikigai Discovery Tool on this page guides you through 20 questions.

Is ikigai a religion?

No. Ikigai is a cultural philosophy from Japan, particularly Okinawa. It is practiced as daily attention to small purposes — gardening, friendship, work, craft.

What is hara hachi bu?

Hara hachi bu means "eat until you are 80% full." It is one of the strongest dietary signals correlated with Okinawan longevity.

A moai is a small social circle, traditionally of 5 friends, who commit to support one another for life — financially, emotionally, and practically.

The 10 Rules of Ikigai — Wisdom from the Okinawan Centenarians

#01

Stay active; don't retire

Those who give up the things they love doing and do well lose their purpose in life. Keep your interests alive and you keep your soul alive.

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List 3 things you would do for free even at age 90. Schedule one of them this week.

#02

Take it slow

Hurry is inversely proportional to quality of life. Slowness gives time to depth.

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Tomorrow, do one task at half-speed ÔÇö eating, walking, or talking. Notice what you usually miss.

#03

Don't fill your stomach

Hara hachi bu ÔÇö eat until you are 80% full. The other 20% is the gap between long life and disease.

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At your next meal, stop one bite before you feel full. Wait 10 minutes. Notice satiety arrive on its own.

#04

Surround yourself with good friends

Friends are the best medicine ÔÇö for confiding worries, sharing stories, and celebrating small joys.

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Send a 30-second voice note to one friend today. No agenda. Just presence.

#05

Get in shape for your next birthday

Movement releases the hormones of happiness. Bodies were designed to move every day.

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Walk 20 minutes after dinner ÔÇö every day for 7 days. No app, no tracking. Just walk.

#06

Smile

A cheerful attitude is not just relaxing ÔÇö it makes friends and is a buffer against trouble.

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Smile at three strangers tomorrow before noon. Watch what comes back.

#07

Reconnect with nature

Even a few minutes among trees lowers cortisol. Humans are designed to be embedded in the living world.

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Take 15 minutes outside without your phone. Touch one tree. Notice what your body does.

#08

Give thanks

Gratitude rewires the brain toward what is working. A daily ritual of thanks changes the texture of life.

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Each morning for one week: write 3 things you are grateful for, by hand. By day 7 you will be a different person.

#09

Live in the moment

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is fiction. The only place where life happens is now.

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Set 3 phone alarms for tomorrow. When each rings, ask: where am I? what am I feeling? Then return.

#10

Follow your ikigai

There is a passion inside you, a unique talent that gives meaning to your days. Find it and serve it.

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Answer one question this week: what would you regret most not having done? Move one inch toward it.

The 10 Rules of Ikigai.