Ikigai
A sense of purpose and fulfillment in life — the feeling that one's daily existence has meaning, value, and direction.
Published August 14, 2018
Origin
Rooted in Japan's Heian period (794-1185), the word combines iki ("life") and gai ("value"), the latter deriving from kai ("shell"), prized objects in aristocratic matching games. Psychiatrist Mieko Kamiya gave the concept scholarly form in her 1966 book Ikigai ni Tsuite ("On the Meaning of Life"). The popular four-circle Venn diagram was a 2014 Western adaptation by blogger Marc Winn, not a Japanese original.
Everyday Use
This is a natural fit for an everyday use — it literally connects our circumstances with our lived realities. It helps us to balance that which is important with that which is sacred -- that which is immediate with that which makes us passionate. Some days (most days), we will get this balance wrong. The trick is to recognize that it's a balance-in-progress, and to give each piece its due.