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What is ikigai?
Ikigai (生き甲斐, "ee-kee-guy") is a Japanese concept. It describes the things that make your life worthwhile, the things that give you a deep sense of purpose, satisfaction, and joy.
The word has recently made its way into Western culture. It's sometimes defined as the 'secret to a happy life' or 'something that brings pleasure or fulfillment.' (This isn't entirely accurate, but we'll clear that up below.)
Ikigai is made up of two Japanese words, iki (生き), which means life, and kai (甲斐), meaning effect, result, value, benefit, or worth. Iki and kai come together to give us ikigai: a reason to live/to exist.