How a Japanese Concept Gives You “A Reason to Live”

What’s your life purpose? Photo by Dylan Hikes on Unsplash

(This is an in-depth analysis of an article by Laura Oliver on Business Insider.)

Ikigai. Sounds like an Asian dress, but in reality it is a Japanese concept that cannot be directly translated to English. Indirectly, it is the exact definition of what my non-fiction writings on Medium alludes to: The idea of having a purpose in life.

In life, you can take two distinct paths. You can live like a trailer, where you go on a ride throughout life as an observer, watching TV and going out on the weekend, living each week the same way. Or you can live like a truck, taking initiative and living life with gumption and purpose.

The choice is yours.

So what do you have to do to have ikigai?

As the article explained, there are four questions you need to ask:

1. What do you love?
2. What are you good at?
3. What does the world need from you?
4. What can you get paid for?

All of these questions need the same answer — your passion. For instance, my passion is writing — fiction, sports, lifestyle — and it’s what I love, what I’m good at, and I can definitely get paid to do it (if only someone would talent hunt me). The only one I…