Ikigai: Find Your Reason to Wake Up in the Morning

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What if you don't hate your job because it is boring?

What if you hate it because of the way you think about it?

Every morning, many people wake up and think:

"Ugh. I have to go to work again. I have to deal with my boss. I'm going to be so tired."

This book might change that thought. That mindset. It's called Ikigai, and it's all about finding your reason to wake up in the morning.

Ikigai is a Japanese word. It means a reason for living, or the reason you wake up in the morning.

The two authors traveled to a small island in Okinawa, Japan. Why? Because many people on this island live past 100 years. And they are not just old. They are healthy, active, and happy.

The authors wanted to know their secret. Was it money? Family? The island itself?

Here is what they found which may surprise you. These people:

But most importantly, every person on the island has an ikigai. Something that gives their life meaning.

The four things that make life meaningful

When something in your life has all four, it gives your life meaning.

The chickpea soup man

There is a man in my hometown who sells chickpea soup. He has done this for 30 years.

Every morning after Fajr prayer, he sets up his table on the corner of a busy street. He brings a big pot of chickpea soup and bread (we call it samoon). His soup is so delicious that he sells out by 9 a.m. Then he goes home.

It's a simple job. If he compared himself to a doctor or an engineer, he would have quit a long time ago. But he didn't. Why?

Because his job has all four things. He loves it. He's really good at it. People need it. And he gets paid for it.

And he is a happy man.

Did your job lose its meaning, or did you forget it?

Imagine a janitor who cleans a school. He might think: "My job has no meaning. I just clean floors."

But what if he thought: "I make these classrooms fresh and clean, so the students, our future generation, can learn in a nice place."

Same job. Different mindset. Now he has a reason to get up in the morning.

Or imagine a delivery driver who thinks: "I bring warm food to hungry people. I help people get what they need, on time." Maybe he's also great at his work, good with customers, and he enjoys exploring the city.

Flow: the power of deep focus

The book also talks about flow. Flow is deep focus. You are so focused on what you are doing that you forget about the past and the future. You lose track of time.

It doesn't have to be complicated. You can find flow in cooking, gardening, or reading a good book. You look up and think, "Three hours passed? I can't believe it!"

Many people find flow in video games. But what if we found flow in things that help us grow? Reading. Writing. Learning English.

The fifth element

In my video, I added a fifth element from my Islamic beliefs: doing something that pleases Allah.

There is one idea in the book I didn't like. It suggests that if you stay super healthy, maybe you can live forever. You will not. This life is temporary.

Even if you love what you do, you're good at it, you get paid for it, and it helps people, if it doesn't please God, it has no real meaning.
This life is a test and there’s no point in achieving all of your worldly goals while displeasing Allah in the process.

That’s why the fifth element gives deeper meaning to the other four.

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1. Where did the authors go?
To a small island in Okinawa, Japan.

2. How long do many people on the island live?
Past 100 years.

3. What is their secret to a long, happy life?
They stay busy, move every day, eat healthy food, spend time with friends and family, and have an ikigai.

4. What are the four things that make life meaningful?
Doing what you love, doing what you're good at, doing what the world needs, and doing something you can get paid for.

5. What does ikigai mean?
A reason for living, or the reason you wake up in the morning.

6. What is flow?
Deep focus. You are so focused on an activity that you lose track of time.

7. What fifth element did I add?
Doing things that please God.

How to read a book like this

Don't rush from cover to cover. Read, pause, and ask yourself questions like:
"How does this relate to my life? How can I apply this?"

Read 3 to 5 pages a day, and you'll finish in about 2 months. It's all about consistency.

The same is true for English. That's why I made the Daily Fluency Journal. It helps you show up every day, one small step at a time. And it's free.

Want to hear the full story, in my own voice? I talk about all of this, plus the chickpea soup man, in the video. Watch the Ikigai summary on YouTube here. It's great listening practice too.

Thanks for reading.

Ziyad
The English Zone