08/05/2026
I’ve been sitting with this book again recently, “生きがいについて” (on the meaning Ikigai) by Mieko Kamiya.
This time, I’m not just reading. I’m noticing what stays with me.
One idea that really stood out is that Ikigai is something we need in order to live well.
She even describes that taking away a person’s Ikigai could be a kind of cruelty…
because Ikigai gives something deeply human, almost like a form of love to our lives.
What draws me to her work is how deeply she contemplated Ikigai from many different angles.
Not to define it quickly, but to stay with the question.
I also love how she reflects on her own life from chasing butterflies as a child,
to creating miniature moss gardens,
to experiencing pure joy in what she did.
That idea stayed with me.
Recently, I noticed something similar in my own work.
When I’m with clients, sometimes it feels like gently putting pieces of a puzzle together.
And when they arrive at their own “aha” moment, there’s a quiet sense of joy.
Not excitement.
Not achievement.
But something more subtle…
a feeling of being fully present and alive.
Perhaps this is also part of Ikigai.
Not something grand,
but something deeply felt.
