Ikigai is one of the most globally popular philosophical concepts - often used as a route to success. At the heart though, it is a uniquely Japanese concept, and Ken Mogi will reframe and reposition it as a core Japanese philosophy with value for all, about internal contentment and success rather than external. When you follow your ikigai, you will grow internally, as a person, rather than optimizing some external proxy goals, such as academic performance, social recognition, sales, and promotion. Indeed, ikigai is life itself. If you have ikigai, you are likely to be successful. But even if you are not successful, your life will be great, because you have ikigai. The key insight is that ikigai is independent of success, and in that sense different from life's purpose or goal. You don't have to be good at something in order to have your ikigai.

What you do for your ikigai doesn't have to be something that the world needs. Ikigai is a vote of confidence in reality. If you find your ikigai, you may or may not find success, but you will find the path to truly living - to ikiru.