THE THING IS...

Your 30-second guide to everything Ikigai

What: The Japanese art of ikigai, which means ‘reason for being’. Essentially, a search for meaning and purpose; the fundamental truth of who you are — only with a new and fancy name; the new hygge, the new lagom. Mostly, the new wu wei, which is a fundamental part of Taoism.

Why: Well, because we need to know what the hell we are doing in life, and external meaning has become ‘complicated’ recently. And because the bottom line here — find the intersection of what you are good at and what you love doing and you find your ikigai — makes a lot of sense.

Why Now: Because hygge, in the end, was too easy, and too superficial. Light a few candles, snuggle up under a pure-wool rug, and you were done.

Lagom, too. It’s time to turn one’s attention inward and let our core self tell us what to do, rather than dictating to it.

How: This bit is pleasingly practical. It’s all about the Venn diagrams. Get a piece of paper, fill in a series of overlapping circles that cover motivation, fulfilment, what you earn, what you enjoy doing, and what improves your life. The answer at the centre will be the key to a happy and long life. Embrace it.

Who: Anyone who feels they lack purpose — particularly the newly retired, apparently — will benefit. Neuroscientist Ken Mogi, who has written The Little Book

of Ikigai; feng shui folk looking for a reboot; those disillusioned with other, more superficial forms of life-focussing, such as decluttering. Anyone who loves a good diagram-drawing session with different-coloured pens.