The word is IKIGAI [icki-guy] It means a reason for being. It is a Japanese word, and literally it means: your reason to jump out of bed in the morning. What is your reason to rise in the morning? Looking ahead at the day before you, there must be something you wish to do, to accomplish to achieve, to be proud of when you have done it: what is it? What is it that makes you energized? When I looked this up I found four other questions that are the roots of ikigai. Or you can say: ikigai is at the cross section of these four sections of concern.
What you love (your passion)
There must be something that you love to do or know or think about so much that you would do it even if you had to pay someone to be allowed to do it. It is your passion. It is that which you feel effortless ease in: the details just don’t bother you, you just remember them hearing them the first time. This is your love, giving you purpose.
What the world needs (your mission)
No matter what you feel like doing, you must also note the acute hunger of the world, and do something for that. “Do not pursue a fruitless perfection”, said a Sufi Master and he was pointing at this anomaly. It is not true that perfection in anything at all is worthy. You must read the nature of the world, and see a particular hunger that you can do something about and enjoy doing it.
What you are good at (your vocation)
This is your space of mastery, the skills of your hand and eye that matter in the world. After some years of doing it you become so good at it that you cannot understand why people don’t get it, why it takes them so long to understand, when it is so easy! The story of Maradona is instructive here: he was very good himself: but a terrible coach because no one could do what he asked them to do!
What you can get paid for (your profession)
This is where the rubber meets the road: whatever good and noble thoughts you have about yourself and your work, what can you do that people are actually willing to part with their money to you? This money is the means of exchange, by it you get the food on the table, the clothing on the body and the books on your shelves.
The answers to these questions are worth pondering over: but in their point of convergence is the ikigai, your reason to get up in the morning, your reason for being.