During a journey through Japan in 2025, when I visited my son in Nagasaki, I came across a word that stayed with me: IKIGAI. The reason you get out of bed in the morning. That which gives direction, even on days when things go against you. That which gives your life meaning and makes you enthusiastic.
As a Primary Care Doctor, I see how great the difference is between living out of obligation and living from meaning. Not only in how people feel, but also in their energy, resilience and recovery.
Meaning, Ikigai, often does not lie in something big.
It lies in tending a garden.
In paying attention to your grandchild.
In doing something for someone else.
In the feeling that you matter, in your own way.
It is about feeling that you are here for a reason. That you are needed on this earth. Those who contribute to something greater than themselves often feel more peace within. As if life feels right again.
In my work as a coach and in my book Doctor’s Orders: Partner with Your Soul, I take you into this layer of health. As a foundation. On Ikigai. Purpose in life. On how meaning gives significance and direction to your life. And how every person can discover their own form of Ikigai.
What is your reason to get up every morning?
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