The thirty-third book that I’ve finished reading this year is Yukari Mitsuhashi’s “Ikigai: giving every day meaning and joy”. Thanks S for this gift. A combination of two Japanese characters, ikigai means the value (‘gai’) of life (‘iki’). As the author puts it, it’s simply “the reason you get up in the morning”. When I received this book from S, I was nearing the end of my studies and about to start working. In my first working year, I felt for the first time in a long while the joy of internal motivation, now that I was free from the shackles of numerical evaluations that haunted me throughout my schooling years. No longer did I have to strive for that distinction, or that acceptance letter from a top university; I could finally enjoy wider dimensions of life and receive non-numerical rewards for my contributions. Free from all these lofty goals, I could appreciate everyday life much more fully. Needless to say, I found working life much more fulfilling than my studying life.? Now, I’ve already worked many years in this profession, and my career goals have become slightly clearer than what I’d imagined back then. I still have deadlines everyday, which probably makes me busier than when I was a university student, but I am also able to manage my time efficiently and complete them ahead of their due date, leaving most off-work hours for my own hobbies. I would never have had the time and effort to keep a piano channel going as a full-time student; the workload and all-consuming nature of studying left me barely any time to practice. Now, I can carve out regular practice hours from my free time and even create my own music sheets. I still hone in on my professional skills and strive for excellence, but I no longer need to be the best. That’s put a lot of stress aside, and given me more opportunities to take risks and try out new experiences that I’ve been curious about. What is my ikigai, then? I still can’t put it plainly in an unambiguous phrase, but perhaps it is to be able to express myself clearly and to transmit my thoughts and feelings to others. If I am able to create a piece of work from which others can feel what I want to express, or be provoked with further thought, I will be fulfilled. To achieve this goal, I would have to widen my archive of experiences to comprehend richer emotions, and work on my modes of expression. Compared to achieving good grades and getting into top universities, this goal is much more meaningful on the level of human experiences, and I wish that more young people are able to realise this.? In general, this short and sweet book about ikigai is a good opportunity for the reader to reflect on the everyday snippets of life that bring value and happiness to himself/herself. If you are in a state of confusion about your ultimate life goals, this may be an inspirational read.?