Ikigai: The Japanese secret to a long and happy life
IKIGAI Book summary
I would want to start by saying: living along and happy life isn't possible if you don’t practice at least a few of the points mentioned in the book, if not all. Start with one and then imbibe more lifestyle changes into your life and you'll notice a lot about you changes with these small stretch goals and the attainment of them. Small stretch goals – Yep! That’s the key here. Keep moving forward and also share your story with us in the comments section below. We would like to extend our understanding to help you out if you have issues in complying with any lifestyle changes mentioned in the book or the ones you choose for yourself. Remember, you are not alone in this quest, and I would love to help out! So feel free and start a conversation! If you are new to the concept of Ikigai then this is the book for you. I was hoping this book would be a deep dive into the “how” of ikigai. However, it’s more of an introduction to a variety of different topics including: the Blue Zones, logo therapy, longevity, flow, tai chi, yoga, resilience, and much more. A Quick Summary of the book would be rounded in three points like:
1. This book covers the overall Art of Living
2. The authors head on to a journey to Okinawa which is a village in Japan known for it's longevity, centenarians and supercentenarians and their learnings about them.
3. What do Japanese artisans, engineers, Zenphilosophers and cuisine have in common?
What is IKIGAI
Now let's talk about what Ikigai really is: In Japanese, ikigai is written by combining the symbols that mean “life” with “to be worthwhile". “There is a passion inside you, a unique talent that gives meaning to your days and drives you to share the best of yourself until the very end.
If you don’t know what your ikigai is yet, as Viktor Frankl says, your mission is to discover it." "Our ikigai is different for all of us, but one thing we have in common is that we are all searching for meaning. When we spend our days feeling connected to what is meaningful to us, we live more fully; when we lose the connection, we feel despair.” Okinawans explain Ikigai as the reason behindus getting up in the morning. Once you discover your ikigai, pursuing it and nurturing it every day will bring meaning to your life.
Rules of lkigal
1. Stay active; don’t retire.
2. Take it slow.
3. Don’t fill your stomach. Only fill your stomach to 80%
4. Surround yourself with good friends.
5. Get in shape for your next birthday.
6. Smile.
7. Reconnect with nature.
8. Give thanks.
9. Live in the moment
10. The last but not the least! Follow your Ikigai
Ikigai book Highlights
The book talks about stress and Existential crisis. It mentions the fact that many people in the world seem older than they really are. A lot of research has been done in this field and findings show that aging has a lot to do with stress. Existential crisis, on the other hand, is typical of modern societies in which people do what they are told to do, or what others do, rather than what they want to do. They often try to fill the gap between what is expected of them and what they want for themselves with economic power or physical pleasure, or by numbing their senses.” “Those who give up the things they love doing and do well lose their purpose in life. That’s why it’s so important to keep doing things of value, making progress, bringing beauty or utility to others, helping out, and shaping the world around you, even after your ‘official’ professional activity has ended.”
Being in a state of Flow
The happiest people are not the ones who achieve the most. They are the ones who spend more time than others in a state of flow.” “In order to achieve this optimal experience, we have to focus on increasing the time we spend on activities that bring us to this state of flow, rather than allowing ourselves to get caught up in activities that offer immediate pleasure.” “Concentrating on one thing at a time maybe the single most important factor in achieving flow.” “Japanese people often apply themselves to even the most basic tasks with an intensity that borders on obsession.” “Our ability to turn routine tasks into moments of micro flow, into something we enjoy, is key to our being happy, since we all have to do such tasks.” “Artists, for example, who carry the torch of their ikigai instead of retiring, have this power. Art, in all its forms, is an ikigai that can bring happiness and purpose to our days. Enjoying or creating beauty is free, and something all human beings have access to.” “Artists know how important it is to protect their space, control their environment, and be free of distractions if they want to flow with their ikigai.” “Many such artists might seem misanthropic or reclusive, but what they are really doing is protecting the time that brings them happiness, sometimes at the expense of other aspects of their lives. They are outliers who apply the principles of flow to their lives to an extreme.”
The Longevity Diet
The authors also explain the Longevity Diet: “One hundred percent of the people we interviewed keep a vegetable garden, and most of them also have fields of tea, mangoes, shikuwasa, and so on.” “Locals eat a wide variety of foods, especially vegetables. Variety seems to be key here. A study of Okinawa’s centenarians showed that they ate 206 different foods, including spices, on a regular basis. They ate an average of eighteen different foods each day, a striking contrast to the nutritional poverty of our fast-food culture.” “They eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. At least seven types of fruits and vegetables are consumed by Okinawans on a daily basis. The easiest way to check if there is enough variety on your table is to make sure you’re ‘eating the rainbow.’ A table featuring red peppers, carrots, spinach, cauliflower, and eggplant, for example, offers great color and variety. Vegetables, legumes, and soy products such as tofu are the staples of an Okinawan’s diet. More than 30 percent of their daily calories comes from vegetables.” “Grains are the foundation of their diet. Japanese people eat white rice every day, sometimes adding noodles. Rice is the primary food in Okinawa, as well.” The Okinawans also Eat fish an average of three times per week. “Consume fewer calories: an average of 1,785per day, compared to 2,068 in the rest of Japan. In fact, low caloric intake is common among the five Blue Zones.” “Tofu, Miso, Tuna, Carrots, Goya (bitter melon), Kombu (sea kelp), Cabbage, Nori (seaweed), Onion, Soy sprouts, Soybeans (boiled or raw),Sweet potato, Peppers make the most of their daily consumption “Okinawans drink more Sanpin-cha-a mix of green tea and jasmine flowers—than any other kind of tea…Okinawans drink an average of three cups of Sanpin-cha every day.” “White tea, with its high concentration of polyphenols, may be even more effective against aging. In fact, it is considered to be the natural product with the greatest antioxidant power in the world—to the extent that one cup of white tea might pack the same punch as about a dozen glasses of orange juice.” In the end I would like to conclude with my initial thoughts on this subject and the adoption of it in your lives. Start small, be consistent, make tiny stretch goals for yourself and most of all be persistent with the lifestyle changes you want to work on. Persistence is key, my friends! Have a Happy and a Long life! Thanks for listening!
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