By Andrea Seydel Live Life Happy Book Club and Podcast
INTRODUCTION
Book summary of Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life
The study of centenarians has always intrigued me. Wondering what their secret to a long, happy life is. Ikigai is a Japanese term that roughly translates to “reason for being.” WHAT IS YOUR REASON FOR GETTING OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING? That is your ikigai.
What is Ikigai? Ikigai (pronounced “eye-ka-guy”) is, above all else, a lifestyle that strives to balance the spiritual with the practical. This balance is found at the intersection where your passions and talents converge with the things that the world needs and is willing to pay for.
Bring meaning and joy to all your days with this internationally bestselling guide to the Japanese concept of ikigai (pronounced ee-key-guy)—the happiness of always being busy—as revealed by the daily habits of the world’s longest-living people.
OVERVIEW
According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai—a reason for living. And according to the residents of the Japanese village with the world’s longest-living people, finding it is the key to a happier and longer life.
Having a strong sense of ikigai—the place where passion, mission, vocation, and profession intersect—means that each day is infused with meaning. It’s the reason we get up in the morning.
It’s also why many Japanese never really retire (in fact, no word in Japanese means retire in a sense it does in English): They remain active and work at what they enjoy because they’ve found a real purpose in life—the happiness of always being busy.
In researching this book, the authors interviewed the residents of the Japanese village with the highest percentage of 100-year-olds—one of the world’s Blue Zones.
Ikigai reveals the secrets to their longevity and happiness: how they eat, how they move, how they work, how they foster collaboration and community, and—their best-kept secret—how they find the ikigai that brings satisfaction to their lives.
This book also provides practical tools to help you discover your ikigai. Because who doesn’t want to find happiness every day?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Art of Living
In Japanese, ikigai is written by combining the symbols that mean “life” with “to be worthwhile.” “Translates roughly as ‘the happiness of always being busy.’” Not the busy we know but full life kind of busy. “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.”
Ikigai is different for all of us. Our ikigai is the reason we get up in the morning. What you love. What you are good at. What the world needs. What you can get paid for.
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.”
Ten Rules of Ikigai
1. Stay active, don’t retire. 2. Take it slow. 3. Don’t fill your stomach. 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. Follow your ikigai.
Stress
Stress is a degenerative process, and it concluded that most health problems are caused by stress. Stress causes premature aging. Existential crisis- we do what we are told to do,m what we should do or what others are doing. We do what is expected of us, not what we would love to do. 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.
Secrets of Centenarians & Supercentenearians
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.
Our ability to turn routine tasks into moments of microflow, into something we enjoy, is key to our being happy since we all have to do such tasks.
According to Csikszentmihalyi 1. To be in a distraction-free environment 2. To have control over what we are doing at every moment
Slow Living
Being in a hurry is inversely proportional to the quality of life. As the old saying goes, ‘Walk slowly, and you’ll go far.’ When we leave urgency behind, life and time take on new meaning.Intense but relaxed. Busy with a sense of calm.
Authors say they didn’t see a single old grandpa sitting on a bench doing nothing.
Lifestyle
Don’t worry, cultivate good habits, nurture your friendships every day, live an unhurried life, be optimistic, eat and sleep, learn to relax, keep your mind and body busy, smile often, slow down, a diet rich in vegetables, consume fewer calories, eat fish average of three times per week, drink tea, We are what we repeatedly do. Aristotle
“The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.” — Washington Burnap. Fall seven times, rise eight.).” — Japanese proverb. “Metabolism slows down 90 percent after 30 minutes of sitting. The enzymes that move the bad fat from your arteries to your muscles, where it can get burned off, slow down. And after two hours, good cholesterol drops 20 percent. Just getting up for five minutes is going to get things going again. These things are so simple they’re almost stupid.” — Gavin Bradley.
ACTIONABLE NUGGETS
I will print up the ikigai rules and place them where I see them often: 1. Stay active, don’t retire. 2. Take it slow. 3. Don’t fill your stomach. 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. Follow your ikigai.
I also enjoy the concept of this balance is found at the intersection where your passions and talents converge with the things that the world needs and is willing to pay for.
What resonated with you the most, and what will you apply to your life or reflect on further?
Consider questions like: What do you love? What are you good at? What does the world need? What can you be paid for? THAT IS YOUR IKIGAI.
Unconventional Book Club
Andrea Seydel www.andreaseydel.com
Mindmeister MindMeister: Online Mind Mapping and Brainstorming (link)
Live Life Happy Book Club Podcast Live Life Happy- Andrea Seydel on Apple Podcasts (link)