Book at a glance…

This book explores Ikigai which is the Japanese concept referring to something that gives a person a sense of purpose in life, a reason for living (a raison d’être) bringing satisfaction, happiness and meaning.

One of the most profound questions this book highlights is ‘why do some people know what they want and have a passion for life, while others languish in confusion?’

Highlights

• Medical studies of centenarians from Okinawa and ‘Blue Zones’ – geographical areas where people live the longest.
• The art of staying young while growing old – strong sense of community is just as significant as a healthy Japanese diet.
• Little things add up to a long and happy life.  
• Spending too much time seated at work or home reduces muscular and respiratory fitness, increases appetite and limits the desire to participate in activities (sedentary leading to other health problems).
• Antiaging attitudes – stoic attitudes/serenity in the face of adversity, adopting a positive outlook (common traits found in longest living people).
• Finding a flow in everything you do– focusing on tasks/hobbies in a distraction free environment and immersing yourself in the experience, dissolves your ego and you become part of what you do while losing your sense of time (Csikszentmihalyi’s research).
• Never stop learning and cultivate beneficial habits.

Actionable messages

• 80 percent secret (Hara Hachi bu) – ancient wisdom advises against eating until we are full so Okinawans stop eating at 80 percent full rather than overeating and propelling the body to have long digestive processes that accelerates cellular oxidation.
• Brain stimulation is important to prevent neuron and neural connection to deteriorate so anti-aging strategies for the mind may help. Intellectual activity, curiosity, and a desire to learn may slow the process e.g playing games, interacting with people, dealing with new situations.
• Stress – causes of premature aging which wears body down (as per studies). Suggested solutions – meditation, breathing exercises, yoga and body scans. However, the book also argues that a small dose of stress is a positive thing.
• Get adequate sleep – recommended seven to nine hours.
• Diet – Recommend ‘eating the rainbow’ which means a variety of fruits and vegetables every day, less sugar, more grains, natural antioxidants, green tea and jasmine tea!
• Choose to use your feet instead of elevator/escalator – emphasis on being MORE active
• Mediation – exercises mental muscles and generates alpha and theta brain waves.
• Live an unhurried life and LAUGH!

Favourite Quotes

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.

We finally land our dream job, but after a little while we are already hunting for a better one. We win the lottery and buy a nice car but then decide we can’t live without a sailboat. We finally win the heart of the man or woman we’ve been pining for and suddenly find we have a wandering eye. People can be insatiable.

The objective of the virtuous person is to reach a state of tranquillity (apatheia): the absence of negative feelings such as anxiety, fear, shame, vanity, and anger, and the presence of positive feelings such as happiness, love, serenity, and gratitude.

Questions to ask yourself:

What makes you enjoy doing something so much that you forget about all your worries that you have while you do it?

When are you the happiest?

Hope you have a great weekend!