Ikigai – Héctor García, Francesc Miralles
The happiness of being busy with life.
Surround Yourself With Good Friends
Research shows that friends can affect your health even more than family. People with the most friends tend to outlive those with the fewest by 22 percent. Keep in mind that this means real friends. The authors point out that Facebook friends and Twitter followers do not count.
The key is to have three or four good friends that care for you the same way you care for them. The easiest way to develop close friendships is to think about what you can do to help the people closest to you be happier.
Reconnect With Nature: What Studies Show
People surrounded by lush greenery live longer, with a lower chance of developing cancer or respiratory illnesses.
Being in nature, living near nature, or even viewing nature can positively impact our lives. Spending time in nature, in particular, appears inherently rewarding, producing a cascade of positive emotions and calming our nervous systems. This, in turn, helps us cultivate greater openness, creativity, connection, generosity, and resilience.
Never Retire
The goal is to keep your mind and body active in order to fill yourself with purpose and ikigai on a daily basis.
We see retirement as a golden age of holidays and gold. However, retirement kills your ikigai. We need to stop spending so much time worrying about making more money and our eventual retirement.
So, never retire. Keep learning, keep changing, and keep growing.
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.
A Life with a Purpose
Ikigai explains how you can live a longer and happier life by having a purpose, eating healthy, and not retiring.
Many people find themselves trapped in the never-ending need to do everything faster, better, and harder. In contrast, discovering your ikigai will help you slow down and enjoy life more.
Discover your Ikigai: Basic Questions
PERSONAL
What are your strengths? Think of what you do better than everyone else.
PURPOSE
What does the world need? Imagine something you see that the world lacks.
PASSION
What are your passions? Picture all the things that you could do all day without stopping.
PROFIT
What can you earn a living doing?
Hara Hachi Bu: Eat A Little Less
You should stop eating when you are no longer feeling hungry, rather than continue to eat until you feel stuffed.
It is better to stop eating before you feel too full, as it can lead to indigestion and other health problems.
Ways to get started include:
- Eat slowly
- Focus on food
- Use small vessels
IKIGAI
Ikigai is a Japanese concept that basically means “the happiness of always being busy”.
The Japanese word has two characters: ‘iki’ which means life, and ‘gai,’ or value.
Well, what’s happiness in business? Let’s find out here!
The 10 Rules of Ikigai
- Stay active; don’t retire.
- Take it slow.
- Don’t fill your stomach.
- Surround yourself with good friends.
- Get in shape for your next birthday.
- Smile.
- Reconnect with nature.
- Give thanks.
- Live in the moment.
- Follow your ikigai.
The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.
Give Thanks
Gratitude has consistently been associated with positive outcomes. Apart from increasing your happiness levels, gratitude also improves your physical health. It lowers stress levels. Stress is associated with heart attacks and other chronic conditions, but can be reduced by adopting gratitude and encouraging optimism.
The Power Of Positivity
Optimism increases immune-boosting cells. People who express gratitude are more likely to report higher levels of well-being and satisfaction with their lives. They are also more likely to experience less stress and anxiety and be more resilient in the face of adversity.
Keep moving throughout the day, no matter how little.
Intensity may deter consistency, so Okinawans strive for simplicity in their forms of exercise. A walk around the neighbourhood, a day in the garden, or singing karaoke are just a few simple ways they maintain regular movement. Also, keep smiling to increase your mental wellbeing without much effort!
Okinawan and Well Being
Take it Slow- Ikigai helps Okinawa residents be more mindful in their daily lives. The concept of ikigai has its roots in Zen Buddhism, which emphasizes the importance of living in the present moment and keeping an open mind.
The “Okinawa diet” includes at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, with small amounts of fish and lean meat. They rarely eat sugar, and, if they do, it’s cane sugar. The average daily intake of an Okinawan is about 1,900 calories.
Exercise
Most of us know that we should exercise more, but there always seems to be something more pressing that demands our attention. Whatever the reason, the bottom line is that most of us could benefit from exercising more. As Japanese centenarians show, all you need is light, regular movement in your day. In doing so, you can face the world with strength, joy, and serenity.
Live in the Moment (THE FLOW)
Flow is the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter. It is characterized by a sense of focus and effortless concentration. It is often associated with positive experiences, such as peak performance, and the experience itself becomes highly enjoyable.
JAPANESE PROVERB
Nana korobi ya oki (Fall seven times, rise eight.)