How it changed my daily habits and made me reconsider my purpose and goals for the future.
Title: Ikigai- Book Review
Book: Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life
Author: Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles
Publisher: Hutchinson
Pages: 194 (Paperback)
First Published: 2016
I recently read the book Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life and found that it is incredible.I learned the real key to longevity from the non-fiction book Ikigai by Francesco Miralles and Hector Garcia. I've always desired to live an exceptionally long life (at least 100 years old), but I never thought twice about why or how I was going to achieve it. Contrary to common assumption, we have a lot of influence over how long we live, and our habits and life decisions from a young age will likely have the most impact.
The extent to which this goes beyond maintaining a healthy diet, exercising frequently, and controlling stress was unknown to me until recently. Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life is a stirring and thoroughly researched story of the inspiring lives of Japanese supercentenarians (those who have lived above the age of 110) from Okinawa, the region with the highest rate of longevity.
The book encourages you to discover your own ikigai by taking you through Okinawans' way of life, including their attitudes, foods, and daily activities. Although this is only an interpretation because the phrase technically means lifespan and daily existence in Japanese, it might be interpreted as one's reason for being.
According to the writers, our ikigai is what causes our bodies to fight and live longer. No matter how healthy your other daily routines are, if you feel like you have nothing to live for, your lifetime might drastically drop. According to scientific research, having a purpose in life can stop the onset of genes associated to inflammation in the body and slow down cell ageing.
I recently read Ikigai during a fairly depressing time in my life, and it helped me emotionally heal, regain my optimism, and transform the way I currently live my life, if only in the subtlest ways. This is the evolution of Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life.
#1. It Made Me Feel Like I Have a Purpose
― Francesco Miralles and Hector Garcia
Finding one's current, most urgent purpose is one of the first tasks Miralles and Garcia give their readers to do. It might be as significant as seeking for a new job or a home, or as modest as preparing a special meal or passing an exam. No matter how modest or ambitious they are, our objectives motivate us to keep working towards them, and we frequently overlook the simpler ones.
However, short-term objectives like learning more or getting up earlier are just as beneficial to our physical and mental health as long-term objectives like starting a company. I felt that even my little acts were contributing to my ultimate purpose to live a longer, happier life when I paused to become conscious of my most trivial aims when the book pushed me to.
It also gave me comfort in knowing that I'm not just existing aimlessly without purpose. Even though I had failed to recognise my tiny successes or wants as actual objectives, they nonetheless contributed to my total satisfaction.
#2. It Encourages Reflection
― Francesco Miralles and Hector Garcia
We frequently miss being present for some of the most significant times we encounter because of our hurried, distracted, and always busy lifestyles. Ikigai encourages awareness throughout, even if it doesn't directly advise its readers to start expressing appreciation or cataloguing their accomplishments.
The book asks you to consider your favourite pastimes, your best memories, and the current moment and what it looks like since we are so preoccupied with worrying about the future that we rarely notice what is going on in it. A turning point, especially for my mental health, came when I took the time to reflect on where I was in life and how I'd gotten there. It also made everything seem more significant.
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| Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means your ‘reason for being. ‘ ‘Iki’ in Japanese means ‘life,’ and ‘gai’ describes value or worth. Your ikigai is your life purpose or your bliss |
#3. It Shows That Happiness Lies in Simplicity
― Francesco Miralles and Hector Garcia
The old Japanese population the authors spent time with during their research for their book all lead basic, uncomplicated lives that may seem dull or futile to our Western standards imposed by social media.
But the supercentenarians' feeling of community, tranquillity, and active routines are actually all that needs for a peaceful, healthy, happy, and long existence. The real keys to the Okinawans' vigour and love for life, even at such advanced ages, are their friendliness and ability to find delight in even the most mundane tasks, like caring to their gardens.
#4. It Promotes an Intuitive Approach to Health
― Francesco Miralles and Hector Garcia
Surprisingly, Okinawans do not live an active lifestyle that involves tracking calories, running every day till your lungs burn, or taking countless vitamins. They work out, but they don't put as much emphasis on intensive training; they move around by dancing, gardening, and performing community service; and they eat healthily but not in a restricted way.
One of the most important lessons from Ikigai is this. It encourages you to take action, but only when your intuition tells you to. After I finished the book, I stopped feeling constantly frustrated that I wasn't exercising enough or properly and instead started enjoying myself while doing it.
I stopped berating myself for just spending 20 minutes exercising instead of a whole hour and instead began concentrating on the joy exercise offers me as well as the advantages.
#5. It Made Me Regain My Positivity
― Francesco Miralles and Hector Garcia
In general, I'm a cheery, optimistic person who chirps about things even when they don't exist. Usually, I can see the best in an almost empty glass. However, when I began Ikigai, I was so unlike myself that I had even forgotten what it was like to simply feel immensely pleased for no reason.
I owe this book my newly found optimism. Because of that, I'm back to being myself. It inspires you, helps you let go of comparisons or unattainable ideals, lets you feel at peace with who you are and the life you're living, and encourages you to put your attention on your desire to live and your mental well-being.
Final Thoughts
Anyone having trouble finding motivation and seeing the purpose behind their acts can read Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, which I highly suggest. It was just what I needed to read, and it completely altered the way I approach everything. I'm now more active, more observant of my meals, but not to the extent that I stress about my nutrition, and I've learned to be nicer to myself. I've also improved my present-moment awareness. We can all learn a lot from reading it.
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| You can buy it here:- https://www.flipkart.com/ikigai |
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