By: Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles
Number of Pages: 208
Published on: 2016
(listened to the audiobook)
"He who has a why to live can bear for almost any how"
Blue Zone is the term used to describe the geographical regions where people live exceptionally long lives. Blue Zone encompasses five different locations around the world, namely they are: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Loma Linda, California; Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece. The authors of Ikigai particularly studied the island of Okinawa, Japan from the Blue Zone to discover the secrets of longevity and happiness.
In Okinawa, referred to as the "island of longevity", the life expectancy of the residents is remarkably high, while the fatal disease rates for heart diseases, cancer, dementia, and inflammatory diseases are significantly low. The authors observed that Okinawans achieve such a long and fulfilling life from a combination of different practices.
Ikigai
Many of the Okinawans live according to their ikigai. Ikigai is your purpose or the reason why you want to keep living. The concept of flow is relevant when finding your ikigai, and it refers to the mindset where you are completely immersed and engaged in the activity you are doing. Being in a flow zone means that you don't pay attention to distractions and time passes quickly for you. To find your ikigai, you might want to give some thought to the activities that put you in the flow mindset. For example, do you find yourself fully invested in playing or watching a sport? Or, do you tend to lose all concept of time when reading a fantasy book? According to the authors, your ikigai lies in the moments where you feel the flow.
It is easy to see the power of ikigai in people's lives. For instance, the infamous artist Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli would work on all the holidays at the art studio by himself because drawing was his ikigai. Or, the Japanese sushi makers mentioned in the book who dedicate their lives to making the best sushi are doing so because it is their ikigai.
Sometimes, our ikigai clashes with the expectations of the people around us. For instance, if you are a child of an immigrant worker it might seem impossible for you to work as a photographer even if it is your ikigai. However, when we choose to live in a way that doesn't fit our purpose, we find ourselves constantly drained, lethargic, disinterested, and unproductive. We suppress the true potential of our ikigai and continue to waste our time and resources on a subject that is not our calling. Hence the quote "He who has a why to live can bear for almost any how". Once we find our ikigai, it becomes almost impossible to give up based on our circumstances, people's expectations, or societal standards. We set our eyes on that feeling of fulfilment only possible via living our ikigai, and run towards it with all of our passion and motivation. The officers who worked at the Auschwitz concentration camps, for instance, observed that the prisoners who had a meaningful goal to achieve after the war were more likely to survive the camp, indicating that our ikigai pushes us to survive even in the most dire of situations. For this reason, Japanese therapists often lead their patients with suicidal tendencies to write down their ikigai as a reminder of reasons to continue being alive. Essentially, ikigai is the answer to the question "What makes you want to continue living?".
Anti-Ageing Strategies
Constant brain workouts: Frequently provide the brain with new information, people, and systems. Playing games, social interactions, and learning are the best ways to keep your brain working.
Stress management: Most health problems and premature ageing are caused by stress. Humour can be a great strategy to break the stress cycle.
Keeping your body active: No word translates to "retirement" in Japanese. They believe in constantly being engaged in an activity or occupation to keep away from bodily stagnancy.
How to Turn Work and Free Time into Success?
"We are what we repeatedly do, excellence is not an act but a habit." (Philosopher Aristotle)
Have a clear objective and roadmap: We need to ensure that we have a clear objective in mind to avoid confusion and waste of time and resources.
Don't worry about the result, focus on the act of doing it: "Obsessive desire to achieve a goal while ignoring process leads to fixation on the objective rather than on getting down to business and mental block"
Concentrate on one task at a time: Multi-tasking does not work for the majority of the people. Studies show that multi-tasking lowers our productivity by 60% and our IQ by 10 points. To achieve flow, we must concentrate on one thing at a time
Wabi-Sabi
Wabi-Sabi, the perception that there is beauty in all things that are fleeting, changeable, and imperfect comes from appreciating the imperfection in nature. In Japanese culture, the seemingly flawed objects are looked at with admiration as they represent the true elegance and radiance of nature. There is a culture of collecting and admiring "cracked tea cups" as they are also beautifully defective.
Ichi-go Ichi-e
Ichi-go Ichi-e is a phrase used to describe the importance of every moment, as each moment will only exist once and won't come again. This mindset makes each encounter with loved ones unique and cherished. It is repeated in Japan during tea parties and family gatherings.
Emotional Resilience
Resilient people know their objectives. Their flexibility is their strength, as their ability to adapt to reversals of fortunes makes them powerful. Resilient people concentrate on the things they can control and not worry about the ones they can't. As it is said in the Serenity Prayer, "God, give us grace to accept with a serenity that can not be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish one from the other."
Ideas from Buddhism and Stoicism
Being Present
The only reality is the present as you are unable to alter the past nor the future. There is no reason to wish to change what happened in the past or what will happen in the future, as they are out of your reach. You exist in the present, right now, not a minute early, and not a minute late.
Accepting the Impermanence of Everything
"All things human are perishable." People are born to die, and the acceptance of the death of our bodies, along with the death of everything human brings a sense of tranquillity to the person. A big part of having fulfillment in life is having this understanding.
Okinawan Diet
2-3 times of fish every week
Little to no sugar
Establish Rainbow Meals, where the meal has a wide range of fruits and vegetables
Hara Hachi Bu: Eat less than when you are completely full
Little to no red meat
No processed food
Small portions: in the Japanese culture, there are usually 4 small plates and 1 relatively medium-sized plate for each meal to ensure that people eat in portions that fit the Hara Hachi Bu standards
Quotes:
"It is not what happens to you but how you react to it that matters."(Philosopher Epictetus)
"Humour can break negative cycles."
"Hello solitude, how are you today? Come, I will sit with you."
"If you are angry at someone, wait for three days before you get into a fight."
"Walk slowly, you will go far."
Rating of the book: 7/10