Ikigai Summary

By Héctor García

If you've heard of Jiro Ono, you'll be familiar with the idea of Ikigai, even if
you've never been confronted by the word before. Jiro Ono is a 95-year-
old sushi master, regarded as the best in the world.

Ikigai is a book of wisdom that examines the importance Japanese culture

places on four intersecting tenets. These ideals, namely passion, mission,
profession, and vocation, are central to leading long, productive, and full
lives. A rich life, or "iki," comes from meaning and realizing one's dreams
and aspirations, or "gai."

Authors Héctor García and Francesc Miralles provide us with tips on

applying Japanese ikigai to our own lives. And, by doing so, they ensure
that we'll live more purposeful and centered lives.

This summary will briefly guide you through the simple and beautiful idea
of ikigai. We'll explore the concept of ikigai, evaluate meaning and
purpose, and delve into the ideals of ikigai. By analyzing research from
science and psychology, and drawing on the people of Okinawa, the
authors also show how the principles of ikigai can increase longevity and
scaffold a blissful life.

The Big Question

What makes you get up in the morning, and what's your reason, or
reasons for living?
The French call it "raison d'etre," the Japanese call it ikigai. Whatever you
choose to call it, we all need to search within ourselves and find out what
makes us tick. Whether it's a career, a sport, a hobby, we need to identify
what we love doing, and what inspires us as we start each day. You may
find that you have more than one ikigai; however, whatever you identify,
you should hold it at the center of your life.

Have you ever heard of Blue Zones? There are five of them, The Ogliastra
Region, Loma Linda, The Nicoya Peninsula, Ikaria, and Okinawa. Blue
Zones are places that have been identified as the healthiest in the world,
with higher than average rates of longevity. At the top of the longevity list
is Okinawa, and when researchers delve into what makes the population
so unique, the common thread is ikigai.

To find your ikigai you need to be focused, but don't obsess over it. If you
don't find it first, it'll find you. Remember, it should be a balance between
vocation and profession, and passion and mission. You need to do what
you love and find meaningful, while also answering your true calling and
earning a living.

There are two methods we can use to kickstart the process.

You may be familiar with the first method if you've read Viktor Frankl's
poignant book, Man's Search for Meaning. Frankl argues that life is nothing
without meaning. To find one's meaning, he suggests Logotherapy, a
form of psychotherapy that aims to uncover our true purpose. Frankl
argues that the greatest motivator in life is to create meaning, and that
we will only be fulfilled when we do this. Meaning can change and evolve,
so we need to foster awareness.
The second way we can help to find our ikigai is by undergoing Morita
therapy. At the heart of Morita therapy is giving in to our feelings and
emotions, rather than trying to control them. It's a slow and patient
process that's aimed at decluttering thoughts and emotions. It requires
us to go to bed for a week, and observe silence. After that, slow and
repetitive processes are added into the day. These activities might
include chopping wood, doing breathing exercises, or performing basic
chores. After this process, you'll achieve greater clarity and self-
awareness.

Five Principles to Live By

People in Okinawa have a sense of clear purpose, and they live a relaxed
but busy life. They're not sedentary, and they busy themselves by forging
a strong sense of community, working hard, and celebrating often. The
principles that help them lead long and abundant lives are avoiding
stress, cultivating positive and healthy habits, valuing friendship and
community, living life at a steady pace, and embracing a spirit of
optimism.

Nowhere was this spirit more evident to the authors, than in a small
village called Ogimi. Ogimi is an exceptional place because it has the
highest longevity rate of all of Okinawa. The authors give the example of
attending a joint birthday party for a 99, 94, and 89 year old. At this
particular celebration, the 89-year-old was considered to be young. The
party was incredibly festive, and they celebrated by singing karaoke, and
playing a local low-impact game that they lost to a 104-year-old woman.

Immersion in Flow
Have you ever been so immersed in something that you lose all sense of
space and time? What were you doing? The answer to this question
might help you to identify your ikigai.

You might be familiar with the term flow, from Flow and The Rise of
Superman. Leading researcher on positive psychology, Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi, coined the idea of flow, and describes it as an optimal
state of consciousness. It's the state of complete focus where you're
concentrating so hard on an activity that you just focus on the moment.

They say that 'Time flies when you're having fun.' Being in a state of flow
is when we find enjoyment in what we're focused on. The idea of ikigai is
that we should be so passionate about pursuits that we lose track of
time, and find immense fulfillment in what we dedicate our lives to. Flow
allows us to have a clear sense of purpose, be energized by our work and
pursuits, and to live in the moment.

The Japanese place huge value on flow. They distinguish between high-
value and low-value activities, and for this reason, they're seldom
sedentary and lead purposeful and productive lives.

Flow is the state between anxiety and boredom. When you're looking to
get into a state of flow, make sure that you challenge yourself, but that
it's not too challenging that it causes you stress. If you look at your
comfort zone, increase the difficulty level by 4% so that you're
challenged enough to stretch your abilities. Getting into a state of flow is
also about setting goals for ourselves. Every day, write down a list of
achievable goals, because it'll help you commit to what you need to do,
and alleviate the temptation to procrastinate. Adopt a state of
mindfulness and minimize distractions to help you focus. Finally,
remember that multitasking is a myth.

If you look at the Japanese for inspiration, you'll see an abundance of

individuals who have dedicated their lives to a single craft. These
individuals are known as Takumi. Tatsuru Rai has devoted his life to
making the best soba noodles in Japan. Jiro Ono is the world's greatest
sushi master, and Tesshu Takemori makes near-perfect handmade
makeup brushes. The message is, choose one thing, focus on it but don't
obsess over it, and pursue excellence and meaning through your ikigai.

The Secrets to Longevity

Longevity and ikigai go hand-in-hand, and you can't have one without the
other. The Japanese believe that youthfulness can be maintained and
that we need to connect our bodies with our minds in order to harness
our vitality and life force. If you keep your enthusiasm and joie de vivre,
you'll live a longer and more fulfilling life.

Studies show that the mind is incredibly powerful when it comes to

controlling aging. We need to focus on two things: coping with stress and
keeping our minds busy and purposeful.

Stress has been shown to age our cells, and contributes to insomnia, high
blood pressure, stomach and chest pains. Managing stress is absolutely
crucial, and the book provides numerous tips on how to adopt a more
serene way of living.

As with all of the other muscles in our body, the brain has to be
exercised. We need to keep our brains sharp by getting out of our
comfort zones and stretching ourselves, continuously seeking knowledge
and skills, and playing games. Western culture is increasingly sedentary,
and we have to adopt the mindset of moving more throughout the day.
This doesn't mean we have to join a gym or run marathons; there are
loads of other ways to build movement into our daily routine. Housework
and gardening are highly productive ways to get moving, and opting to
walk or take the stairs makes a big difference to upping activity levels.
The book also suggests a range of activities, such as yoga and Tai Chi.
These exercises get us moving and help to forge connections between
the body and mind.

Western culture has also adopted a very dangerous attitude towards

sleep. Sleep isn't something that we should be starving ourselves of.
We've been led to believe that working more and sleeping less should be
rewarded. However, studies show that we need sleep to be productive.
Sacrificing sleep is highly detrimental to our health, and it actually makes
us worse at our jobs. So if you want to stay young and live longer, you
need to focus on getting a good night of sleep as often as possible.

Diet is also crucial. When analyzing the Okinawan diet, scientists have
discovered that they consume fewer calories than most other places in
the world. The Okinawans restrict their calories, but they have excellent
and highly nutritious diets. They consume almost no empty calories, and
they only eat until they're 80% full. Many of them practice intermittent
fasting, or have days where they eat fewer calories.

Although the population generally eats small and limited portions, their
diet is incredibly varied. On average, they consume 18 different types of
foods per day, and favor many vegetables and legumes. Furthermore,
their diets are low on salt and sugar and very high in antioxidants. If you
want to up your antioxidant intake and add some variety and exoticism to
your daily plate, why not try sweet potatoes, miso, kelp, tofu, or oily fish?
Other great things to add to our diets are beverages like green tea and
jasmine tea.

Adopting a Resilient Mindset

How do you react when things don't go your way?

We can continually improve how we deal with setbacks, and if we truly

want to master our ikigai, we have to learn how to handle obstacles. To
develop a more resilient mindset, we need to embrace life's
imperfections and the fact that time is limited. What's more, we need to
discard any feelings of fragility and learn to build our strength from within.

The Japanese embrace two beautiful terms, "wabi-sabi," and "iche-go

iche-e." Wabi-sabi is the belief that there's beauty in imperfection, and
that reality is better than fantasy. It's the idea of finding flaws and seeing
the beauty within them. Perhaps you've heard of kintsugi? This is the art
of repairing broken pottery by fixing it with lacquer, usually dyed gold.
Rather than hiding flaws with clear glue, the Japanese celebrate the
breakage by drawing attention to it. Iche-go Iche-e is about celebrating
the here and now. Many Japanese objects and their traditional
architecture are distinguishable by the use of natural and fragile
materials. This focus on the delicate and impermanent, emphasizes the
ethereal and fleeting quality of life, and reminds us to live in the present.

Building resilience is also about protecting yourself. As the saying goes,

'Don't put all your eggs in one basket.' Create options for yourself, so if
things don't go as planned, you have alternatives; you also need to
balance taking risks and being conservative. Get rid of low-value pursuits
that sap your time and energy needlessly; focus instead on everything
that adds value and meaning to your life.

In Conclusion

Ikigai is a book that shows us that there's extraordinary beauty in

simplicity. By embracing the rhythm of life, and pouring our energy into
meaningful pursuits, we will live longer and more fulfilled lives.

We should all be inspired by the number of Japanese Takumi who are

way past the Western retirement age. In fact, the Japanese believe that
we should never retire, and that we need to keep up with our ikigai
indefinitely. Whereas many of us think that to achieve our goals we need
to rush through processes, the Japanese believe that true
accomplishment comes from a steady but energetic pace.

Finally, connect your body and mind to your purpose, and realize that
your body needs to be nurtured in order to fulfill this purpose. Focus on
eating well, exercising often, sleeping more, smiling, and being sociable.
Connect with friends and family, delight in the wonders of nature, live in
the moment, and find harmony through gratitude.

Searching for perfection is futile; instead, why not find your ikigai and
celebrate the beauty of imperfection.