Ikigai Book Summary: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

If you are in search of living a happy and long life then this is the book you should read and if you don’t have that much time to read the whole book, then this short summary will help you find the method of a happy and long life. 

Ikigai is a book written by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles. This book gives an idea about living a long and happy life and what are the main life habits which are adopted by people of Okinawan Japan.

 

Reason to read the Ikigai book:

 

One should develop life habits that can help someone achieve his purpose in life. With the help of this book, you will get to know about your ikigai, which means what is the purpose of your life. Everyone should follow the rule: make something a passion in your life so that you never get bored of that and never retire yourself, always do something whether in the form of some hobby. These things will make you happy and help you to live a long life.

 

What is Ikigai?

 

Ikigai is a Japanese word and ikigai stands for the meaning of life. As ‘Iki’ in Japanese means ‘life,’ and ‘gai’ describes value or worth. Ikigai is a life living method adopted by the people of Okinawan, Japan. With the help of ikigai, one can lead a very happy and long life.

 

10 Rules of ikigai:

 

Stay Active Don’t retire:

 

Everyone should stay active in life whatever their age may be. Daily, the person should wake up with more energy to do more work or follow his/her daily routine. People of Okinawa do not retire even at the age of 90 years. 

People in very old age do their own work which is the main reason for their health and happiness. They do whatever they like, whether it is gardening, working in the field, etc. these things make them happy and healthy.

 

Take it Slow:

 

Everybody should follow this, you don’t need to hurry in each and everything. Take life easy and go slow on life as there is a saying ‘Walk slowly and you’ll go far.’ So be easy on life and follow your routine even at a slow pace it will get you very good results.

When we try to move fast and we want to grab each and everything. We get trapped into a circle where we get more stress and less happiness. Even though we are not happy at our work. That is why we can’t lead a happy and healthy life.

 

 

Don’t fill your stomach:

 

The diet of Okinawa people is also very simple. They eat very small meals which include fruits, vegetables, fish, lean meat, tofu, etc. they rarely eat sugar, when they eat sugar it’s mostly cane sugar. Their average daily intake of calories is also less than most Americans. They eat less salt than the rest of Japan.

 

Surround yourself with good friends:

 

Friendship is a relationship that is very close to humans. Friends are those who stick with you even in the hardest time of your life. So people of Okinawa also give full respect to friendship. As the island is very small most of the people know each other. 

 

So there is a strong bond between people and each other. As a result, Okinawans people have a lot of value for maintaining good relationships with their friends. This can be seen in the way they interact every day.

 

Get in shape for your next birthday:

 

The people of Okinawa who are above 80 or 90 years old are also active. They do their routine work. They don’t rest or watch tv at home. People here walk a lot. In Okinawa, there are no gyms. People do their routine work. Some take part in dance and martial arts, others do gardening, etc.

Routine access to sunshine and exercise people are more healthy and active. They don’t retire at any age. With help of this technique, people on this tiny island stay fit and in shape always.

 

Smile:

 

Okinawa is a remote island and most residents of Okinawa can’t get basic goods and services. Even after this, the people of Okinawa are cheerful. They believe being happy is the secret to a long life. This attitude makes them relax and helps them to make new friends. As there are no bars in Okinawa. 

 

Smiling does more than tell other people you’re happy. Smiling lowers your heart rate and reduces blood pressure while relaxing your body. A study from University College London found that cheerful people are 35 percent more likely to live longer. 

 

Reconnect with nature:

 

To live a happy life one should have ikigai. People in Okinawa give more importance to gardening. They grow their vegetables and fruits. They get together at local markets and meet each other there. Which keeps them busy, happy, and active.

 

The people of Okinawa love nature and are surrounded by lush greenery. Now in today’s world people are behind materialistic things they can’t even understand the value of nature. Nature gives inner happiness and even studies show that people surrounded by greenery have fewer chances of cancer and respiratory diseases.

 

Give Thanks:

 

The people of Okinawa give thanks for even the smallest things. They thank nature for providing air and water. They thank their ancestors and even they thank god for giving a good harvest in the form of a festival in which they have a tug of war.

 

Apart from increasing happiness, gratitude also improves your physical health. Reduces stress level. Stress is associated with many diseases. You can be thankful for what you have, it can be health, goods you own, and your family. When we are thankful we genuinely feel great.

 

Live the moment:

 

Japanese people are known for their absorption in their tasks. The people of Okinawa are also working in flow even if they are working in their garden they work in flow with full attention to the details of their work. 

If we apply the flow rule in our life it will be much easier to do our tasks. As everyone should pay full attention to their work. For example, if you are climbing a mountain and you are not in the flow and not paying attention. Then only a single wrong move of the foot can cause you to lose your life. That is why living in the moment is compulsory.

 

Follow your ikigai:

 

Everyone should follow ikigai to make life fruitful. To live a long and happy life one should have a motive for waking up and doing a daily routine. This will make their life happier and more meaningful.

 

Conclusion:

 

Ikigai is a way of leading life. Which everyone should adopt in his life. First of all, everyone should find their ikigai and follow your ikigai. Which will help you to find the meaning of your life. 

With a life that has meaning, you will not get tired of the work you do, you will enjoy it more every day. Which can lead you to live a very happy and healthy life.