Ikigai - the Japanese secret to a long and happy life

A quick summary of my key takeaways from the book "Ikigai - The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life" by Hector Garcia.

Chapter 3: The basic principles of Morita therapy

  1. Accept your feelings. Similar to the weather, we cannot predict or control them, we can only observe them.
  2. Do what you should be doing. Don't focus on eliminating symptoms, just focus on the present moment and avoid intellectualizing the situation.
  3. Discover your life's purpose. Have a clear sense of our purpose and ask ourselves: "What do we need to be doing right now? What action should we be taking?"

Chapter 9: Resilience and wabi-sabi

七転び八起き「Nana korobi ya oki」
Fall seven times, rise eight - Japanese proverb
- Chapter 9: Reilience and wabi-sabi
We all have to face difficult moments at some point in our lives, and the way we approach these setbacks will make a huge difference to our quality of life.

Will we be able to stay focused on our objectives and pick ourselves up? Or will we give up and give in?

Epilogue: The ten rules of ikigai

  1. Stay active and don't give up on the things you love doing.
  2. Take it slow. As the old saying goes, "Walk slowly and you'll go far."
  3. Don't fill your stomach. (I.e. don't overeat and stuff yourself.)
  4. Surround yourself with good friends.
  5. Get in shape. You are never too old to exercise.
  6. Smile. :)
  7. Reconnect with nature.
  8. Practice gratitude and give thanks.
  9. Live in the moment.
  10. Follow your ikigai, whatever that is. And if you don't know what it is, then go discover it.

Notable quotes:

Happiness is in the doing, not in the result. As a rule of thumb, remind yourself: "Rituals over goals."
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.
- Chapter 4: Find Flow in Everything You Do

Washington Burnap stated two hundred years ago: "The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for."
- Chapter 6: Lessons from Japan's Centenarians

今ここにしかない私の命あなたの命
"In the here and now, the only thing in my life is your life" - Mitsuo Aida
- Epilogue

幸せはいつも自分の心が決める
"Happiness is always determined by your heart" - Mitsuo Aida
- Epilogue

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