Take it Slow- Ikigai helps Okinawa residents be more mindful in their daily lives. The concept of ikigai has its roots in Zen Buddhism, which emphasizes the importance of living in the present moment and keeping an open mind. Don’t Fill Your Stomach-  The “Okinawa diet” includes at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, with small amounts of fish and lean meat. They rarely eat sugar, and, if they do, it’s cane sugar. The average daily intake of an Okinawan is about 1,900 calories.

Okinawan and Well Being

Research shows that friends can affect your health even more than family. People with the most friends tend to outlive those with the fewest by 22 percent. Keep in mind that this means real friends. The authors point out that Facebook friends and Twitter followers do not count.The key is to have three or four good friends that care for you the same way you care for them. The easiest way to develop close friendships is to think about what you can do to help the people closest to you be happier.

Surround Yourself With Good Friends

Gratitude has consistently been associated with positive outcomes. Apart from increasing your happiness levels, gratitude also improves your physical health. It lowers stress levels. Stress is associated with heart attacks and other chronic conditions, but can be reduced by adopting gratitude and encouraging optimism. Optimism increases immune-boosting cells. People who express gratitude are more likely to report higher levels of well-being and satisfaction with their lives. They are also more likely to experience less stress and anxiety and be more resilient in the face of adversity.

Give Thanks

Intensity may deter consistency, so Okinawans strive for simplicity in their forms of exercise. A walk around the neighborhood, a day in the garden, or singing karaoke are just a few simple ways they maintain movement frequently.

Keep moving throughout the day, no matter how little.

<ol><li>Stay active; don’t retire.</li><li>Take it slow.</li><li>Don’t fill your stomach.</li><li>Surround yourself with good friends.</li><li>Get in shape for your next birthday.</li><li>Smile.</li><li>Reconnect with nature.</li><li>Give thanks.</li><li>Live in the moment.</li><li>Follow your ikigai.</li></ol>

The 10 Rules of Ikigai

Finding your ikigai can be as simple as asking four basic questions:<ul><li>PERSONAL</li></ul>What are your strengths? Think of what you do better than everyone else. <ul><li>PURPOSE</li></ul>What does the world need? Imagine something you see that the world lacks.<ul><li>PASSION</li></ul>What are your passions? Picture the things that you could do all day without stopping.<ul><li>PROFIT</li></ul>What can you earn a living doing? You have to make money from your craft, so how can you do that?

Discover your Ikigai 

“The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.”

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that basically means “the happiness of always being busy”. The Japanese word has two characters: ‘iki’ which means life, and ‘gai,’ or value.  Well, what's the happiness in business? Let's find out here!

IKIGAI

“Nana korobi ya oki (Fall seven times, rise eight.)”

Most of us know that we should exercise more, but there always seems to be something more pressing that demands our attention. Whatever the reason, the bottom line is that most of us could benefit from exercising more. As Japanese centenarians show, all you need is light, regular movement in your day. In doing so, you can face the world with strength, joy, and serenity.

Exercise

“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.”

Flow is the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter. It is characterized by a sense of focus and effortless concentration. It is often associated with positive experiences, such as peak performance, and the experience itself becomes highly enjoyable.

Live in the Moment (THE FLOW)

Ikigai explains how you can live a longer and happier life by having a purpose, eating healthy, and not retiring.Many people find themselves trapped in the never-ending need to do everything faster, better, and harder. In contrast, discovering your ikigai will help you slow down and enjoy life more.

Summary

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.

Smile

A Harvard University study showed that people surrounded by lush greenery lived longer, with a lower chance of developing cancer or respiratory illnesses. Over 100 studies have shown that being in nature, living near nature, or even viewing nature can positively impact our lives. Spending time in nature, in particular, appears inherently rewarding, producing a cascade of positive emotions and calming our nervous systems. This, in turn, helps us cultivate greater openness, creativity, connection, generosity, and resilience.

Reconnect With Nature

Hara Hachi Bu is a traditional Okinawan saying that means “eat until you are 80 percent full.” The idea is that you should stop eating when you are no longer feeling hungry, rather than continue to eat until you feel stuffed.This philosophy of eating is based on the belief that it is better to stop eating before you feel too full, as it can lead to indigestion and other health problems. Ways to get started include:<ul><li>Eat slowly</li><li>Focus on food</li><li>Use small vessels</li></ul>

Hara Hachi Bu

The idea is to keep your mind and body active to fill yourself with purpose and ikigai daily. We see retirement as a golden age of holidays and gold. However, retirement kills your ikigai. We need to stop spending so much time worrying about making more money and our eventual retirement.So, never retire. Keep learning, keep changing, and keep growing.

Never Retire

The happiness of being busy with life. :)

Los Angeles Times bestseller • More than 1.5 million copies sold “Workers looking for more fulfilling positions should start by identifying their ikigai.” ―Business Insider “One of the unintended—yet positive—consequences of the [pandemic] is that it is forcing people to reevaluate their jobs, careers, and lives. Use this time wisely, find your personal ikigai, and live your best life.” ―Forbes *And from the same authors, don’t miss The Book of Ichigo Ichie—about making the most of every moment in your life.* * * * Find your ikigai (pronounced ee-key-guy) and bring meaning and joy to all your days. “Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years.” —Japanese proverb According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai—a reason for living. And according to the residents of the Japanese village with the world’s longest-living people, finding it is the key to a happier and longer life. Having a strong sense of ikigai—where what you love, what you’re good at, what you can get paid for, and what the world needs all overlap—means that each day is infused with meaning. It’s the reason we get up in the morning. It’s also the reason many Japanese never really retire (in fact there’s no word in Japanese that means retire in the sense it does in English): They remain active and work at what they enjoy, because they’ve found a real purpose in life—the happiness of always being busy. In researching this book, the authors interviewed the residents of the Japanese village with the highest percentage of 100-year-olds—one of the world’s Blue Zones. Ikigai reveals the secrets to their longevity and happiness: how they eat, how they move, how they work, how they foster collaboration and community, and—their best-kept secret—how they find the ikigai that brings satisfaction to their lives. And it provides practical tools to help you discover your own ikigai. Because who doesn’t want to find happiness in every day? A PENGUIN LIFE TITLE

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Personal Development

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INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • 1.5 MILLION+ COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE “Workers looking for more fulfilling positions should start by identifying their ikigai.” ―Business Insider   “One of the unintended—yet positive—consequences of the [pandemic] is that it is forcing people to reevaluate their jobs, careers, and lives. Use this time wisely, find your personal ikigai, and live your best life.” ―Forbes Find your ikigai (pronounced ee-key-guy) to live longer and bring more meaning and joy to all your days. “Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years.” —Japanese proverb   According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai—a reason for living. And according to the residents of the Japanese village with the world’s longest-living people, finding it is the key to a happier and longer life. Having a strong sense of ikigai—where what you love, what you’re good at, what you can get paid for, and what the world needs all overlap—means that each day is infused with meaning. It’s the reason we get up in the morning. It’s also the reason many Japanese never really retire (in fact there’s no word in Japanese that means retire in the sense it does in English): They remain active and work at what they enjoy, because they’ve found a real purpose in life—the happiness of always being busy. In researching this book, the authors interviewed the residents of the Japanese village with the highest percentage of 100-year-olds—one of the world’s Blue Zones. Ikigai reveals the secrets to their longevity and happiness: how they eat, how they move, how they work, how they foster collaboration and community, and—their best-kept secret—how they find the ikigai that brings satisfaction to their lives. And it provides practical tools to help you discover your own ikigai. Because who doesn’t want to find happiness in every day?

Hector Garcia was born in Spain in 1981 and has been living in Tokyo since 2004. During his spare time he writes aGeekinJapan.com, one of the most widely-read blogs in the world in Spanish and in English, as well as books about his experiences in Japan. He is the author of the bestsellers: Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life and A Geek in Japan. You can find more of Hector's musings at ageekinjapan.com

Héctor García

Francesc Miralles Contijoch is a Catalan writer, essayist, translator, and musician.

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