Epigraph
Prologue
Ikigai: A mysterious word
I. Ikigai
The art of staying young while growing old
II. Antiaging Secrets
Little things that add up to a long and happy life
III. From Logotherapy to Ikigai
How to live longer and better by finding your purpose
IV. Find Flow in Everything You Do
How to turn work and free time into spaces for growth
V. Masters of Longevity
Words of wisdom from the longest-living people in the world
VI. Lessons from Japan's Centenarians Traditions and proverbs for happiness and longevity
VII. The Ikigai Diet
What the world's longest-living people eat and drink
VIII. Gentle Movements, Longer Life
Exercises from the East that promote health and longevity
IX. Resilience and Wabi-sabi How
to face life's challenges without letting stress and worry age you
Epilogue
Ikigai: The art of living
Ikigai: A mysterious word Okinawa village Japan's secret
I IKIGAI The art of staying young while growing old
What is your reason for being?
What you love
PASSION
MISSION
What
you are good at
IKIGAI
PROFESSION
What the world needs
VOCATION
What you can be paid for
Based on a diagram by Mark Winn
Whatever you do, don’t retire! Having a clearly defined ikigai brings satisfaction, happiness, and meaning to our lives.
The island of (almost) eternal youth
Recent medical studies of centenarians from Okinawa and other so-called Blue Zones—the geographic regions where people live longest— provide a number of interesting facts about these extraordinary human beings: Not only do they live much longer than the rest of the world’s population, they also suffer from fewer chronic illnesses such as cancer and heart disease; inflammatory disorders are also less common. Many of these centenarians enjoy enviable levels of vitality and health that would be unthinkable for people of advanced age elsewhere. Their blood tests reveal fewer free radicals (which are responsible for cellular aging), as a result of drinking tea and eating until their stomachs are only 80 percent full. Women experience more moderate symptoms during menopause, and both men and women maintain higher levels of sexual hormones until much later in life. The rate of dementia is well below the global average.
The five Blue Zones Okinawa holds first place among the world’s Blue Zones. In Okinawa, women in particular live longer and have fewer diseases than anywhere else in the world. The five regions identified and analyzed by Dan Buettner in his book The Blue Zones are: 1. Okinawa, Japan (especially the northern part of the island). The locals eat a diet rich in vegetables and tofu typically served on small plates. In addition to their philosophy of ikigai, the moai, or close-knit group of friends (see page 15), plays an important role in their longevity. 2. Sardinia, Italy (specifically the provinces of Nuoro and Ogliastra). Locals on this island consume plenty of vegetables and one or two glasses of wine per day. As in Okinawa, the cohesive nature of this community is another factor directly related to longevity. 3. Loma Linda, California. Researchers studied a group of Seventh-day Adventists who are among the longest-living people in the United States. 4. The Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica. Locals remain remarkably active after ninety; many of the region’s older residents have no problem getting up at five thirty in the morning to work in the fields.5. Ikaria, Greece. One of every three inhabitants of this island near the coast of Turkey is over ninety years old (compared to less than 1 percent of the population of the United States), a fact that has earned it the nickname the Island of Long Life. The local secret seems to be a lifestyle that dates back to 500 BC.
The 80 percent secret
“Fill your belly to 80 percent.”
Moai: Connected for life
Financial help emotional help
s, the feeling of belonging and support gives the individual a sense of security and helps increase life expectancy.
II ANTIAGING SECRETS Little things that add up to a long and happy life
Active mind, youthful body
Exercise for mind and body
(“a sound mind in a sound body”):
Be mindful about reducing stress
We have to learn to turn off the autopilot that’s steering us in an endless loop.
We all know people who snack while talking on the phone or watching the news.
Achieving mindfulness involves a gradual process of training, but with a bit of practice we can learn to focus our mind completely, which reduces stress and helps us live longer.
A little stress is good for you
While sustained, intense stress is a known enemy of longevity and both mental and physical health
A lot of sitting will age you
we just have to add a few ingredients to our everyday habits: Walk to work, or just go on a walk for at least twenty minutes each day. Use your feet instead of an elevator or escalator. This is good for your posture, your muscles, and your respiratory system, among other things. Participate in social or leisure activities so that you don’t spend too much time in front of the television. Replace your junk food with fruit and you’ll have less of an urge to snack, and more nutrients in your system. Get the right amount of sleep. Seven to nine hours is good, but any more than that makes us lethargic. Play with children or pets, or join a sports team. This not only strengthens the body but also stimulates the mind and boosts self-esteem. Be conscious of your daily routine in order to detect harmful habits and replace them with more positive ones. By making these small changes, we can begin to renew our bodies and minds and increase our life expectancy.
A models best keep secret
living as models claim to sleep between nine and ten hours the night before a fashion show.
A powerful antioxidant, melatonin helps us live longer, and also offers the following benefits: It strengthens the immune system. It contains an element that protects against cancer. It promotes the natural production of insulin. It slows the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. It helps prevent osteoporosis and fight heart disease. For all these reasons, melatonin is a great ally in preserving youth. It should be noted, however, that melatonin production decreases after age thirty. We can compensate for this by: Eating a balanced diet and getting more calcium. Soaking up a moderate amount of sun each day. Getting enough sleep. Avoiding stress, alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine, all of which make it harder to get a good night’s rest, depriving us of the melatonin we need.
Antiaging attitudes
found that the people who live the longest have two dispositional traits in common: a positive attitude and a high degree of emotional awareness. In other words, those who face challenges with a positive outlook and are able to manage their emotions are already well on their way toward longevity. A stoic attitude—serenity in the face of a setback—
An ode to longevity
To keep healthy and have a long life, eat just a little of everything with relish, go to bed early, get up early, and then go out for a walk. We live each day with serenity and we enjoy the journey. To keep healthy and have a long life, we get on well with all of our friends. Spring, summer, fall, winter, we happily enjoy all the seasons.The secret is to not get distracted by how old the fingers are; from the fingers to the head and back once again. If you keep moving with your fingers working, 100 years will come to you.*
III FROM LOGOTHERAPY TO IKIGAI How to live longer and better by finding your purpose
The search for meaning
Fight for yourself
Better living through logotherapy: A few key ideas We don’t create the meaning of our life, as Sartre claimed—we discover it. We each have a unique reason for being, which can be adjusted or transformed many times over the years. Just as worry often brings about precisely the thing that was feared, excessive attention to a desire (or “hyper-intention”) can keep that desire from being fulfilled. Humor can help break negative cycles and reduce anxiety. We all have the capacity to do noble or terrible things. The side of the equation we end up on depends on our decisions, not on the condition in which we find ourselves.
The basic principles of Morita therapy
1.Accept your feelings.
2.Do what you should be doing
3.Discover your life’s purpose.
Naikan meditation
1. What have I received from person X? 2. What have I given to person X? 3. What problems have I caused person X?
And now, ikigai
IV FIND FLOW IN EVERYTHING YOU DO How to turn work and free time into spaces for growth
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.—Aristotle
Going with the flow
The power of flow
The Seven Conditions for Achieving Flow
1. Knowing what to do
2. Knowing how to do it
3. Knowing how well you are doing
4. Knowing where to go (where navigation is involved)
5. Perceiving significant challenges
6. Perceiving significant skills
7. Being free from distractions
Strategy 1: Choose a difficult task (but not too difficult!)
Strategy 2: Have a clear, concrete objective
We should ask ourselves questions such as: What is my objective for today’s session in the studio? How many words am I going to write today for the article coming out next month? What is my team’s mission? How fast will I set the metronome tomorrow in order to play that sonata at an allegro tempo by the end of the week?
Strategy 3: Concentrate on a single task
Concentrating on one thing at a time may be the single most important factor in achieving flow. According to Csikszentmihalyi, in order to focus on a task we need:
1. To be in a distraction-free environment
2. To have control over what we are doing at every moment
What can we do to avoid falling victim to this flow-impeding epidemic?
How can we train our brains to focus on a single task?
Here are a few ideas for creating a space and time free of distractions, to increase our chances of reaching a state of flow and thereby getting in touch with our ikigai:
Don’t look at any kind of screen for the first hour you’re awake and the last hour before you go to sleep. Turn off your phone before you achieve flow.
There is nothing more important than the task you have chosen to do during this time.
If this seems too extreme, enable the “do not disturb” function so only the people closest to you can contact you in case of emergency. Designate one day of the week, perhaps a Saturday or Sunday, a day of technological “fasting,” making exceptions only for e-readers (without WiFi) or MP3 players.
Go to a café that doesn’t have Wi-Fi. Read and respond to e-mail only once or twice per day. Define those times clearly and stick to them.
Try the Pomodoro Technique: Get yourself a kitchen timer (some are made to look like a pomodoro, or tomato) and commit to working on a single task as long as it’s running. The Pomodoro Technique recommends 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes of rest for each cycle, but you can also do 50 minutes of work and 10 minutes of rest. Find the pace that’s best for you; the most important thing is to be disciplined in completing each cycle.
Start your work session with a ritual you enjoy and end it with a reward.
Train your mind to return to the present when you find yourself getting distracted.
Practice mindfulness or another form of meditation, go for a walk or a swim—whatever will help you get centered again.
Work in a space where you will not be distracted.
If you can’t do this at home, go to a library, a café, or, if your task involves playing the saxophone, a music studio.
If you find that your surroundings continue to distract you, keep looking until you find the right place.
Divide each activity into groups of related tasks, and assign each group its own place and time.
For example, if you’re writing a magazine article, you could do research and take notes at home in the morning, write in the library in the afternoon, and edit on the couch at night.
Bundle routine tasks—such as sending out invoices, making phone calls, and so on—and do them all at once.
Flow in Japan: Takumis, engineers, geniuses, and otakus
Toyota employs “artisans” who are able to make a certain type of screw by hand. These takumi, or experts in a particular manual skill, are extremely important to Toyota, and they are hard to replace. Some of them are the only people who know how to perform their exact skill, and it doesn’t seem as though a new generation is going to take up the mantle.
Sophisticated simplicity What do Japanese artisans, engineers, Zen philosophy, and cuisine have in common? Simplicity and attention to detail. It is not a lazy simplicity but a sophisticated one that searches out new frontiers, always taking the object, the body and mind, or the cuisine to the next level, according to one’s ikigai. As Csikszentmihalyi would say, the key is always having a meaningful challenge to overcome in order to maintain flow.
The Japanese are skilled at bringing nature and technology together: not man versus nature, but rather a union of the two.
two ikigais
Microflow: Enjoying mundane tasks
Instant vacations: Getting there through meditation
Training the mind can get us to a place of flow more quickly. Meditation is one way to exercise our mental muscles. There are many types of meditation, but they all have the same objective: calming the mind, observing our thoughts and emotions, and centering our focus on a single object.
Humans as ritualistic beings Life is inherently ritualistic. We could argue that humans naturally follow rituals that keep us busy. In some modern cultures, we have been forced out of our ritualistic lives to pursue goal after goal in order to be seen as successful.
What do the activities that drive you to flow have in common? Why do those activities drive you to flow? For example, are all the activities you most like doing ones that you practice alone or with other people? Do you flow more when doing things that require you to move your body or just to think?
V MASTERS OF LONGEVITY Words of wisdom from the longest-living people in the world
“Eat and sleep, and you’ll live a long time. You have to learn to relax.
I’ve never eaten meat in my life.”
“Everything’s fine.”
If you keep your mind and body busy, you’ll be around a long time.”
“I just haven’t died yet.”
VI LESSONS FROM JAPAN’S CENTENARIANS Traditions and proverbs for happiness and longevity
Celebrate each day, together
The older, the stronger
Don’t worry
Cultivate good habits
Nurture your friendships every day
4. Live an unhurried life “My secret to a long life is always saying to myself, ‘Slow down,’ and ‘Relax.’ You live much longer if you’re not in a hurry.” “I make things with wicker. That’s my ikigai. The first thing I do when I wake up is pray. Then I do my exercises and eat breakfast. At seven I calmly start working on my wicker. When I get tired at five, I go visit my friends.” “Doing many different things every day. Always staying busy, but doing one thing at a time, without getting overwhelmed.” “The secret to long life is going to bed early, waking up early, and going for a walk. Living peacefully and enjoying the little things. Getting along with your friends. Spring, summer, fall, winter . . . enjoying each season, happily.” 5. Be optimistic “Every day I say to myself, ‘Today will be full of health and energy. Live it to the fullest.’” “I’m ninety-eight, but consider myself young. I still have so much to do.” “Laugh. Laughter is the most important thing. I laugh wherever I go.” “I’m going to live to be a hundred. Of course I am! It’s a huge motivation for me.” “Dancing and singing with your grandchildren is the best thing in life.” “I feel very fortunate to have been born here. I give thanks for it every day.” “The most important thing in Ogimi, in life, is to keep smiling.” “I do volunteer work to give back to the village a bit of what it has given to me. For example, I use my car to help friends get to the hospital.” “There’s no secret to it. The trick is just to live.”
VII THE IKIGAI DIET What the world’s longest-living people eat and drink
Okinawa’s miracle diet
Locals eat a wide variety of foods, especially vegetables
They eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
Grains are the foundation of their diet.
They rarely eat sugar,
When you notice you’re almost full but could have a little more . . . just stop eating! 80percent only Fill stomach
So, eat less to live longer?
The key to staying healthy while consuming fewer calories is eating
15 natural antioxidants found in the Okinawan diet Antioxidants are molecules that slow the oxidation process in cells, neutralizing the free radicals that cause damage and accelerate aging
Sanpin-cha: The reigning infusion in Okinawa
The secrets of green tea
Reducing the risk of heart attack Strengthening the immune system Helping relieve stress Lowering cholesterol
Controlling cholesterol Lowering blood sugar levels Improving circulation Protection against the flu (vitamin C) Promoting bone health (fluoride) Protection against certain bacterial infections Protection against UV damage Cleansing and diuretic effects
The powerful shikuwasa Shikuwasa is the citrus fruit par excellence of Okinawa, and Ogimi is its largest producer in all of Japan.
The Antioxidant Canon, for Westerners In 2010 the UK’s Daily Mirror published a list of foods recommended by experts to combat aging. Among these foods readily available in the West are: Vegetables such as broccoli and chard, for their high concentration of water, minerals, and fiber Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines, for all the antioxidants in their fat Fruits such as citrus, strawberries, and apricots; they are an excellent source of vitamins and help eliminate toxins from the body Berries such as blueberries and goji berries; they are rich in phytochemical antioxidants Dried fruits, which contain vitamins and antioxidants, and give you energy Grains such as oats and wheat, which give you energy and contain minerals Olive oil, for its antioxidant effects that show in your skin Red wine, in moderation, for its antioxidant and vasodilatory properties Foods that should be eliminated are refined sugar and grains, processed baked goods, and prepared foods, along with cow’s milk and all its derivatives. Following this diet will help you feel younger and slow the derivatives. Following this diet will help you feel younger and slow the process of premature aging.
VIII GENTLE MOVEMENTS, LONGER LIFE Exercises from the East that promote health and longevity
Exercise normal lightly daily
IX RESILIENCE AND WABI-SABI How to face life’s challenges without letting stress and worry age you
What is resilience
Fall seven times, rise eight. —Japanese proverb
Resilience is our ability to deal with setbacks. The more resilient we are, the easier it will be to pick ourselves up and get back to what gives meaning to our lives. Resilient people know how to stay focused on their objectives, on what matters, without giving in to discouragement. Their flexibility is the source of their strength: They know how to adapt to change and to reversals of fortune. They concentrate on the things they can control and don’t worry about those they can’t. In the words of the famous Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr:
God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.
Emotional resilience
our pleasures and desires are not the problem. We can enjoy them as long as they don't take control of us.
Meditating for healthier emotions
hat we can control and what we can’t,
“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react that matters.”
meditation is a way to become aware of our desires and emotions and thereby free ourselves from them. It is not simply a question of keeping the mind free of thoughts but instead involves observing our thoughts and emotions as they appear, without getting carried away by them. In this way, we train our minds not to get swept up in anger, jealousy, or resentment
Wabi-sabi and ichi-go ichi-e
Instead of searching for beauty in perfection, we should look for it in things that are flawed, incomplete. This is why the Japanese place such value
Beyond resilience: Antifragility
Step 1: Create redundancies
Instead of having a single salary, try to find a way to make money from your hobbies, at other jobs, or by starting your own business
The same idea goes for friendships and personal interests.
Step 3: Get rid of the things that make you fragile
EPILOGUE Ikigai: The art of living
Happiness is always determined by your heart.”
Conclusion
Modern life estranges us more and more from our true nature, making it very easy for us to lead lives lacking in meaning. Powerful forces and incentives (money, power, attention, success) distract us on a daily basis; don’t let them take over your life.
Our intuition and curiosity are very powerful internal compasses to help us connect with our ikigai. Follow those things you enjoy, and get away from or change those you dislike. Be led by your curiosity, and keep busy by doing things that fill you with meaning and happiness. It doesn’t need to be a big thing: we might find meaning in being good parents or in helping our neighbors.
Life is not a problem to be solved. Just remember to have something that keeps you busy doing what you love while being surrounded by the people who love you.
The ten rules of ikigai
1. Stay active; don’t retire. Those who give up the things they love doing and do well lose their purpose in life. That’s why it’s so important to keep doing things of value, making progress, bringing beauty or utility to others, helping out, and shaping the world around you, even after your “official” professional activity has ended. 2. Take it slow. Being in a hurry is inversely proportional to quality of life. As the old saying goes, “Walk slowly and you’ll go far.” When we leave urgency behind, life and time take on new meaning. 3. Don’t fill your stomach. Less is more when it comes to eating for long life, too. According to the 80 percent rule, in order to stay healthier longer, we should eat a little less than our hunger demands instead of stuffing ourselves. 4. Surround yourself with good friends. Friends are the best medicine, there for confiding worries over a good chat, sharing stories that brighten your day, getting advice, having fun, dreaming . . . in other words, living. 5. Get in shape for your next birthday. Water moves; it is at its best when it flows fresh and doesn’t stagnate. The body you move through life in needs a bit of daily maintenance to keep it running for a long time. Plus, exercise releases hormones that make us feel happy. 6. Smile. A cheerful attitude is not only relaxing—it also helps make friends. It’s good to recognize the things that aren’t so great, but we should never forget what a privilege it is to be in the here and now in a world so full of possibilities. 7. Reconnect with nature. Though most people live in cities these days, human beings are made to be part of the natural world. We should return to it often to recharge our batteries. 8. Give thanks. To your ancestors, to nature, which provides you with the air you breathe and the food you eat, to your friends and family, to everything that brightens your days and makes you feel lucky to be alive. Spend a moment every day giving thanks, and you’ll watch your stockpile of happiness grow. 9. Live in the moment. Stop regretting the past and fearing the future. Today is all you have. Make the most of it. Make it worth remembering. 10. Follow your ikigai. There is a passion inside you, a unique talent that gives meaning to your days and drives you to share the best of yourself until the very end. If you don’t know what your ikigai is yet, as Viktor Frankl says, your mission is to discover it. The authors of this book wish you a long, happy, and purposeful life. Thank you for joining us, HÉCTOR GARCÍA AND FRANCESC MIRALLES
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