The secret to a long and happy life
Hector Garcia believes it’s 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 bestselling book, written by Hector Garcia. Even before I knew of the book, I had heard of this Japanese concept from several friends and coworkers and it had intrigued me — so I was obviously overjoyed when we selected this book for our podcast discussion.
What is Ikigai?
Ikigai is the overlap between passion, mission, vocation, and profession. i.e. what you are good at, what you love, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. I have struggled to figure out what that overlap would look like for me — do you know your Ikigai? Although I am still on the journey to figure it out, after reading this book, I believe that having a clearly defined Ikigai can bring satisfaction, happiness, and meaning to our lives. And, we have to keep looking for all those little things that can add up to a long and happy life.
According to the Japanese, everyone has an Ikigai — what a French philosopher might call a raison d’être. Some people have found their Ikigai, while others are still looking, though they carry it within them. Our Ikigai is hidden deep inside each of us, and finding it requires a patient search. According to those born on Okinawa, the island with the most centenarians in the world, our Ikigai is the reason we get up in the morning.
Finding your purpose and meaning
The book also mentions a school of therapy called Logotherapy, created by Victor Frankl. I love the idea of Logotherapy — how it challenges you to get better and do better and find meaning for yourself. They mention in this book that once Frankl defined Logotherapy as “Well, in logotherapy the patient sits up straight and has to listen to things that are, on occasion, hard to hear.” Logotherapy pushes people to consciously discover their life’s purpose, giving meaning to lives and motivating them to get past any hurdles. “He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how.” — I believe this to be true like we hear these stories of strength where people go to great lengths, maybe do the unthinkable or impossible, there’s always someone or something to live for or die for in those cases.
Turning work and free time into spaces for growth
What makes us enjoy doing something so much that we forget about whatever worries we might have while we do it? When are we happiest? These questions can help us discover our Ikigai.
I think my Ikigai lies in reading — maybe that’s why my life revolves around reading books and talking about books. Have you found yours?
The state of flow
Being in flow means that we are in that zone where we enjoy what we are doing while challenging ourselves, where we are the most activated mentally. I love the mention of a concept called microflow — which is our ability to turn routine tasks into moments of microflow, into something we enjoy. According to the author, it is the key to our being happy since we all have to do such tasks. Even Bill Gates washes the dishes every night; he says he enjoys it — that it helps him relax and clear his mind, and that he tries to do it a little better each day, following an established order or set of rules he’s made for himself: plates first, fork second, and so on. I really loved this bit — I think we all shirk away from these mundane tasks and hope someone else will pick them up, instead of being responsible adults who would pull their weight and be a team together. It really puts unnecessary weight on our partner or family if we are not contributing.
The role of community
When it comes to old age, I see the value of community. Like for my own parents, I sometimes feel that they might be lonely now that kids have moved out and also because they don’t put the effort in making their own hobbies (a lot also comes from a culture that earlier people stayed with families and that’s changing now) so I feel having good neighbors or relatives close by is really important.
Healthy Diet and Exercise
This one is very obvious but still very important. One insight from the book that needs to be reiterated is:
Both mind and body are important, and that the health of one is connected to that of the other.
Research has shown that chronic stress can lead to premature aging because the body wears down much faster during periods of crisis. And, it should come as no surprise that taking care of both our mental and physical health plays a vital role in the longevity as well as the quality of our lives. Eating a healthy diet of plants and fresh foods, and creating room for movement in our day can go a long way in improving our lives. The book also mentions an 80% rule — which means we fill our stomachs to 80% capacity and don’t overeat. This minor change can have a major impact on our health and overall energy.
