Lessons from Ikigai: The Japanese Secret To a Long and Happy Life

 Introduction. 

Have you ever asked yourself, "What is my purpose in life?" It is a question many ponder over. Some discover their purpose early in life, some in old age, but for most, the search continues. 

But why is it so important? Well, for human beings, "purpose" is the fuel that keeps us alive. It is the reason we wake up each morning, the source of fulfillment, and the feeling of truly being alive, rather than just simply existing. Our purpose gives us our identity.

The people of Ogimi from the Okinawa prefecture in Japan have uncovered the secrets of living meaningful, long and happy lives. Okinawa is known for its longevity, with its elders living over the age of 100 years. Ikigai, published by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles, explores the elements that allow Okinwans to achieve such contentment even during old age.

Ikigai.

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that translates to 'reason for being.' This book can serve as a guide to help discover one's ikigai. For an individual to determine their purpose, they must be able to answer the following four questions:

1. What do you love?
2. What are you good at?
3. What can you get paid for?
4. What does the world need?

Answering these questions helps us determine our passion, profession, vocation, and mission. Identifying these elements allows us to perform routine tasks in a state of flow, which brings about a sense of satisfaction and happiness.

Flow State.

"Be water, my friend", Bruce Lee, perfectly describes what it means to experience flow state. Flow state is a phenomenon that a person experiences when they are so immersed in certain activities that they lose sense of time and their surrounding. They only focus on the present. The past and future don't occupy their minds and they feel a sense of immense pleasure in what they do.

But how does one achieve flow state, especially in a world where the ping of a phone is enough to distract us? The findings of Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles suggest that there are 7 steps to achieve this state of flow, which are:

    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

There are 3 strategies that, if properly implemented, will help reach the flow state effectively. The first strategy is choosing a task that is challenging enough so that it doesn't cause boredom but not too challenging that it results in anxiety. The second is to have a clear objective; this helps prevent mental blocks. Finally, focus on a single task. Multitasking may seem efficient, but in reality, it reduces productivity, creativity, and increases the chances of making mistakes.

Be Antifragile

"Antifragility is beyond resilience and robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better" -Nicholas Taleb-

Antifragility and resilience are essential to face life's challenges. Resilience is one's ability to endure setbacks, but antifragility goes beyond endurance. It is when an individual becomes stronger in the face of catastrophe. The book describes 3 techniques to become antifragile.

The first is to have a backup plan. In Ogimi, it was discovered that all the senior citizens had two sources of income. This way if they lose their primary jobs they would still have an income to survive on, making them antifragile. The same advice can be applied in other aspects of life like friendships. 

The second is to take small risks. For example, if you have $10, 000 saved, you can transfer $9000 into a fixed deposit and invest the remaining $1000 in 10 start-ups. If 3 of those startups fail, you would still earn an amount from the remaining start-ups. 

The third is to remove things that make you fragile. Reflect on yourself and evaluate what habits, things or even people make you fragile. Then take gradual steps to remove them, for instance, in this day and age mindless scrolling is a bad habit that affects our productivity. It can be reduced by setting a time limit say using the phone for only 2 hours a day. Apps like Digital Wellbeing can be used to track time spent scrolling, which will make you more conscious about how much time you spend on the phone.

Conclusion

Finding one's purpose in life is a journey. For some, it clicks instantly while for others, it is a slower process. Most importantly Ikigai is about enjoying the present and not stressing too much about the future or reliving the past. As the authors' advice, allow curiosity to lead you. Experiment with things that you think are interesting and continue learning, without comparing your progress to someone else's. As a famous haikuist, Mitsuo Aida once wrote, "Keep going; don't change your path".