I am quite sure a lot of people have either already read this book or heard about it.
Ikigai is one of the most cozy book you will come across with a soothing light blue cover. It is an International bestseller and was first published in 2016. More than 1.5 million copies of Ikigai have been sold worldwide till date.
Ikigai is a Japanese word made from two characters iki (life) and gai (value). It literally means 'a reason that gives meaning to one's life' but in the book it is simply portrayed as 'a reason to wake up in the morning'.
Author
Ikigai was written by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles.
Hector Garcia is born in Spain but he has been living in Japan for a long time now. He is well known for his work Ikigai and A Geek In Japan, both the books of Hector are international bestsellers.
Francesc Miralles is also born in Spain. He has written books in the genre of fiction and self help. And he is well known for Ikigai and Love in Lowercase.
About
The main source of this book is that the authors have interviewed many people called Centenarian to know the secret of living a long, healthy and happy life in Japan where longevity (i.e. long life) rate is more than average as compare to the world, (Centenarian is a person who is either 100 years old or more)
Summing up Ikigai is an easy task and a short one too. As I saw it, whole book is divided in four parts. (Not in a sequential order)
- Introduction to the concept of Ikigai and how Japanese people have been living a prosperous life with it.
- How one can discover the Ikigai with the help of given explanation in the book and the ten rules of Ikigai.
- Information about Centenarians, their secrets to a long life and their mindset.
- A bit about our health, some exercises and Yoga and secrets of anti aging. Also how we can handle some of the most difficult situations in our life.
Things worth remembering from book
- Find your Ikigai
- Reconnect with nature
- Surround yourself with good friends
- Stay active and don’t retire
- Take it slow
- Don’t fill your stomach fully
- Give thanks
- Smile
- Live in the moment
Quotes
- There is no future, no past. There is only the present.
- Our ikigai is different for all of us, but one thing we have in common is that we are all searching for meaning.
- The keys to longevity are diet, exercise, finding a purpose in life (an ikigai), and forming strong social ties.
I believe the book Ikigai itself is a guide for almost all the problems an average person can face in his life. If you're facing a health issue, if you seek longevity, if you don't like your job or just want to be happy as simple as that. It will guide you to your desired or "need-but-don't-know-it-yet" lifestyle. It is kind of an omni-solution to the life.