Firstly, let us understand what is “ikigai.” According to the authors Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles, Ikigai is the reason for living. Ikigai, being an existential fuel to life, is important for all people who want to have a long and happy life. According to a Japanese proverb, only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years. The stories of centenarians confirm, that it is crucial for longevity to keep doing what you love for as long as health allows. The authors stressed that happiness is in the doing, not in the result. Happy people are not the ones who achieve the most. They are the ones who spend more time then others in a state of flow.
The Authors use the ideas of a would-famous psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi to explain “flow state”. Flow is the focus on a concrete task without any distractions. There are two important conditions to achieve flow: 1. A Clearly defined objective 2. To Focus on the process. The authors give following recommendations for creating space and time free of distractions:
1. Don’t look at any kind of screen for the first hour you are awake and the last hour before you go to sleep.
2. Turn off the phone before you achieve flow.
3. One day per week – technological detox.
4. Read and respond to e-mail 2 times per day. Define the time clearly and stick to it.
5. Use Pomodoro technic.
6. Start your work session with a ritual.
7. Practice mindfulness.
From the book it is clear, that flow is like a muscle: the more you train it, the more you will flow.
Secondly, for happiness it is critical to know what you can control and what you can’t. Why? Because the feeling of anxiety and lost depends on our reaction to the facts. In this matter meditation helps. The authors share the meditation by zen master Morita. It consists of three questions:
1. What have I received from a person X?
2. What have I given to a person X?
3. What problems have I caused to a person X?
The answers might deepen the sense of responsibility.
I feel quite enthusiastic about ideas proposed by a modern philosopher Nassim Taleb. His concept of “Antifragility” explains that things get stronger when harmed up to a point. Based on this concept, Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles make the following recommendations how to become an antifragile person:
1. Create more options. Instead of having a single salary, try to find a way to make money from hobbies, other jobs or your own business. There is the same suggestion for relations. Do not focus all energy on one partner but cultivate strong relations with other people and a full life along the way. This means: Do not sit/stay/remain in a comfort zone.
2. Be conservative in certain areas and take small risks in others. Small risks might lead to a great reward. They also might fail, but the losses would be low.
3. Get rid of the things that makes you fragile. Ask yourself: What makes me fragile? It might be people, things, habits.
I hope that my summary is useful for you and will encourage you to some actions to improve your lifestyle.