15.05.2020
Ikigai – Japanese secret of harmony and happiness
Ikigai is the Japanese philosophy of a happy and long life, which helps to find pleasure, joy and mindfulness in simple daily activities. Ikigai is hiding in small things, and each has its own.
Literally, “Ikigai” is translated as the meaning of life: “Iki” (live) and “gai” (reason).
“Ikigai is the reason you get up in the morning” said Ken Mogi, a Japanese neuroscientist and author of “Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life”, which has been translated into 29 languages.
According to the best-selling author, you live because there is ikigai. Therefore, it is very important for each person to find an occupation that they would like and enjoy. In this, according to Mogi, one of the secrets of longevity.
Ikigai is a life principle that does not require anyone to prove anything. The most important thing is that in order to achieve ikigai, it is not necessary to achieve high professional success. If a person has ikigai, this may lead to success, but success is not a prerequisite for ikigai.
“The early morning freshness, a cup of coffee, a ray of sunshine, long cooking of octopus meat and the president’s praise have the same weight. Only those who are able to recognize the beauty of all these things truly appreciate and enjoy them” Ken Mogi writes.
In other words, Ikigai is the ability to find and appreciate those joys of life that make sense for you personally. It is possible that no one except you sees special value in them. It is a search for the individual joy of life. The main thing is to find yourself and your true destiny.
The Five Fundamental Principles of Ikigai:
- Start small. Make small changes to your life that will gradually make it better.
- Free yourself. This principle means accepting oneself, freeing one’s essence, learning to be direct as a child, and independent of the opinions of others.
- Harmony and sustainability. It is necessary to live in harmony with the world, nature and other people. It is impossible to reach ikigai by harming them.
- Rejoice at the little things. Happiness lies not only in something big and material. Happiness consists of everyday little things: a sunny morning, a delicious breakfast or an evening walk. Be grateful to fate for every such trifle.
- Be here now. This is closely related to the ability to enjoy little things and the ability to free oneself, fully concentrating on the present moment – to be in the stream.
Ken Mogi also emphasizes that there is no optimal path to ikigai. Each of us must find his own. It can literally change your life.
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