Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life- Summary

We all have experienced a situation in our lives where we lost track of time. It may be when you were reading a book, and you got so much immersed in it that you didn’t realize how 3 hours passed like a flash of light. It may be when you were traveling, you forgot about the world going by, and suddenly the day ended. But there are also times when the opposite happens and time doesn’t pass at all. You have probably experienced this during a boring lecture. What causes this difference? Why does time pass slowly when we do something that we don’t like while it passes swiftly when we do something of our interest (like spending time with your girlfriend or boyfriend, if you have/had one)?

The answer is flow. Ta-dah! The psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined the term flow and described it as the pleasure we feel when we completely immerse ourselves in what we are doing. According to him,

“The state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at a great cost, for the sheer shake of doing it.”

When we are in the state of flow, we focus on our work and not on distractions. The intensity of focus leads to Deep Work which increases our productivity and at the same time gives satisfaction. The state of flow can be achieved by anyone- artists, sportsperson, doctor, engineer, etc. The authors of Ikigai lists three requirements for achieving flow in our work-

1. A difficult task but not too difficult

If the work is very easy, most probably we will get bored. At the same time, if the work is way too difficult, we may not be able to finish it and get frustrated. Hence the authors of ikigai say that you need to choose the middle path. Do something that is difficult but not too difficult. Doing the same work every day makes it dull because we find it very easy hence, we don’t get into the state of flow. So, if you are a programmer, try a new programming language; if you are a reader, read a book of moderate difficulty. The point is, whatever you are, just keep learning something new, and you might get into the state of flow.

2. A clear objective

When you have a clear objective, it becomes easy for you to experience flow. It is the reason why a sports person very easily gets into the state of flow; they have a clear objective- defeat the opponent. Nowadays, most of us know what we have to do, but we are unsure where we want to go. It is very similar to heading out to sea with a map but no destination. Hence, you need to have a clear objective for everything you do- if you are in college, your objective could be to learn new skills.

“It is much more important to have a compass pointing to a concrete objective than to have a map.”
-Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

3. Single task at a time

Concentrating on a single task makes achieving flow more likely. Whereas multitasking makes achieving flow difficult. Multitasking may seem to increase our productivity, but the reality is it decreases our productivity and makes us more likely to make mistakes. Doing a single task reduces our chances of making mistakes, and we become more creative.

“Concentrating in one thing at a time can be the single most important factor in achieving flow.”
-Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

The authors say that flow can help us to find our ikigai. For this, you need to list all the activities that make you enter the state of flow. Then you need to analyze what is in common between them. If you don’t experience any flow, keep trying new activities. Spend more time with activities which you like; it can be any art or profession. Keep discovering, and you would find it.

“Flow is mysterious. It is like a muscle: the more you train it, the more you will flow, and the closer you will be to your ikigai.”
-Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

Secrets of Longevity

Authors of Ikigai found that Japanese people practice certain small but highly effective things which help them to live a happy and long life. Following are a few of the most important things which Japanese people do-

1. Live in the moment

Authors of Ikigai say that living in the moment is one of the most significant factors of longevity. It means that we should let go of the past and stop worrying about the future because life is in the present. This moment is all we have; hence we must be fully present in it.

“There is no future, no past. There is only the present.”
-Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

2. Reconnect with nature

The more we are connected with nature, the better our lives would be. Authors found that Japanese people spend time in nature, grow and eat their vegetables, which is why they are always young and energetic.

3. Smile

It’s effortless to say, but rarely do we practice it. A smile can not only brighten our mood but also helps us to release unnecessary stress. A smile makes us friendly, and it is a symbol of wise.

4. Satisfy 80% of your hunger

The authors of ikigai found that one of the most common sayings in Japan, which is repeated before and after eating, is- “Hara Hachi Bu.” It means- fill your belly to 80 percent. Okinawans stop eating when their stomach is 80 percent full instead of stuffing themselves with more food. The longer the digestion, the more will be the cellular oxidation, and the smaller will be our life-span. Hence the authors say that we should stop eating when we are about to feel full.

5. Practice gratitude

Practicing gratitude is a great way to remind yourself of how privileged you are. Spend at least 2 minutes every day to thank nature for all the food, water, and comfort. If you believe in God, thank God for every little thing you have- health, freedom, parents, friends, etc. We take all these for granted, but there are unfortunate people out there whose life’s greatest desire is to live a life we are living right now.

6. Make friends

Making good friends is an excellent investment of time that allows us to share everything we have: happiness or sorrow. Good friends will always help you in need, make memories, and fill your life with vibrant colors.

Resilience and Antifragility

The authors of Ikigai say that when you have a clearly defined ikigai, you have to pursue it no matter what. You can’t give up even if things are not going according to your expectation. That’s when the importance of resilience comes. Resilience is our ability to deal with setbacks. The more resilient we are, the easier it will be to handle the obstacles without getting broken. Those who are resilient, they are good at dealing with negative situations without getting discouraged. They adapt to changes and concentrate only on those things which they can change.

Resilience is defined as the ability to withstand harm without getting weakened. Fragile describes those things which get weakened when harmed. But we don’t’ have any word to describe those things which get stronger when harmed. Hence Taleb, author of The Black Swan, proposed the term antifragile to describe all those things which get stronger when harmed. Antifragility is beyond resilience. Resilient just absorb the shocks without getting weakened, but the antifragile absorbs the shocks and gets stronger. Whoa! Antifragility is one of the greatest lessons to learn from the Japanese because Japan has been the victim of many natural disasters and exceptional catastrophes, but these couldn’t damage Japan. Instead, they grew stronger.

How can we be more antifragile?

Having backup plans helps to be antifragile by reducing the damage created by an unexpected event. For example, if you work in a job, you should try to create more ways of earning money. So that if by chance you lose your job, then other sources save you. The authors found that most of the Japanese people they interviewed had a primary and a secondary source of income. Another thing which the authors of Ikigai suggest is that we should avoid the things, habits, people who make us fragile. For example, spending time in bad associations or eating unhealthy foods can be avoided as they make us fragile.