Ikigai, a concept of happiness and longevity

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means your ‘reason for being.’ ‘Iki’ in Japanese means ‘life,’ and ‘gai’ describes value or worth. Your ikigai is your life purpose or your bliss. It’s what brings you joy and inspires you to get out of bed every day.

Apart from living a longer and happier life, knowing your ikigai can help you:

Design your ideal work lifestyle

Create strong social connections at work

Create a healthy work-life balance?

Pursue your career dreams?

Enjoy your work?

The 10 Rules of Ikigai

1. Stay active and don’t retire.

Do what you love for as long as you can, this concept suggests that you make it a priority to stay active in all stages of life.

2. Take it slow.

Instead of rushing your daily tasks, try to savor and enjoy them for the sake of your Ikigai.

3. Don’t fill your stomach.

Less is more when it comes to eating for long life, too. According to the 80 percent rule, in order to stay healthier longer, we should eat a little less than our hunger demands instead of stuffing ourselves.

4. Surround yourself with good friends.

Without connections and kinships, we can’t encounter association, closeness or love, nor would we be able to share our delights, expectations, battles, and fears.

• Meet your friends more often. Find ways of celebration
• Never neglect your friends or friendship

“Friends are the best medicine, there for confiding, sharing stories, getting advice, having fun, dreaming… in other words, and living.

5. Get in shape through daily gentle exercise

The body you move through life needs a bit of gentle daily maintenance. While the folks on the Japanese island of Okinawa do not perform rigorous exercise, they do regularly get up and move their muscles. Try setting an alarm on your phone every hour to remind yourself to get out of your office chair and move around.

6. Smile and acknowledge people around you.

“A cheerful attitude is not only relaxing – it also helps make friends”. It’s good to recognize the things that aren’t so great, but we should never forget what a privilege it is to be in the here and now in a world so full of possibilities.”

• Smile is the most potent tool for happiness
• Smiling triggers happy signals in your brain and creates a positive vibe for the people around you.

7. Reconnect with nature.

“Human beings are made to be part of the natural world. Return to it as often as you can,” the authors say. In other words, do your best to make time in your busy schedule to get back to nature, whether that’s a weekend hike with friends or a summer goal to bike to work once a week.

• Prefer gardens and nature over malls or urban life.
• Spend some time with nature like under a tree or beside a river. Even if it’s just for a while

8. Give thanks.

“To your ancestors, to nature, which provides you with the air you breathe and the food you eat, to your friends and family, to everything that brightens your days and makes you feel lucky to be alive. Spend a moment every day giving thanks, and you’ll watch your stockpile of happiness grow.”

• Appreciate people, situations, success as well as failures.
• “Thank You” should be your most-used word.

9. Live in the moment.

We all have those moments where looking ahead at our busy schedule leaves us feeling mega overwhelmed and stressed. “Today is all we have,” the authors note. “Make it worth remembering.”

• The past should only be remembered for lessons and happy memories.
• Enjoy the present. It’s the only thing you have control on.

10. Find your Ikigai.

“There is a passion inside you, a unique talent that gives meaning to your days and drives you to share the best of yourself until the very end.?