The 10 rules of Ikigai
What’s your reason for being?
According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai. Some people have found it, others are still looking, though they carry it within them. Our ikigai is hidden deep inside each of us, and finding it requires a patient search. According to those born on Okinawa, the island with the most centenarians in the world, our ikigai is the reason we get up in the morning.
Ikigai is centred on four concepts – what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs and what you can be paid for.
These concepts are linked to your profession, vocation, mission and your passion in life.
The 10 rules of Ikigai
1. Stay active; don’t retire.
Those who give up the things they love doing and do well lose their purpose in life. That’s why it’s so important to keep doing things of value, making progress, bringing beauty or utility to others, helping out, and shaping the world around you, even after your “official” professional activity has ended.
2. Take it slow.
Being in a hurry is inversely proportional to quality of life. As the old saying goes, “Walk slowly and you’ll go far.” When we leave urgency behind, life and time take on new meaning.
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.
Friends are the best medicine, there for confiding worries over a good chat, sharing stories that brighten your day, getting advice, having fun, dreaming … in other words, living.
5. Get in shape for your next birthday.
Water moves; it is at its best when it flows fresh and doesn’t stagnate. The body you move through life in needs a bit of daily maintenance to keep it running for a long time.
Plus, exercise releases hormones that make us feel happy.
6. Smile.
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.
“Choose not to be harmed and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed and you haven’t been.”
– Marcus Aurelius
7. Reconnect with nature.
Though most people live in cities these days, human beings are made to be part of the natural world. We should return to it often to recharge our batteries.
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.
9. Live in the moment.
Stop regretting the past and fearing the future. Today is all you have. Make the most of it. Make it worth remembering.
“True happiness is… to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.”
– Seneca
10. Follow 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.
If you don’t know what your ikigai is yet, as Viktor Frankl says, your mission is to discover it.