Ikigai: the new secret to a long and happy life
THE NEW SECRET TO A LONG AND HAPPY LIFE
ON THE NORTH END of the Japanese island of Okinawa lies a tiny rural town called Ogimi, with a population of three thousand. It boasts the highest life expectancy in the world – a fact that has earned it the nickname the Village of Longevity. We decided to study the secrets of the Japanese centenarians in person. As soon as we arrived in Ogimi we could sense the incredible friendliness of its residents, who laughed and joked incessantly amid lush green hills fed by crystalline waters. But as we conducted our interviews with the eldest residents, we realised that something far more powerful than just these natural resources was at work: the mysterious ikigai.
This Japanese concept translates roughly as ‘the happiness of always being busy’. Our ikigai is hidden deep inside each of us, and finding it requires a patient search. One key ingredient for living according to your ikigai is the ability to reach a state of ‘flow’, in which you are completely immersed
The Scandis brought us hygge and lagom, but in this exclusive extract from their new book, Héctor García and Francesc Miralles reveal why we should all look to Japan for the secret to a long, fulfilling life
in an experience, not thinking about or distracted by anything else. We’ve all felt our sense of time vanish when we lose ourselves in an activity we enjoy. We start cooking and, before we know it, several hours have passed. We spend an afternoon with a book and forget about the world going by until we notice the sunset.
What makes us enjoy doing something so much that we forget about whatever worries we might have while we do it? When are we happiest? These questions can help us discover our ikigai. When we flow, we are focused on a concrete task without any distractions. Our mind is ‘in order’. We have to focus on increasing the time we spend on activities that bring us to this state of flow.
If you often find yourself losing focus while working on something you consider important, there are strategies you can employ to increase your chances of achieving flow. The ideal is to find an activity that is aligned with your abilities but just a bit of a stretch, so you experience it as a challenge.
Concentrating on one thing at a time may be the single most important factor in achieving flow. This is perhaps one of the greatest obstacles we face today, with so much technology and so many distractions. To create a time and space free from distractions, turn off your phone. Don’t look at any kind of screen for the first hour you’re awake or the last hour before you go to sleep. Go to a café that doesn’t have Wi-fi. Train your mind to return to the present when you find yourself getting distracted. Practise mindfulness or another form of meditation, go for a walk or swim – whatever will help you get centred again.
The residents of Ogimi all keep a vegetable garden, and many have found their ikigai in tending it. They have an important purpose in life, or several, with one saying: ‘Getting together with my friends is my most important ikigai.’ They are passionate about everything they do, however insignificant it might seem. They take gentle exercise every day, but do not rush. They celebrate all the time, even little things. Music, song and dance are essential part of daily life. They are always busy, but they occupy themselves with tasks that allow them to relax. They’re always coming and going, to sing karaoke or visit neighbours. They are optimistic. One told us: ‘Every day I say to myself, “Today will be full of health and energy. Live it to the fullest.”’
Locals have a strong sense of yuimaaru – recognising the connection between people. They help each other with everything from work in the fields to building houses and municipal projects. They live by the principle of ichariba chode, a local expression that means ‘Treat everyone like a brother, even if you’ve never met them before.’
Our ikigai is different for all of us, but one thing we all have in common is that we are all searching for meaning. When we spend our days connected to what is meaningful to us we live more fully; when we lose the connection, we feel despair.
Follow those things you enjoy and get away from or change those you dislike. Be led by your curiosity and keep busy by doing things that fill you with meaning and happiness. It doesn’t need to be a big thing: we might find meaning in being good parents or helping our neighbours.
Life is not a problem to be solved. Just remember to have something that keeps you busy doing what you love while being surrounded by the people who love you.
n ‘Ikigai: The Japanese Secret To A Long And Happy Life’ by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles is out 7 Sept (£12.99, Hutchinson)*
OGIMI RESIDENTS CELEBRATE ALL THE TIME, EVEN LITTLE THINGS. MUSIC, SONG AND DANCE ARE PART OF DAILY LIFE