The secret to a happy and long life
where this self-improvement or self-growth genre book will reveal the secret focusing on the IKIGAI concept which focuses on the happiness of being busy. Written by two friends who came from Spain, namely Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles, where Hector himself is now a resident of Japan. This IKIGAI book has printed 500,000 copies, this book is intended for young people who are looking for identity and the meaning of their life goals, someone who is interested in the life of Japanese people who live a happy and long life or anyone who wants to have a healthy life physically and bodily.
Where they get the main inspiration from Japanese people, especially Okinawa residents in the village of Ogini. Compared to world residents, this area has a high life expectancy and long life, even past the age of 100 years and is nicknamed "the most centenarians in the world". the key to the longevity of Okinawans is the application of IKIGAI and being active in social ties with the community.
IKIGAI itself is a combination of two Japanese words namely "iki" which means life and "gai" which means valuable. The IKIGAI philosophy has been known for a long time by Japanese society which gives a sense of every purpose in life and plays a role in always maintaining health and longevity, but longevity here is accompanied by physical and mental health. The human body and mind are connected to each other, therefore we must take care of our physical and mental health together so that even when we are old we still have a positive attitude and emotional awareness.
IKIGAI is a Japanese word which means
"what we like"
"what the world needs"
"what can produce and what we are good at".
At this time, many people may feel lazy to do something, lack enthusiasm, lack of enthusiasm, bored, anxious and tired of the monotonous daily activities. However, this is a natural thing to feel, but if it continues to happen, it will interfere with everyday life. IKIGAI is not always about work but covers broader matters, namely regarding the reason we live, and this is believed by Japanese people where every human being must have their own IKIGAI and that is what makes them excited to live life in this world.
What things do you like?
The things we like here are when we do the things we like such as cooking, making art, drawing, etc. Of course we will enjoy those moments and get lost in what we are doing. However, it should be noted that doing these things does not mean to leave the main obligation and this thing you like is not just a hobby but something that can become a responsibility, for example in the world of work or taking care of the household.
If these things have been found in life, things that we are good at and the world also needs these things, then the individual already has a mission in his life. If at the beginning we already feel satisfaction and happiness with what we do. However, as time goes by, there is a feeling of doubt and uncertainty about what is being done, whether these things really have an impact and influence on the world. This can happen in life, but there are things you can do, namely improve your own abilities so that you can become an influence on other people as well as on the world.
To achieve and pursue passion within yourself, you can do it in one way, namely finding a flow or flow in every activity. the past that there is only the present, when someone has experienced it and is not distracted, that person will focus and enjoy it and forget all the worries that have been bothering him. To achieve this "flow", one can optimize experience and focus which aims to increase the time available to deal with these activities into a "flow" of life. Happy people are not because someone is successful, but the lives of happy people are those who spending time with what is their "flow" and the most important and most important of happiness is being able to do something that is loved.
IKIGAI has the equivalent of toughness where in life we will definitely be faced with difficult things, but how one deals with problems will be the difference in one's quality of life. Keep your mind, body and emotions calm. Where this is an important point to deal with the twists, turns, ups and downs of this life. If a person keeps his mind calm and endures the shocks of life, then that person will be able to focus on the goals he wants to achieve and not give up easily.
The people of Okinawa also have a habit of eating, where their diet only eats until their stomach is 80% full and does not forget to consume the vegetables they grow in their own garden. The types of food they eat also vary, namely having 18 types of food per day and limiting sugar consumption, namely consuming only one-third of the average sugar consumed by the Japanese population.
Apart from maintaining a healthy diet, the people of Okinawa are also active in their activities and exercise in the morning, such as a morning walk, even though they are elderly, that is, in the range of 80 to 90 years. Okinawans also routinely get up in the morning for activities and hold meetings with other residents, meetings are usually at birthday celebrations, karaoke or just playing games together. The secret of their life and longevity lies in a good lifestyle, namely by always being productive for activities, doing activities, having a good diet by consuming foods rich in nutrients, only filling their stomachs as much as 80%, getting up in the morning and exercising and don't forget to socialize and form loyal social bonds with the people in the surrounding environment.
