{"id":5954,"date":"2025-10-01T12:31:44","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T07:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ksrini.life\/29035f-co-nz\/journal\/?p=5954"},"modified":"2025-10-01T12:32:48","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T07:02:48","slug":"ikigai-learnings-from-the-longest-living-people-on-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ksrini.life\/29035f-co-nz\/journal\/ikigai-learnings-from-the-longest-living-people-on-earth\/5954\/","title":{"rendered":"Ikigai | Learnings from the longest-living people on earth"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I wasn\u2019t sure to read this book called\u00a0Ikigai<\/a>. I had this book on my shelf for a long time. Every time I look at the book, I feel like I know the concept of Ikigai. It\u2019s the intersection of 4 things \u2014 what you are good at, what you love, what that world needs, and what you can be paid for (See the diagram below). And reading that diagram makes sense. So I thought there was no need to read the book. The diagram is enough to convey the meaning of Ikigai.<\/p>\n

Recently, I started reading a couple of books by\u00a0Daniel Priestley<\/a>:\u00a0Entrepreneur Revolution<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Key Person of Influence<\/a>. He was mentioning about following your passion and building a business around that. He mentioned producing something rather than consuming. At some podcasts, I also heard about how to build your career and business around your passion.<\/p>\n

So I realized if passion is really that important, then let me learn more about Ikigai. It essentially talks about what you love, what you are good at, and how can you get paid for that. And that\u2019s how I started reading the Ikigai book. Following is my summary and thoughts on the book.<\/p>\n

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\"Ikigai<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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It starts with the Island called Okinawa<\/h2>\n

Okinawa is an island in Japan, where people live longer than the rest of the world. Not only do they live longer (more than 100 years!), but they don\u2019t have any chronic diseases during the later years of their life and they are as active as people who are 40 years of age. It starts with the question, how do people on this Island live such healthy and happy lives? Apart from their healthful diet, simple life outdoors, green tea, and subtropical climate, Ikigai is something that has shaped their lives.<\/p>\n

But before we delve into what is Ikigai<\/h2>\n

There are places around the world where people live a long and healthy life \u2014 and they are called Blue Zones, and Okinawa is the first one of them. According to scientists who have studied those Blue Zones,<\/p>\n

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the keys to longevity are diet, exercise, finding a purpose in life (an ikigai), and forming strong social ties \u2014 that is, having a broad circle of friends and good family relations.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

People of Blue Zones eat by the rule of 80% \u2014 fill your belly to 80 percent, and they follow a concept called\u00a0Moai<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 connected for life. Moai is an informal group of people with common interests who look out for one another.<\/p>\n

What causes the aging?<\/h3>\n

There\u2019s a mind and a body. There are\u00a0neurons<\/strong>\u00a0in our minds that age. There are\u00a0cells<\/strong>\u00a0in our body that age. Neurons in our minds start to age while we are still in our twenties. This process can be slowed by intellectual activity, curiosity, and desire to learn. Aging of the cells however are greatly affected by\u00a0stress<\/strong>. The stress promotes cellular aging by weakening the cell\u2019s structure, which affects cellular regeneration and how they age. While intense stress harms your cells which causes them to age, a little stress is good for keeping your mind active, and not letting those neurons age. Less physical activity and lack of good night’s sleep also affect our cells, causing them to age.<\/p>\n

Keep your mind sharp by learning something new. Practice mindfulness to avoid unnecessary stress. Keep moving, and have a good night\u2019s sleep regularly. And that\u2019s a good start for your long and healthy life.<\/p>\n

Ikigai \u2014 the purpose of life<\/h2>\n
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\u201cHe who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how\u201d \u2014 Frankl, Man\u2019s search for meaning<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Go with the Flow<\/h3>\n

When you lose your sense of time. You do something and you are into it. You are constantly getting small rewards for what you are doing. It feels so smooth. You have your grace.<\/p>\n

To achieve a flow, you first need to avoid doing multitasking. Research has demonstrated that multitasking does not increase productivity. You need to know 1) what you are going to do 2) what is the objective and 3) how you are going to do it. Once you know these three things, you can achieve flow in what you are doing.<\/p>\n

The other important thing is the complexity of the task. Too simple a task will render you bored and too difficult a task will make you worrisome and quit. The given task needs to be at optimal complexity for you to find that flow. If you find a task to be too easy, add some complexity by increasing the standards. If you find a task to be difficult, break it down. Make it simple. Bring it down to complexity which you can handle without feeling bored.<\/p>\n

Imagine you are watching a movie, you are immersed in the story, you even forget to blink sometimes. And suddenly your phone rings!! Wait, what happened? Who is calling me at this time? That\u2019s what happens when something breaks your flow. Don\u2019t let yourself get distracted by something or someone. Turn off notifications, go to a quiet place, and remove yourself from distractions. Immerse into what you do.<\/p>\n

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The key is always having a meaning challenge to overcome in order to maintain flow.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Microflow – enjoying the mundane tasks<\/h3>\n

We\u2019ve all been bored in a class or at a conference and started doodling to keep ourselves entertained. Or whistled while painting a wall. Our ability to turn routine tasks into moments of microflow, into something we enjoy, is key to our being happy since we all have to do such tasks.<\/p>\n

Even Bill Gates washes the dishes every night. He says he enjoys it \u2014 that helps him relax and clear his mind, and that he tries to do it a little better each day.<\/p>\n

Instant vacation through meditation<\/h3>\n

The basic practice of meditation involves sitting with a straight back and focusing on your breath. Anyone can do it, and you feel a difference after just one session. By focusing your attention on the air moving in and out of your nose, you can slow the torrent of thoughts and clear your mental horizons.<\/p>\n

Meditation generates alpha and theta brain waves. These relaxing brain waves are the ones that are activated right before we fall asleep, as we lie in the sun, or right after taking a hot bath.<\/p>\n

We all carry a spa with us everywhere we go. It\u2019s just a matter of knowing how to get in \u2014 something anyone can do, with a bit of practice.<\/p>\n

Humans as ritualistic beings<\/h3>\n

Rituals give us clear rules and objectives, which help us enter a state of flow. When we have only a big goal in front of us, we might feel lost or overwhelmed by it; rituals help us by giving us the process, the substeps, on the path to achieving a goal.<\/p>\n

Focus on enjoying your daily rituals, using them as tools to enter a state of flow. Don\u2019t worry about the outcome \u2014 it will come naturally. Happiness is in the doing, not in the result. As a rule of thumb, remind yourself: \u201cRituals over goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

The happiest people are not the ones who achieve the most. They are the ones who spend more time than others in a state of flow<\/p>\n

Use flows to find your ikigai<\/h3>\n

So, what is your Ikigai? What activities make you feel the power of flow? What do the activities that drive you to flow have in common? Why do those activities drive you to flow? Do you flow more when doing things that require you to move your body or just to think?<\/p>\n

In the answers to these questions, you might find the underlying ikigai that drives your life. If you don\u2019t, then keep searching by going deeper into what you like by spending more of your time in the activities that make you flow.<\/p>\n

Longevity in Japan<\/h2>\n

The sense of community, and the fact that Japanese people make an effort to stay active until the very end, are key elements of their secret to long life. If you want to stay busy even when there\u2019s no need to work, there has to be an ikigai on your horizon, a purpose that guides you throughout your life and pushes you to make things of beauty and utility for the community and yourself.<\/p>\n

Themes and quotes from longest-living people<\/h3>\n