Ikigai — Purpose, and Longevity

Life would be boring if we woke up every day to eat, sleep and repeat the cycle. Life becomes meaningful and worth living if we have something to live and die for, a why, an Ikigai.

Ikigai is a Japanese term that means “the reason for being.” If you are yet to find what your Ikigai is, then finding it should be your Ikigai.

In this article, I want to share some valuable excerpts about this book which happens to be my first read for 2023.

Purpose is your best Antioxidant.

The first part of the book talks about longevity. How do you stay young while growing old? By finding your why, find your Ikigai. Finding purpose keeps your mind and body active. Studies show that we age faster when we have several moments of inactivity in our lives.

But on this journey of purpose, it is possible to have one or more Ikigai. Life is a journey and not a destination; multipotentialites may have different ikigai’s at other points in their life. Hence Ikigai is transient, it is bound to change or evolve from time to time, but you will find a link if you eventually end up with more than one Ikigai.

Find your purpose, and get obsessed with it until you reach your flow state.

Some anti-aging secrets

Run away from sugar!!!

When I got to the part of the book about dieting, I almost flipped through to skip it. Sticking to the dietary habits recommended in the book meant letting go of ice creams and other junk food, which I honestly think I can’t do without but will have to try because of longevity.

1. Walk to work. If it is not a walkable distance, dedicate at least 20 minutes of walking daily.
2. Eat only 80% full
3. Replace your junk food with fruits that are suitable suppliers of antioxidants. If you are from the African clime, you should look for fruits like Ube (African pear), garden egg, or apple.
4. Eat healthily, sleep healthy, and exercise daily.
5. Interact with people within your reach, and have real-time social interaction. Take a break from social media and look at the person next to you.

Antifragility

Fall as often as you fail, but always rise stronger, which is true resilience. In the last part of the book Ikigai, the authors talk about Antifragility, failing but gaining more. Every defeat should be a stepping stone, not the end of the road.

Here are some tips for Antifragility below:

1. Have control over pleasure
2. Envision the worst scenarios
3. Worry only about that which you can control. Just like Marcus Aurelius said, the things we love are like the leaves of a tree; they can fall at any moment with a gust of wind.

Overall, it was a great read tapping into the Japanese secret to a long and happy life.