The Review of Ikigai

 Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

Book by Albert Liebermann and Hector Garcia

Genre: Self Help Book

Ikigai (生き甲斐) (pronounced [ikiɡai]) is a Japanese concept that means "a reason for being".

It gives you a reason to get up in the morning. Enjoying in your work, loving what you do, giving meaning to your existence. Combined with healthy eating and a nice living environment, your 'ikigai' is an important ingredient for healthy ageing.

“Our intuition and curiosity are very powerful internal compasses to help us connect with our ikigai,” Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles write.

 

The book does a decent job of relating the concept of Ikigai to modern day psychology (with Frankl's Logotherapy from Man's Search for Meaning among others) and a few scientific references in a simple manner. It talks about how purpose plays an important role in a man's life and the different ways in which it manifests itself. It also tackles some ways to 'find your flow' and ensure that what you do receives 100% of your attention and that you enjoy whatever you are creating.

The book also discusses certain other Japanese concepts like takumi (specialized workers) and moai (connections with community or friend-circle). The brief discussions have the benefit of being to the point and simple but also pose the risk of trivializing them into regular self-help advice. The book also delves into Japanese perspectives on living life and persevering without getting caught up in artificially-created urgency. But again, maybe the authors wished for the readers to research more or meditate more on the content given the concise treatment of the same.

Ikigai is about feeling your work makes a difference in people’s lives

 

The chapters on diet and exercises have more details and thus, may be more useful. Certain foods are dealt with in greater detail as is the concept of 'hara hachi bu' wherein one eats only 80% of what would actually assuage his hunger. The chapter on exercises includes illustrations and steps. While they may suffice for some of the purposes mentioned in the book - the philosophy behind them, progressive increments and other essential details are missing or insufficient.

I was interested in the concept of Ikigai and wanted to read more about it. Despite being well-written and presenting modern applications, the book did not fulfill my requirements at all. Some of the condensed content made me think that the extended research, including on-site interviews, done by the authors for writing this book was clearly lost in translation or presentation in certain parts.

The hardcover is pretty and soothing with its matte texture. Inner pages are smooth and heavy with a cream tinge. The font size is good. The spine as well as pages hold up well. Overall, the book is quite light and sturdy. 

 

Buy Now: https://amzn.to/3ngE6b1