Ikigai

1. The key elements for Longevity are

a) A healthful Diet (Rainbow Platter, consume little meat, moderate consumption of Red wine & avoid processed food)

b) A simple life in the outdoors (Gardening & Moderate Exercise)

c) Green Tea (Thrice a Day)

d) A subtropical climate

e) Strong sense of community(Broad Circle of Friends & Good Family Relations)

f) Ikigai (finding a purpose in life)

2. 'Ichariba chode' means 'Treat everyone like a brother, even if you've never met them before'.

3. 80% Secret or 5:2 Rule i.e. eat till your stomach is 80% filled or when you start feeling full. An alternative to this is eat for 5 days normally & keep fast for 2 days because if one eats till she is full more energy is consumed in digesting the food and burdens the digestive system.

4. 'Moai' or an informal group of people with common interests who look for one another by pooling resources (monthly contribution) together to organize dinners & game events and from the surplus amount goes to one person on a rotating basis which provides Emotional & Financial Stability.

5. 'Mens sana in Corpore sano' ( A sound mind in a Sound Body). Having a youthful mind also drives you towards a Healthy Lifestyle that will slow the aging process. Aging process can be slowed down by Intellectual activity, Curiosity, & a Desire to learn. Being sedentary can lead to Hypertension, Imbalanced eating, cardiovascular disease, Osteoporosis & even certain kinds of Cancer.

Few changes in daily lifestyle that can be done for a healthy lifestyle are

a) Walk to work or 20 min walk everyday

b) Use your feet instead of elevator

c) Participate in Social or leisure activities to avoid tv.

d) Replace junk food with fruit

e) 7-9 hrs of sleep is necessary (Anti Aging Secret)

f) Play with pets, children or join a sports team

g) Anti-aging attitudes : keep mind active, positive attitude & high degree of emotional awareness, A stoic attitude ( serenity in the face of a setback)

6. Newfound passion for life helps to overcome obstacles & sorrow (Logotherapy). "He who has a why to live for can bear almost anyhow" ~ Nietzsche

7. If you want to find happiness, for living according to your Ikigai you must reach the 'State of Flow', where we start enjoying the activity & loose sense of time. Some Strategies to achieve state of flow:

a) Choose a difficult task, add a something extra, something that makes you out of your comfort zone.

b) Have a Clear, concrete objective.

c) Concentrate on a Single Task, multitasking decreases productivity.

d) Don't look at any kind of screen for the first hour you are awake & the last hour before you go to sleep.

e) Turn off your phone before you achieve flow.

f) Respond to messages once or twice a day, define those timings & stick to them.

g) Pomodoro Technique : 25 mins of work & 5 mins of break or 50 mins of work & 10 mins of rest.

h) Start your work session with a ritual you enjoy & end it with a reward.

i) Whenever you feel distracted train your mind to get back to present, practice meditation, mindfulness, walk, swim or whatever makes you feel centred.

j) Work in space where you will not get distracted.

k) Divide each activity into groups of related tasks & assign each group it's own place & time.

l) Bundle routine tasks & do them all at once.

8. Some unique factors about Japanese are

a) Exceptionally dedicated & hardworking, they 'Persevere' or 'Stay firm by doing ones best'.

b) They have unique talent for creating new technologies while preserving artisanal traditions & techniques.

c) Sophisticated Simplicity: simplicity & attention to details but simplicity is not lazy simplicity but sophisticated Simplicity that looks at the details.

d) Respecting the Nature at every moment, Japanese are skilled at bringing nature & technology together not man versus nature but a rather union of two.

e) Microflow : Enjoying mundane tasks, set an established order or set of rules. Example Bill gates washes dishes every night which relaxes him & clears his mind,in a particular order first plates , second forks & so on.

f) Break big goals into smaller goals & attack each part one by one.

Use flow to find your Ikigai,try new things that are not on the list of what makes you flow but are similar & that you are curious about.

9) Some words of wisdom from people who have lived long

a) Eat, Sleep & learn to relax.

b) Consume less meat.

c) If you keep your mind & body busy, you'll be around a long time.

e) Art, in all forms, is an Ikigai that can bring happiness & purpose to our days.

f) Never stop learning.

10) Some traditions & proverbs for happiness & longevity are

1. A Strong sense of community that functions more like a family.

2. Food won't help you live longer, The secret is smiling & having a good time.

3. Celebrate each day, together.

4. Keep yourself happily busy, pursue your Ikigai but never be in rush be calm always.

5. The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.

11) Some meaningful & inspiring statements

a) Don't Worry : "The secret to a long life is not to worry and to keep your heart young - Don't let it grow old. Open your heart to people with a nice smile on your face. If you smile & open your heart, your grandchildren & Everyone else will want to see you.

b) Cultivate good habits: Engage yourself in gardening, grow your own vegetables & cook them yourself. Keep your fingers busy if you want to stay sharp in your old age.

c) Do Exercise everyday & eat vegetables.

d) Nurture your friendship everyday.

e) Live an unhurried life: " The secret to long life is going for a walk. Living Peacefully & enjoying the little things . Getting along with your friends.

Spring, summer, fall, winter enjoying each season, happily."

f) Be optimistic.

12) The Ikigai diet:

a) Eating less than 10 gms of salt per day.

b) Eating an average of 18 different foods each day

c) Eating The Rainbow : Eat at least 5 servings of fruits & vegetables every day, at least 7 types of fruits & vegetables are to be consumed.

e) Grains are foundation of their diet: rice specially.

f) Rarely eat sugar

g) Eat fish 3 times per week, pork once or twice per week.

h) Consume few calories, 1785 per day.

i) Hara hachi bu : 80% rule i.e. eating till stomach is 80% full or when it starts to feel full.

5:2 Rule: where eating normally for 5 days & fasting for 2 days.

j) Antioxidants rich things like green tea, tofu, miso, tuna, carrot, cabbage, onion, soy sprouts, soybeans, sweet potato, pepper, Sanpin-cha(Jasmine tea)

k) Jasmine Green Tea: has many benefits like it reduces blood cholesterol levels, reduces the risk of heart attack, strengthens the immune system, relieves stress. Okinawans drink an average of 3 cups of Sanpin-cha.

l) Secrets of Green Tea: it has meaningful health benefits such as controlling cholesterol, lowering blood sugar levels, improving circulation, protection against the flu, bacterial infection, U.V damage, promoting bone health, cleansing & diuretic effects, helps us to reduce the aging process while making us look younger.

m) Drinking White Tea is equivalent to about dozens of glasses of orange juice.

n) Consume Citrus Fruits rich in Nobiletin & Vitamin C like Shikuwasa, grapefruits, oranges, lemons etc which protects us from Arteriosclerosis, cancer, Type 2 Diabetes & Obesity.

o) Vegetables such as broccoli and chard, for their high concentration of water, minerals, and fiber

p) Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines, for all the antioxidants in their fat

q) Fruits such as citrus, strawberries, and apricots; they are an excellent source of vitamins and help eliminate toxins from the body

r) Berries such as blueberries and goji berries; they are rich in phytochemical antioxidants

s) Dried fruits, which contain vitamins and antioxidants, and give you energy

t) Grains such as oats and wheat, which give you energy and contain minerals

u) Olive oil, for its antioxidant effects that show in your skin

v) Red wine, in moderation, for its antioxidant and vasodilatory properties

x) Foods that should be eliminated are refined sugar and grains,

processed baked goods, and prepared foods, along with cow’s milk and all its derivatives.

13) Exercises from the East that promotes health & longevity:

a) Get out of your chair every 30 minutes as it activates your metabolism again helps in burning bad cholesterol.

b) Yoga, Qigong & Tai chi helps to create harmony between a person's body & mind so that they can face the world with strength, joy & serenity.

c) Tai Chi helps to slow development of Osteoporosis & Parkinson’s disease.

d) Benefits of Qigong:

i) Modification of brain waves.

ii) Improved balance of sex hormones.

iii) Lower mortality rate from heart attacks.

iv) Lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension.

v) Greater bone density.

vi) Better circulation.

vii) Deceleration of symptoms associated with senility.

viii) Greater balance and efficiency of bodily functions.

ix) Increased blood flow to the brain and greater mind-body connection.

x) Improved cardiac function.

xi) Reduction in the secondary effects of cancer treatments.

14) Resilience & Wabi Sabi:

a) Resilience : How to face challenges without letting stress & age worry you. Pursue your passion no matter what. Resilience isn’t just the ability to persevere. It is also an outlook we can cultivate to stay focused on the important things in life rather than what is most urgent, and to keep ourselves from being carried away by negative emotions.

“Nana korobi ya oki 七転び八起き

Fall seven times, rise eight.”

— JAPANESE PROVERB

Resilience is our ability to deal with setbacks. Resilient people know how to stay focused on their objectives, on what matters, without giving in to discouragement. Their flexibility is the source of their strength: They know how to adapt to change and to reversals of fortune. They concentrate on the things they can control and don’t worry about those they can’t.

b) Emotional Resilience Through Buddhism And Stoicism : Stoicism, which centers on the idea that there is nothing wrong with enjoying life’s pleasures as long as they do not take control of your life as you enjoy them. You have to be prepared for those pleasures to disappear.

The Stoics believed that these kinds of desires and ambitions are not worth pursuing. The objective of the virtuous person is to reach a state of tranquility (apatheia): the absence of negative feelings such as anxiety, fear, shame, vanity, and anger, and the presence of positive feelings such as happiness, love, serenity, and gratitude.

c) Meditating for Healthy Emotions:

In Zen Buddhism, meditation is a way to become aware of our desires and emotions and thereby free ourselves from them. It is not simply a question of keeping the mind free of thoughts but instead involves observing our thoughts and emotions as they appear, without getting carried away by them. In this way, we train our minds not to get swept up in anger, jealousy, or resentment.

d) WabiI-SabiI & Ichi-Go Ichi-e:

Wabi-sabi is a Japanese concept that shows us the beauty of the fleeting, changeable, and imperfect nature of the world around us. Instead of searching for beauty in perfection, we should look for it in things that are flawed, incomplete.Only things that are imperfect, incomplete, and ephemeral can truly be beautiful, because only those things resemble the natural world.

A complementary Japanese concept is that of ichi-go ichi-e, which could be translated as “This moment exists only now and won’t come again.”

e) Beyond Resilience : Antifragility

“Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better.” How can we be more antifragile?

Step 1: Create redundancies.

Instead of having a single salary, try to find a way to make money from your hobbies, at other jobs, or by starting your own business.

In the sphere of romantic relationships, there are those who focus all their energy on their partner and make him or her their whole world. Those people lose everything if the relationship doesn’t work out, whereas if they’ve cultivated strong friendships and a full life along the way, they’ll be in a better position to move on at the end of a relationship. They’ll be antifragile.

The unexpected always happens, sooner or later.

Step 2: Bet conservatively in certain areas and take many small risks in others.

The key to becoming antifragile is taking on small risks that might lead to great reward, without exposing ourselves to dangers that might sink us

Step 3: Get rid of the things that make you fragile.

We’re taking the negative route for this exercise. Ask yourself: What makes me fragile? Certain people, things, and habits generate losses for us and make us vulnerable. Who and what are they?

To build resilience into our lives, we shouldn’t fear adversity, because each setback is an opportunity for growth. If we adopt an antifragile attitude, we’ll find a way to get stronger with every blow, refining our lifestyle and staying focused on our ikigai.

Life is pure imperfection, as the philosophy of wabi-sabi teaches us, and the passage of time shows us that everything is fleeting, but if you have a clear sense of your ikigai, each moment will hold so many possibilities that it will seem almost like an eternity.

14) THE 10 RULES OF IKIGAI.

1. Stay active; don’t retire. Those who give up the things they love doing and do well lose their purpose in life. That’s why it’s so important to keep doing things of value, making progress, bringing beauty or utility to others, helping out, and shaping the world around you, even after your “official” professional activity has ended.

2. Take it slow. Being in a hurry is inversely proportional to quality of life. As the old saying goes, “Walk slowly and you’ll go far.” When we leave urgency behind, life and time take on new meaning.

3. Don’t fill your stomach. Less is more when it comes to eating for long life, too. According to the 80 percent rule, in order to stay healthier longer, we should eat a little less than our hunger demands instead of stuffing ourselves.

4. Surround yourself with good friends. Friends are the best medicine, there for confiding worries over a good chat, sharing stories that brighten your day, getting advice, having fun, dreaming . . . in other words, living.

5. Get in shape for your next birthday. Water moves; it is at its best when it flows fresh and doesn’t stagnate. The body you move through life in needs a bit of daily maintenance to keep it running for a long time. Plus, exercise releases hormones that make us feel happy.

6. . A Smile cheerful attitude is not only relaxing — it also helps make friends. It’s good to recognize the things that aren’t so great, but we should never forget what a privilege it is to be in the here and now in a world so full of possibilities.

7. Reconnect with nature. Though most people live in cities these days, human beings are made to be part of the natural world. We should return to it often to recharge our batteries.

8. Give thanks. To your ancestors, to nature, which provides you with the air you breathe and the food you eat, to your friends and family, to everything that brightens your days and makes you feel lucky to be alive. Spend a moment every day giving thanks, and you’ll watch your stockpile of happiness grow.

9. Live in the moment. Stop regretting the past and fearing the future. Today is all you have. Make the most of it. Make it worth remembering.

10. Follow your ikigai. There is a passion inside you, a unique talent that gives meaning to your days and drives you to share the best of yourself until the very end. If you don’t know what your ikigai is yet, as Viktor Frankl says, your mission is to discover it.