The Japanese people are one of the most outlived people in the world and they have a Village called Ogimi where most people max out their lives up to about 100 years. The Ogimi people follow what they called a healthy lifestyle mixed with happiness and compassion towards everyone in the community. They all have a system of having Ikigai or Life’s purpose so that they don’t get astray of their goal and keep on moving towards that so to have a long and happy life.
The Ikigai can also be better understood by the book with the same name ‘Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life’. The books tell us the secret of a happy and long life and give us some rules for the same which are as follows.
Stay Active and Never Retire
Staying active is one of the most common and known ways of having a happy life. A sound body beholds sound mind states true in this situation and with a healthy outlook, you can be at peace inside too.
But It changes when we talk about retirement and while we are dreaming of retiring at the age of 60 as followed by the norm, Japanese people don’t actually know the concept of retirement. For them, all they know is they have to fulfill a life goal until they are literally unable to efficiently make any progress in that particular task and then shift to a new one.
This creates an active mind even at old age and we feel excited that at least we don’t have to sit in a chair and watch TV all day long as most old people do.
Fill Your Stomach up to 80% Only
There is a Japanese rule that states that one should only eat about up to 80% of their hunger or eating capacity and leave some space in their stomachs. This keeps them active as after having a large meal, all we want to do is lay down and rest some more.
Surround Yourself with Good Friends
The community building and having good behavior with everyone is an important part of Japanese culture. That’s the reason why Japan is ranked number one in customer service experience and most foreign tourists gest awestruck by their level of commitment to make the customer happy.
Same way, having strong bonds with fellow members of the community that one can rely on is necessary to achieve someone’s Ikigai and fully live their life. This helps negate tension as we know we have someone to rely on during tough times.
Show Gratitude
The expression of gratitude helps in making a strong connection and also, it makes us feel good about ourselves at the same time. This way it helps all the other causes of a happy life and keeps our mood in check while also creating a happy and helping society.
Live in the Moment
The past is in the past and the future is yet to come, so one’s best option is to live in the present itself. The present holds everything that one would want to have and all they had to do is try harder and give their very hard this very minute.
Follow Your Ikigai
Ikigai is anything that defines you and drives you beyond all the rational rules and regulations. For example, if you are a farmer and you grow crops, then your Ikigai is growing crops and feeding others. You should keep doing that to remain happy as you won’t thrive inside a 6*6 cubicle doing business work. And that your happiness lies in that work only which you can enjoy doing every day for the rest of your life.
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