Finding purpose in life is a concept I love diving into. The search for the meaning of life and our role in our own lives, all ideas that have always interested me and have led me to different books along the way. Ikigai, the japanese concept, roughly translating to “the happiness of always being busy”, came up during my search, ultimately leading me to this book by Hector Garcia & Francesc Miralles.
Throughout the book, Garcia and Miralles reveal secrets of Japan’s centenarians to “give you the tools to find your own ikigai”.
Ikigai by Hector Garcia & Francesc Miralles
During our travels these last couple of years, my husband and I saw and spent close time with many people – from our age all the way up to the late 80’s. Something they all had in common though, no matter their age, was the youthfulness inside.
When asked how they stay so young, we’ve gotten everything from dancing to cooking and eating good foods, to even just waking up everyday full of gratitude. But ultimately, behind every beautiful soul we’ve shared time with, they seem to have found their “reason for being” or, as the Japanese call it, their ikigai.
In this book, Garcia and Miralles take us on their travels to Japan to explore this concept of ikigai and translating those observations to practical ways that we can adapt them into our everyday.
From mentality shifts like “a sound mind in a sound body” to gentle, physical exercises like the reminder to just get up from our chairs and stretch, Ikigai tackles all sides of finding our true purpose and prepping our bodies for the long run so that we, too, may live to 100!
A small, yet inspiring book – a great read for any age at any stage of life.
Have you heard of the idea of ikgai? Do you know another word for it in another language?
Let me know in the comments below, or you can message me on IG or email me – I’d love to hear from you 🙂
Until next time,
Cristina Marie