If we were asked to make an honest and limited list, in which we were invited to answer what are the 3 or 4 things we like to do the most, those that give us true happiness, would we easily achieve it? Most admit no. And it is that many of us walk through life “automatically”, working on what we have to do, fulfilling what is owed -perhaps, mainly, to please others-, without even questioning whether that path or those actions make sense to us. and they give us well-being or fullness.
An exercise that contributes to the initial challenge proposed, experts say, is to go back to our childhood and remember what we played, what we were passionate about doing, what we dreamed of being when we were adults. In this way, we could begin to [re]connect with our Ikigai.
“Ikigai is hidden within us and requires a patient exploration to reach the depths of our being and find it.” This is stated by the Spanish writers, Héctor García (Kirai) and Francesc Miralles, in the first chapter of their book “Ikigai, The secrets of Japan for a long and happy life” published in 2016. But what is everything that this book covers? short and strange word?
Ikigai, explained Miralles in the talk “Aprendemos Juntos 2030” (BBVA) in October 2020, “is what gives meaning to our lives; it is the reason for living, the purpose of life, our mission”. In the Japanese language, where the concept originates from, Iki means “life” and Gai means “to be worth it”; as a whole it expresses: “a life worth living”.
Our Ikigai may today be the same as we had since we were children, but it may also have changed, and it is possible to have more than one in the course of a lifetime. For many, it coincides with the profession; for others, it’s in hobbies. There are those who detect that their Ikigai manifests with the family or within the community; there are those who experience it far from their immediate environment, in other cultures and among strangers.
According to the diagram by Marc Winn, contained in the book by García and Miralles, the confluence between what you love -your passion-, what you are good at -your talent-, what is necessary or useful to the world and what you what they could pay you, results in your Ikigai. The “formula” seems simple, but it is not always easy to self-observe and, even more, to accept what we find.
Ogimi: “the village of centenarians”
The Okinawa archipelago, located south of Japan, is known for being one of the 5 “Blue Zones” on the planet. According to the American explorer and journalist, Dan Buettner, who discovered and talked about them, “they are places where people live longer and healthier lives”, as well as being happy. In Okinawa, there are 68 centenarians per 100,000 inhabitants, which is much higher than the world average. Specifically, the town of Ogimi is called “the village of centenarians.”
Full of curiosity, García and Miralles traveled to Ogimi to investigate why a significant number of its inhabitants were so long-lived –centenarians and supercentenarians: “those who have reached and exceeded the age of 110 years”-. Assuming that the answers of the interviewees would revolve around healthy eating, daily exercise and a healthy lifestyle, they were surprised when they realized that when asked: “What drives you every day to get up from the bed?”, most answered: “I have my Ikigai”.
Evidently, both ratified in their field study that a natural and balanced diet, gentle and frequent physical activity, as well as good habits, are part of the practices of Okinawans that affect their longevity. However, they warned that there was much more, that other actions were needed to live many years, counting on health and experiencing happiness; They discovered that “you have to have an Ikigai on the horizon, a purpose that guides the person (…) and drives them to create beauty and utility for the community and for themselves,” they reveal in their book.
An interesting piece of information that they refer to in “Ikigai, Japan’s Secrets to a Long and Happy Life” has to do with interpersonal relationships. In this sense, they assure the following: “In Ogimi there are no bars and only a couple of restaurants, but the locals lead a very rich social life that revolves around community centers. The municipality is organized into 17 neighborhoods and each one has a president and different people in charge of the different categories: culture, festivals, social activities and longevity. This last one is a section to which they pay great attention”.
“The wisdom of the elders” in 10 principles
After a week of having collected a hundred testimonies from locals – close to turning 100 or who had already exceeded a century – and even having participated in some of their social and sports activities, García and Miralles came up with 10 laws or principles from the Ikigai, emanating “from the wisdom of the Ogimi elders”: Always stay active, never withdraw; Take it easy; Don’t eat until you’re full; Surround yourself with good friends and take care of them; Train or get in shape for your next birthday; Smile; Connect with nature; Give thanks; Live the moment; and Follow your Ikigai.
According to the Japanese, all human beings have their own Ikigai. Some have it clear from a very young age; others, already grown up, do not give up digging inside until they find it. There are also those who have preferred to ignore it. Miralles recommends that, when we achieve it, “our task is to put it at the center, as the motor of our life or, at least, if we have to share it with an activity that is not our passion, then give it an important place (…)”. If you are about to undertake the search for your Ikigai, to begin with you only have to ask yourself an elementary question: What makes you happy?