(Book review) Ikigai, Hector Garcia/Francesc Miralles (6/10)

[Basman]

Page count: 194

Published: 2016

If you ever been to an airport bookstore, you might have seen this book in the self-help isle once. It is a strikingly beautiful hardback with an exotic name that draws the eye. I have the version that has the painting of a blooming branch stretching across the light blue color of the cover. It is a looker of a book.

The book is about examining why people from certain demographics tend to live much longer that the general average, with a particular focus on the Okinawans from Japan, hence the Japanese concept of "ikigai". It briefly delves into various lifestyle factors that contribute to a long life. It touches upon diet, mindset, career, physical exercise, friends, community and several more.

You can boil down the core principles that this book claims to be essential for healthy (and therefor long) living to three core ideas; physical health, community and purpose. There are many factors that make you live longer but those are the three core themes. For example having an intense life, a tight knit community, diet, etc. -All factors that contribute to health, happiness and longevity.

The concept of "ikigai" was first introduced to me through this book. It is similar to life purpose as a concept but it has a more broad definition. Basically, ikigai = What you love + what the world needs + what you can get paid for + what you are good at. It is usually presented as a Venn diagram. I like this concept and I'm sure you can do a lot with it if you sit down and contemplate it (which I should do some time).

It is a pretty short book that only briefly touches on a lot of different concepts. It doesn't go more into the depth than the general basics. But that also makes it easier to read and re-visit on the go. This book will not make you an expert but it will introduce you to general ideas and concepts that could make your life better, most of which are simple in premise.  While relatively innocuous, the concept I've internalized successfully for years now since first reading it is only eating till I'm 80% full. It is simple but small things add up. And it is not like you need to be an expert in order to understand the principle of regular exercise either, for example.

I occasionally pick it back up to remind myself of an idea, which is a testament to this books accessibility to readers. I find that it helps me feel more inspired to lead a more healthy and fulfilling lifestyle. It is not deep but that is to its advantage in my opinion. Not every book needs to be a master manual. It is however not an essential read either though I did enjoy reading it and having it on my shelf.