Ikigai: The Secret Formula to a Long and Happy Life (Transforming Your Life With the Wisdom of Japanese Philosophy)


Book Description

In a world where many feel lost or unfulfilled, the age-old japanese concept of ikigai offers a beacon of hope. Are you struggling to find meaning in your daily routine or questioning the path you're on? You're not alone. Millions of people grapple with finding their true calling, leading to a life that feels incomplete and directionless. How to be ikigai: discovering your life’s purpose and igniting your passion is your ultimate guide to uncovering and embracing your unique ikigai. This transformative book walks you through a step-by-step journey to identify your passions, integrate them into your professional life, and align your daily activities with your deepest values. The book will deliver to the buyer: · Clarity of purpose: unearth your true purpose through the four pillars of ikigai and transform your life. · Continuous improvement: master the art of kaizen to cultivate a mindset of perpetual growth and development. · Flow state mastery: access practical techniques to achieve and sustain the elusive state of flow for peak productivity and joy. · Passion and motivation: identify, nurture, and sustain your passions to fuel a life of enthusiasm and drive. · Effective goal setting: learn to set and conquer meaningful goals that resonate with your core values and purpose. The young generation has lost in touch with the traditional japanese diet so they can’t be the role model. The old generation can be the one since they follow the traditional diet and many of the centenarians who appear in the longevity books belong to this category. And yet, can they really be our role model? They lived in a different era, and their methodology may not be applicable in the present period: they don’t necessarily lead a healthy lifestyle anymore since our way of food production has changed. Nonetheless, they haven’t adapted to the current agricultural situation.




Ikigai


Book Description

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • 2 MILLION+ COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE “Workers looking for more fulfilling positions should start by identifying their ikigai.” ―Business Insider “One of the unintended—yet positive—consequences of the [pandemic] is that it is forcing people to reevaluate their jobs, careers, and lives. Use this time wisely, find your personal ikigai, and live your best life.” ―Forbes Find your ikigai (pronounced ee-key-guy) to live longer and bring more meaning and joy to all your days. “Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years.” —Japanese proverb According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai—a reason for living. And according to the residents of the Japanese village with the world’s longest-living people, finding it is the key to a happier and longer life. Having a strong sense of ikigai—where what you love, what you’re good at, what you can get paid for, and what the world needs all overlap—means that each day is infused with meaning. It’s the reason we get up in the morning. It’s also the reason many Japanese never really retire (in fact there’s no word in Japanese that means retire in the sense it does in English): They remain active and work at what they enjoy, because they’ve found a real purpose in life—the happiness of always being busy. In researching this book, the authors interviewed the residents of the Japanese village with the highest percentage of 100-year-olds—one of the world’s Blue Zones. Ikigai reveals the secrets to their longevity and happiness: how they eat, how they move, how they work, how they foster collaboration and community, and—their best-kept secret—how they find the ikigai that brings satisfaction to their lives. And it provides practical tools to help you discover your own ikigai. Because who doesn’t want to find happiness in every day?




The Book of Ichigo Ichie


Book Description

Find happiness by living fully in the present with this definitive guide to ichigo ichie--the Japanese art of making the most of every moment--from the bestselling authors of Ikigai and The Four-Way Path. Every moment in our life happens only once, and if we let it slip away, we lose it forever--an idea captured by the Japanese phrase ichigo ichie (pronounced itchy-GO itchy-A). Often spoken in Japan when greeting someone or saying goodbye, to convey that the encounter is unique and special, it is a tenet of Zen Buddhism and is attributed to a sixteenth-century master of the Japanese tea ceremony, or "ceremony of attention," whose intricate rituals compel us to focus on the present moment. From this age-old concept comes a new kind of mindfulness. In The Book of Ichigo Ichie, you will learn to... appreciate the beauty of the fleeting, the way the Japanese celebrate the cherry blossoms for two weeks every April, knowing they'll have to wait a whole year to see them again; use all five senses to anchor yourself in the present, helping you to let go of fear, sadness, anger, and other negative emotions fueled by fixating on the past or the future; be alert to the magic of coincidences, which help us find meaning among the disconnected events of our lives; use ichigo ichie to help you discover your ikigai, or life's purpose--because it's only by learning to be present, to be tuned into what catches your attention and excites you in the moment, that you can identify what it is that most motivates you and brings you happiness. Every one of us contains a key that can open the door to attention, harmony with others, and love of life. And that key is ichigo ichie. A PENGUIN LIFE TITLE




Awakening Your Ikigai: How the Japanese Wake Up to Joy and Purpose Every Day


Book Description

“Awakening Your Ikigai is really quite a delightful look at sometimes mystifying Japanese traditions.”—The New York Times Book Review Introducing IKIGAI: find your passions and live with joy Ikigai is a Japanese phenomenon commonly understood as “your reason to get up in the morning.” Ikigai can be small moments: the morning air, a cup of coffee, a compliment. It can also be deep convictions: a fulfilling job, lasting friendships, balanced health. Whether big or small, your ikigai is the path to success and happiness in your own life. Author Ken Mogi introduces five pillars of ikigai to help you make the most of each day and become your most authentic self: 1. starting small ? focus on the details 2. releasing yourself ? accept who you are 3. harmony and sustainability ? rely on others 4. the joy of little things ? appreciate sensory pleasure 5. being in the here and now ? find your flow. Weaving together insights from Japanese history, philosophy, and modern culture, plus stories from renowned sushi chef Jiro Ono, anime filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, and others, Mogi skillfully shows the way to awaken your ikigai.




The Happy Mind


Book Description

Don’t waste another day feeling unfulfilled—a guide to mastering the habits of happiness by the Wall Street Journal-bestselling author of Unlimited Memory. Happiness is more than just a feeling—it’s a learned skill. When you master the habits of happiness, your life will be filled with more peace, purpose, and passion. The answers lie within the depths of your mind. The Happy Mind offers valuable insights for building lasting happiness instead of being driven by short-term pleasure seeking. When you look at all the scientific research, religious teachings, and philosophical insights surrounding the topic of happiness, one thing becomes clear: We all experience happiness differently. What makes one person happy may make another miserable. This book is about customizing your happiness—and finding your own unique roadmap. You’ll learn: How people search for happiness in all the wrong places, and how you can avoid these “happiness traps” that keep you stuck and unfulfilled Why most people mistake pleasure for happiness, and how this simple mistake causes you to lose sight of what really matters to you The nine common qualities that super happy people share (and how you can apply them to brighten up your life) The key traits of unhappiness (and the most important behaviors you should avoid) Easy changes you can make that will create more long-term happiness for you and your loved ones




The Art of Stopping Time


Book Description

We’re all struggling to find time in our lives, but somehow there’s never enough to go around. We’re too tired to think, too wired to focus, less efficient than we want to be, and guilty about not getting enough time with our loved ones. We all know that we feel starved for time, but what are we actually doing about it? Precious little. In The Art of Stopping Time, New York Times bestselling author Pedram Shojai guides us towards success with what he calls Time Prosperity—having the time to accomplish what you want in life without feeling compressed, stressed, overburdened, or hurried. So how do we achieve this Time Prosperity? We learn to Stop Time. To do that, Shojai walks us though a 100-day Gong, which is based on the Chinese practice of designating an amount of time each day to perform a specific task. The ritual helps you become mindful, train your mind, instill new habits, and fundamentally transform your relationship with time. We can find moments of mental awareness while in the shower, eating a snack, listening to podcasts, and even while binge-watching our favorite TV shows. He shares how to use Gongs to reprogram your habits, reduce stress, increase energy, exercise the ancient practice of mindfulness, and become a master of your time. Whether you do one per day, a bunch at a time, or read the whole book in one sitting, practicing the Gongs is a dedicated act of self-love that snaps us out of our daily trance and brings the light of awareness to our consciousness. The more we practice, the more we wake up, and the better off we are.




Forest Bathing


Book Description

The definitive--and by far the most popular--guide to the therapeutic Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or the art and science of how trees can promote health and happiness Notice how a tree sways in the wind. Run your hands over its bark. Take in its citrusy scent. As a society we suffer from nature deficit disorder, but studies have shown that spending mindful, intentional time around trees--what the Japanese call shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing--can promote health and happiness. In this beautiful book--featuring more than 100 color photographs from forests around the world, including the forest therapy trails that criss-cross Japan--Dr. Qing Li, the world's foremost expert in forest medicine, shows how forest bathing can reduce your stress levels and blood pressure, strengthen your immune and cardiovascular systems, boost your energy, mood, creativity, and concentration, and even help you lose weight and live longer. Once you've discovered the healing power of trees, you can lose yourself in the beauty of your surroundings, leave everyday stress behind, and reach a place of greater calm and wellness.




The Ikigai Journey


Book Description

In The Ikigai Journey, authors Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles take their international bestseller Ikigai: the Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life a step further by showing you how to find your own ikigai through practical exercises, such as employing new habits and stepping outside your comfort zone. Ikigai is the place where our passion (what we love), mission (what we hope to contribute), vocation (the gifts we have to offer the world) and profession (how our passions and talents can become a livelihood) converge, giving us a personal sense of meaning. This book helps you bring together all of these elements so that you can enjoy a balanced life. Our ikigai is very similar to change: it is a constant that transforms depending on which phase of life we are in. Our "reason for being" is not the same at 15 as it is at 70. Through three sections, this book helps you to accept and embrace that--acting as a tool to revolutionize your future by helping you to understand the past, so you can enjoy your present. Section 1: Journey Through the Future: Tokyo (a symbol of modernity and innovation) Section 2: Journey Through the Past: Kyoto (an ancient capital moored in tradition) Section 3: Journey Through the Present: Ise (an ancient shrine that is destroyed and rebuilt every twenty years) Japan has one of the longest life spans in the world, and the greatest number of centenarians--many of whom cite their strong sense of ikigai as the basis for their happiness and longevity. Unlike many "self-care" practices, which require setting aside time in an increasingly busy world, the ikigai method helps you find peace and fulfillment in your busy life.




Rewire


Book Description

The bestselling author of Undoing Depression offers a brain-based guide to permanently ending bad habits Richard O’Connor’s bestselling book Undoing Depression has become a touchstone in the field, helping thousands of therapists and patients overcome depressive patterns. In Rewire, O’Connor expands those ideas, showing how we actually have two brains—a conscious deliberate self and an automatic self that makes most of our decisions—and how we can train the latter to ignore distractions, withstand temptations, and interrupt reflexive, self-sabotaging responses. Rewire gives readers a road–map to overcoming the most common self-destructive habits, including procrastination, excessive worrying, internet addiction, overeating, risk-taking, and self-medication, among others. By learning valuable skills and habits—including mindfulness, self-control, confronting fear, and freeing yourself from mindless guilt—we can open ourselves to vastly more successful, productive, and happy lives.




The Discomfort Zone


Book Description

You want people to stretch their limits, but your conversations meant to help them often fall flat or backfire, creating more resistance than growth. Top leadership coach Marcia Reynolds offers a model for using the Discomfort Zone—the moment when the mind is most open to learning—to prompt people to think through problems, see situations more strategically, and transcend their limitations. Drawing on recent discoveries in the neuroscience of learning, Reynolds shows how to ask the kinds of questions that short-circuit the brain’s defense mechanisms and habitual thought patterns. Then, instead of being told, people see for themselves the insightful and often profound solutions to what is stopping their progress. The exercises and case studies will help you use discomfort in your conversations to create lasting changes and an enlivened workforce.