The Japanese Secret to a Happier Life
Ikigai is a Japanese concept that loosely translates as "the happiness of always being busy." It's an idea that promises a lot, but it might just hold some key ideas for finding purpose and living a more fulfilled life.
For the first time, I’m writing about a topic recommended to me by a friend. If there’s something you want me to write about, leave a comment below, and I’ll see if it’s something I feel that I can speak to.
My topic this week is the book Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, recommended to me by my friend, Tommy.
Ikigai, as translated by the authors García and Miralles, is a Japanese concept that means “the happiness of always being busy.” According to the authors, the secret to happiness and longevity can be found in the work we do.
This is a big promise, something akin to the fountain of youth. Can ikigai help someone find meaning and fulfillment?
While it might not fix everything, ikigai does contain elements that can be applied to most peoples’ lives.
It might just bring you a little happiness too.
Frankl and Logotherapy
The book’s authors tie in ikigai with another common purpose-driven ideology: logotherapy.
Logotherapy was coined by Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist. Frankl’s most famous work, Man’s Search for Meaning, recounts his time in concentration camps and how he came to this idea of logotherapy.
A main inspiration behind logotherapy is Nietzsche’s quote, “he who has a ‘why’ can endure any ‘how.’” This is a bit of a misattribution. Nietzsche’s real quote (or the best guess at what Frankl is quoting) is more accurately translated as follows:
If a man knows the wherefore of his existence, then the manner of it can take care of itself. Man does not aspire to happiness; only the Englishman does that.
I mostly call this out because the real quote, from The Twilight of the Idols, is better (and funnier). Life is about finding purpose not happiness.
Ikigai and the Blue Zones
Ikigai is our reason for getting up in the morning.
García and Miralles talk about ikigai as a way to live a longer, more fulfilled life. They site Okinawa, considered a Blue Zone, as an example of an area where people live longer because of this connection to purpose.
Blue Zones are regions in the world where people tend to live exceptionally long lives, going above and beyond 100 years of age.
Okinawa is just one example. Other Blue Zones include Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California. One of these is not like the others…
Common traits found in these zones that purportedly contribute to the long lifespans are…
- Diet
- Exercise
- Community
- Purpose
Existential crisis…is typical of modern societies in which people do what they are told to do, or what others do, rather than what they want to do.
García, Miralles, and Frankl all believe that finding one’s purpose is central to living a good life. They also believe that people in the modern era have strayed farther and farther from figuring out what we love.
Not everyone may be born with a built-in purpose, but the authors believe we all have a starting point. Maybe it’s as clear as an occupation, but maybe it’s just a general direction in which to go.
There is a tension between what is good for someone and what they want to do.
We can’t expect to discover our purpose, our ikigai, in one day, but we can start to listen to what speaks to us, where that tension lies, and use it as a jumping-off point.
Enter the Flow State
Maybe you have an idea for something you’d like to explore immediately. Maybe you don’t.
One way to find something you might enjoy doing is to pay attention to when you’re in a flow state.
The flow state occurs when you’re working on something, and time seems to disappear. You become engrossed in the work you’re doing, fully focused on the task at hand. The kids would call this “locking in.”
Owen Schaffer, a DePaul University researcher, defines seven criteria for entering the flow state.
- Knowing what to do
- Knowing how to do it
- Knowing how well you are doing
- Knowing where to go
- Perceiving significant challenges
- Perceiving significant skills
- Being free from distractions
It’s important the flow activity isn’t too easy or too hard. You want to be like Goldilocks: right in the middle.
Concentrating on one thing at a time may be the single most important factor in achieving flow.
If there’s some activity that brings you flow, start there. That’s the first clue to finding your ikigai. Spend time doing that activity and consider why it brings you flow.
What do you like about that activity? Are there other similar activities that might also bring you joy?
Compasses Over Maps
Once you’ve picked a point to start, you might begin to wonder what comes next. If you’re like me, you’ll want a map or list of instructions. That’s the wrong way to think about it, according to the authors.
García and Miralles talk about using a compass instead of a map.
I feel like a broken record with how many times I’ve talked about “journey before destination” or focusing on the process in my posts. It’s a constantly recurring theme, which makes me think it’s a lesson especially important for this time.
Our intuition and curiosity are very powerful internal compasses to help us connect with our ikigai. Follow those things you enjoy, and get away from or change those you dislike.
Exploring flow activities is an iterative process. There’s no guidebook to tell you what comes next. Skipping to the end is antithetical to the idea of ikigai.
There is no end, which means we can’t follow a map to get to where we want to go. Instead, we can use our internal compass to point in a direction and set off. Go a little ways then reevaluate the course.
Happiness is in the doing, not in the result. As a rule of thumb, remind yourself: "Rituals over goals."
To find our ikigai, we must fall in love with the doing. By doing, we can start to follow our compass and begin our journey.
What’s the Worst That Could Happen?
Being present is a major component of finding your flow state, but in a modern age where dozens of things are fighting for our attention at any given moment, it can be harder than ever to focus on the now.
A donkey that is tied to a post by a rope will keep walking around the post in an attempt to free itself, only to become more immobilized and attached to the post. The same thing applies to people with obsessive thinking who become more trapped in their own suffering when they try to escape from their fears and discomfort.
Meditation is a common tool for helping find presence.
The main purpose of meditation isn’t to rid ourselves of all the thoughts we’re having but rather to help us acknowledge them and move forward. Like a swimmer in an ocean, we don’t want to rid ourselves of the waves; we want to learn how to swim through them.
Another tool the authors recommend for navigating harmful self-talk is using negative visualization.
In order to keep their minds virtuous, the Stoics practiced something like negative visualization: They imagined the worst thing that could happen in order to be prepared if certain privileges and pleasures were taken from them.
Negative visualization can help us take our worries to the extreme to (hopefully) realize they’re not as bad as we think.
A lot of folks worry about being fired from their jobs. Consider the worst-case scenario here.
If you’re fired, you have to look for another job, but if you currently have a job, that means you’re at least capable of finding a new one. Additionally, there are likely elements of your job you don’t enjoy. If you’re fired, you won’t have to respond to stressful emails for example.
While getting fired isn’t an ideal situation, even the worst-case scenario is something you’re able to endure.
Next time you find yourself trapped in a feedback loop of negative self-talk, consider these tools. The more you can get out of your head and your devices and into the present moment, the more likely you’ll be able to continue on the path toward your ikigai.
There Is No Solution
A complementary Japanese concept is that of ichi-go ichi-e, which could be translated as "This moment exists only now and won’t come again."
Ikigai is a framework for life. It isn’t an instruction manual.
Paying closer attention to the things around us will help us find joy in what we do. We can’t pay close attention, though, if we’re not present.
García and Miralles suggest that purpose will help us live longer and more fulfilled lives. There are other components that factor in, naturally, but doing work that fulfills us surely won’t hurt.
We shouldn’t go through life waiting for some imaginary finish line to cross that is retirement. We should find work that keeps us busy yet happy.
Life isn’t some problem to be solved. It’s something we get to experience.
The most important part is finding something you enjoy doing while being surrounded by those who love you.
If you’ve got a topic (a book, a movie, a song, etc.) that you want me to break down, leave a comment below!