All language subtitles for Ikigai the Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life - Full Audiobook

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Media presents Ikigai The Japanese
Secret to a Long and Happy Life Written

Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles.

Translated by Heather Cleary.

Read by Walter Dixon.

Prologue Ikigai, A Mysterious Word

This audiobook first came into being on
a rainy night in Tokyo, when its authors

sat down together for the first time in
one of the city's tiny bars.

We had each read each other's work, but
had never met.

thanks to the thousands of miles that
separate Barcelona from the capital of

Japan.

Then a mutual acquaintance put us in
touch, launching a friendship that led

this project and seems destined to last
a lifetime.

The next time we got together, a year
later, we strolled through a park in

downtown Tokyo and ended up talking
about trends in Western psychology,

specifically logotherapy, which helps
people find their purpose in life.

We remarked that Viktor Frankl's
logotherapy had gone out of fashion

practicing therapists.

who favored other schools of psychology,
though people still search for meaning

in what they do and how they live.

We ask ourselves things like, what is
the meaning of my life?

Is the point just to live longer, or
should I seek a higher purpose?

Why do some people know what they want
and have a passion for life, while

languish in confusion?

At some point in our conversation, the
mysterious word ikigai came up.

This Japanese concept, which translates
roughly as the happiness of always being

busy, is like logotherapy, but it goes a
step beyond.

It also seems to be one way of
explaining the extraordinary longevity

Japanese, especially on the island of
Okinawa, where there are 24 .55 people

over the age of 100 for every 100 ,000
inhabitants, far more than the global

average.

Those who study why the inhabitants of
this island in the south of Japan live

longer than people anywhere else in the
world believe that one of the keys, in

addition to a healthful diet, a simple
life in the outdoors, green tea, and the

subtropical climate, its average
temperature is like that of Hawaii, is

ikigai that shapes their lives.

While researching this concept, we
discovered that not a single book in the

fields of psychology or personal
development is dedicated to bringing

philosophy to the West.

Is Ikigai the reason there are more
centenarians in Okinawa than anywhere

How does it inspire people to stay
active until the very end?

What is the secret to a long and happy
life?

As we explored the matter further, we
discovered that one place in particular,

Ogimi, a rural town on the north end of
the island with a population of 3 ,000,

boasts the highest life expectancy in
the world, a fact that is earned at the

nickname of the Village of Longevity.

Okinawa is where most of Japan's
shikuwasa, a lime -like fruit that packs

extraordinary antioxidant punch, comes
from.

Could that be Ogimi's secret to long
life?

Or is it the purity of the water used to
brew its moringa tea?

We decided to go study the secrets of
the Japanese centenarians in person.

After a year of preliminary research, we
arrived in the village, where residents

speak an ancient dialect and practice an
animist religion that features long

-haired forest sprites called bunagaya.

with our cameras and recording devices
in hand.

As soon as we arrived, we could sense
the incredible friendliness of its

residents, who laughed and joked
incessantly amid lush green hills fed by

crystalline waters.

As we conducted our interviews with the
eldest residents of the town, we

realized that something far more
powerful than just these natural

at work.

An uncommon joy flows from its
inhabitants and guides them through the

pleasurable journey of their lives.

Again. the mysterious Ikigai.

But what is it exactly?

How do you get it?

It never ceased to surprise us that this
haven of nearly eternal life was

located precisely in Okinawa, where 200
,000 innocent lives were lost at the end

of World War II.

Rather than harbor animosity toward
outsiders, however, Okinawans live by

principle of Ichariba Chode, a local
expression that means treat everyone

brother, even if you've never met them
before.

It turns out that one of the secrets to
happiness of Ogimi's residents is

feeling like part of a community.

From an early age, they practice
yuimaaru, or teamwork, and so are used

helping one another.

Nurturing friendships, eating light,
getting enough rest, and doing regular,

moderate exercise are all part of the
equation of good health.

But at the heart of the joie de vivre
that inspires these centenarians to keep

celebrating birthdays and cherishing
each new day is their ikigai.

The purpose of this audiobook is to
bring the secrets of Japan's

you, and give you the tools to find your
own Ikigai.

Because those who discover their Ikigai
have everything they need for a long and

joyful journey through life.

Happy travels.

Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles

Chapter 1

Ikigai The Art of Staying Young while
growing old.

What is your reason for being?

According to the Japanese, everyone has
an ikigai, what a French philosopher

might call a raison d 'etre.

Some people have found their ikigai
while others are still looking, though

carry it within them.

Our ikigai is hidden deep inside each of
us, and finding it requires a patient

search.

According to those born on Okinawa, the
island with the most centenarians in the

world, Our ikigai is the reason we get
up in the morning.

Ikigai can be described as the common
ground you find between what you're good

at, what you love, what the world needs,
and what you can be paid for.

Whatever you do, don't retire.

Having a clearly defined ikigai brings
satisfaction, happiness, and meaning to

our lives.

The purpose of this audiobook is to help
you find yours.

and to share insights from Japanese
philosophy on the lasting health of

mind, and spirit.

One surprising thing you notice living
in Japan is how active people remain

after they retire.

In fact, many Japanese people never
really retire.

They keep doing what they love for as
long as their health allows.

There is, in fact, no word in Japanese
that means retire in the sense of

the workforce for good as in English.

According to Dan Buechner, a National
Geographic reporter who knows the

well, Having a purpose in life is so
important in Japanese culture that our

of retirement simply doesn't exist
there.

Certain longevity studies suggest that a
strong sense of community and a clearly

defined ikigai are just as important as
the famously healthful Japanese diet,

perhaps even more so.

Recent medical studies of centenarians
from Okinawa and other so -called blue

zones, the geographic regions where
people live longest, provide a number of

interesting facts about these
extraordinary human beings.

Not only do they live much longer than
the rest of the world's population, they

also suffer from fewer chronic
illnesses, such as cancer and heart

Inflammatory disorders are also less
common.

Many of these centenarians enjoy
enviable levels of vitality and health.

that would be unthinkable for people of
advanced age elsewhere.

Their blood tests reveal fewer free
radicals, which are responsible for

aging, as a result of drinking tea and
eating until their stomachs are only 80

full.

Women experience more moderate symptoms
during menopause, and both men and women

maintain higher levels of sexual
hormones until much later in life.

The rate of dementia is well below the
global average.

Though we'll consider each of these
findings over the course of the

research clearly indicates that the
Okinawans' focus on ikigai gives a sense

purpose to each and every day and plays
an important role in their health and

longevity.

The Characters Behind Ikigai In
Japanese, ikigai is written by

combining a character which means life
with another which means to be

worthwhile. And that... can be broken
down to the characters which mean armor,

number one, and to be the first, to head
into battle, taking initiative as a

leader, and another character which
means beautiful or elegant.

Okinawa holds first place among the
world's blue zones.

In Okinawa, women in particular live
longer and have fewer diseases than

anywhere else in the world.

The five regions identified and analyzed
by Dan Buechner in his book The Blue

Zones are 1.

Okinawa, Japan, especially the northern
part of the island.

The locals eat a diet rich in vegetables
and tofu, typically served on small

plates. In addition to their philosophy
of ikigai, the moai, or close -knit

group of friends, plays an important
role in their longevity.

2.

Sardinia, Italy.

specifically the provinces of Nuoro and
Ogliaxtra.

Locals on this island consume plenty of
vegetables and one or two glasses of

wine per day.

As in Okinawa, the cohesive nature of
this community is another factor

related to longevity.

Researchers studied a group of Seventh
-day Adventists

who are among the longest -living people
in the United States.

the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica.

Locals remain remarkably active after
90.

Many of the region's older residents
have no problem getting up at 5 .30 in

morning to work in the fields.

5.

Ikaria, Greece One of every three
inhabitants of this island near the

Turkey is over 90 years old, compared to
less than 1 % of the population of the

United States, a fact that is earned at
the nickname of the island of long life.

The local secret seems to be a lifestyle
that dates back to 500 BC.

In the following chapters, we'll examine
several factors that seem to be the

keys to longevity and are found across
the Blue Zones, paying special attention

to Okinawa and its so -called Village of
Longevity.

First, however, it's worth pointing out
that three of these regions are islands

where resources can be scarce and
communities have to help one another.

For many, helping others might be an
ikigai strong enough to keep them alive.

According to scientists who have studied
the five blue zones, the keys to

longevity are diet, exercise, finding a
purpose in life, an ikigai,

and forming strong social ties, that is,
having a broad circle of friends and

good family relations.

Members of these communities manage
their time well in order to reduce

consume little meat or processed foods,
and drink alcohol in moderation.

They don't do strenuous exercise, but
they do move every day, taking walks and

working in their vegetable gardens.

People in the blue zones would rather
walk than drive.

Gardening, which involves daily, low
-intensity movement, is a practice

all of them have in common.

The 80 % Secret One of the most common
sayings in Japan is

harahachi -bu.

which is repeated before or after
eating, and means something like fill

belly to 80%. Ancient wisdom advises
against eating until we are full.

This is why Okinawans stop eating when
they feel their stomachs reach 80 % of

their capacity, rather than overeating
and wearing down their bodies with long

digestive processes that accelerate
cellular oxidation.

Of course, there's no way to know
objectively if your stomach is at 80 %

capacity.

The lesson to learn from this saying is
that we should stop eating when we're

starting to feel full.

The extra side dish, the snack we eat
when we know in our hearts we don't

need it, the apple pie after lunch, all
these will give us pleasure in the short

term, but not having them will make us
happier in the long term.

The way food is served is also
important.

By presenting their meals on many small
plates, the Japanese tend to eat less.

A typical meal in a restaurant in Japan
is served in five plates on a tray, four

of them very small and the main dish
slightly bigger.

Having five plates in front of you makes
it seem like you're going to eat a lot,

but what happens most of the time is
that you end up feeling slightly hungry.

This is one of the reasons why
Westerners in Japan typically lose

stay trim.

Recent studies by nutritionists reveal
that Okinawans consume a daily average

1 ,800 to 1 ,900 calories compared to 2
,200 to 3 ,300 in the United

States and have a body mass index
between 18 and 22 compared to 26 or 27

United States.

The Okinawan diet is rich in tofu, sweet
potatoes, fish, three times per week,

and vegetables, roughly 11 ounces per
day.

In the chapter dedicated to nutrition,
we'll see which healthy, antioxidant

-rich foods are included in this 80%. It

is customary in Okinawa to form close

bonds within local communities.

A moai is an informal group of people
with common interests who look out for

another. For many, serving the community
becomes part of their ikigai.

The Moai has its origins in hard times,
when farmers would get together to share

best practices and help one another cope
with meager harvests.

Members of a Moai make a set monthly
contribution to the group.

This payment allows them to participate
in meetings, dinners, games of Go and

Shogi, Japanese chess, or whatever hobby
they have in common.

The funds collected by the group are
used for activities, but if there's

left over, one member... decided on a
rotating basis, receives a set amount

the surplus.

In this way, being part of a Moai helps
maintain emotional and financial

stability.

If a member of a Moai is in financial
trouble, he or she can get an advance

the group's savings.

While the details of each Moai's
accounting practices vary according to

group and its economic means, the
feeling of belonging and support gives

individual a sense of security and helps
increase life expectancy.

Following this brief introduction to the
topics covered in this audiobook, we

look at a few causes of premature aging
in modern life, and then explore

different factors related to ikigai.

Chapter 2 Anti -Aging Secrets Little
Things That Add Up to a Long and Happy

Aging, Escape Velocity, and the Rabbit

Imagine a sign far off in the future
with a number on it that represents the

of your death.

Every year that you live, you advance
closer to the sign.

When you reach the sign, you die.

Now, imagine a rabbit holding the sign
and walking to the future.

Every year that you live, the rabbit is
half a year as far away.

After a while, you will reach the rabbit
and die.

But what if the rabbit could walk at a
pace of one year for every year of your

life? You would never be able to catch
the rabbit, and therefore you would

die.

The speed at which the rabbit walks to
the future is our technology.

The more we advance technology and
knowledge of our bodies, the faster we

make the rabbit walk.

Aging's escape velocity is the moment at
which the rabbit walks at a pace of one

year per year or faster, and we become
immortal.

Aging's Escape Velocity

For more than a century, we've managed
to add an average of 0 .3 years to our

life expectancy every year.

But what would happen if we had the
technology to add a year of life

every year?

In theory, we would achieve biological
immortality, having reached aging's

escape velocity.

Researchers with an eye to the future,
such as Ray Kurzweil and Aubrey de Grey,

claim that we'll reach this escape
velocity in a matter of decades.

Other scientists are less optimistic,
predicting that we'll reach a limit.

a maximum age we won't be able to
surpass no matter how much technology we

For example, some biologists assert that
our cells stop regenerating after about

120 years.

Active Mind, Youthful Body There is much
wisdom in the classic saying, mens

sana in corpore sano, a sound mind in a
sound body.

It reminds us that both mind and body
are important.

and that the health of one is connected
to that of the other.

It's been shown that maintaining an
active, adaptable mind is one of the key

factors in staying young.

Having a youthful mind also drives you
toward a healthy lifestyle that will

the aging process.

Just as a lack of physical exercise has
negative effects on our bodies and mood,

a lack of mental exercise is bad for us,
because it causes our neurons and

neural connections to deteriorate.

and as a result, reduces our ability to
react to our surroundings.

This is why it's so important to give
your brain a workout.

One pioneer in advocating for mental
exercise is the Israeli neuroscientist

Shlomo Bresnitz, who argues that the
brain needs a lot of stimulation in

to stay in shape.

As he stated in an interview with Edward
Punset for the Spanish television

program Redis, there is a tension
between what is good for someone and

want to do.

This is because people...

especially older people, like to do
things as they've always done them.

The problem is that when the brain
develops ingrained habits, it doesn't

think anymore.

Things get done quickly and efficiently
on automatic pilot, often in a very

advantageous way.

This creates a tendency to stick to
routines, and the only way of breaking

is to confront the brain with new
information.

Presented with new information, the
brain creates new connections and is

revitalized. This is why it's so
important to expose yourself to change,

stepping outside your comfort zone means
feeling a bit of anxiety.

The effects of mental training have been
scientifically demonstrated.

According to Collins Hemingway and
Shlomo Bresnitz in their book Maximum

Power, Challenging the Brain for Health
and Wisdom, mental training is

beneficial on many levels.

You begin exercising your brain by doing
a certain task for the first time, he

writes. And at first, it seems very
difficult.

But as you learn how to do it, the
training is already working.

The second time, you realize that it's
easier, not harder to do because you're

getting better at it.

This has a fantastic effect on a
person's mood.

In and of itself, it's a transformation
that affects not only the results

obtained, but also his or her self
-image.

This description of a mental workout
might sound a bit formal, but simply

interacting with others, playing a game,
for example, offers new stimuli.

and helps prevent the depression that
can come with solitude.

Our neurons start to age while we're
still in our twenties.

This process is slowed, however, by
intellectual activity, curiosity, and a

desire to learn.

Dealing with new situations, learning
something new every day, playing games,

and interacting with other people seem
to be essential for anti -aging

strategies for the mind.

Furthermore, a more positive outlook in
this regard will yield greater mental

benefits.

Stress.

Accused of killing longevity.

Many people seem older than they are.

Research into the causes of premature
aging has shown that stress has a lot to

do with it, because the body wears down
much faster during periods of crisis.

The American Institute of Stress
investigated this degenerative process

concluded that most health problems are
caused by stress.

Researchers at the Heidelberg University
Hospital conducted a study in which

they subjected a young doctor to a job
interview, which they made even more

stressful by forcing him to solve
complex math problems for 30 minutes.

Afterward, they took a blood sample.

What they discovered was that his
antibodies had reacted to stress the

they react to pathogens, activating the
proteins that trigger an immune

response.

The problem is that this response not
only neutralizes harmful agents, it also

damages healthy cells.

leading them to age prematurely.

The University of California conducted a
similar study, taking data and samples

from 39 women who had high levels of
stress due to the illness of one of

children and comparing them to samples
from women with healthy children and low

levels of stress.

They found that stress promotes cellular
aging by weakening cell structures

known as telomeres, which affect
cellular regeneration and how our cells

As the study revealed, the greater the
stress, the greater the degenerative

effects on cells.

How does stress work?

These days, people live at a frantic
pace and in a nearly constant state of

competition.

At this fever pitch, stress is a natural
response to the information being

received by the body as potentially
dangerous or problematic.

Theoretically, this is a useful reaction
as it helps us survive in hostile

surroundings.

Over the course of our evolution we have
used this response to deal with

difficult situations and to flee from
predators.

The alarm that goes off in our head
makes our neurons activate the pituitary

gland, which produces hormones that
release corticotropin, which in turn

circulates through the body via the
sympathetic nervous system.

The adrenal gland is then triggered to
release adrenaline and cortisol.

Adrenaline raises our respiratory rate
and pulse and prepares our muscles for

action, getting the body ready to react
to perceived danger.

while cortisol increases the release of
dopamine and blood glucose, which is

what gets us charged up and allows us to
face challenges.

These processes are, in moderation,
beneficial.

They help us overcome challenges in our
daily lives.

Nonetheless, the stress to which human
beings are subjected today is clearly

harmful.

Compare the lives of cave dwellers with
modern humans.

Cave dwellers were relaxed most of the
time.

Modern humans...

work most of the time and are alert to
any and all threats.

Cave dwellers felt stress only in very
specific situations.

Modern humans are online or waiting for
notifications from their cell phones 24

hours a day.

To cave dwellers, the threats were real.
A predator could end their lives at any

moment. For modern humans, the brain
associates the ping of a cell phone or

email notification with the threat of a
predator.

For cave dwellers, High doses of
cortisol and adrenaline at moments of

kept the body healthy.

In modern humans, low doses of cortisol
flow constantly through the body, with

implications for a range of health
problems, including adrenal fatigue and

chronic fatigue syndrome.

Stress has a degenerative effect over
time.

A sustained state of emergency affects
the neurons associated with memory, as

well as inhibiting the release of
certain hormones, the absence of which

cause depression.

Its secondary effects include
irritability, insomnia, anxiety, and

pressure. As such, though challenges are
good for keeping mind and body active,

we should adjust our high stress
lifestyles in order to avoid the

aging of our bodies.

Be mindful about reducing stress.

Whether or not the threats we perceive
are real, Stress is an easily

identifiable condition that not only
causes anxiety, but is also highly

psychosomatic, affecting everything from
our digestive system to our skin.

This is why prevention is so important
in avoiding the toll that stress takes

us, and why many experts recommend
practicing mindfulness.

The central premise of this stress
reduction method is focusing on the

noticing our responses, even if they are
conditioned by habit, in order to be

fully conscious of them.

In this way, we connect with the here
and now and limit thoughts that tend to

spiral out of control.

We have to learn to turn off the
autopilot that's steering us in an

loop. We all know people who snack while
talking on the phone or watching the

news. You ask them if the omelet they
just ate had an onion in it, and they

can't tell you, says Roberto Alcibar,
who abandoned his fast -paced life to

become a certified instructor of
mindfulness after an illness threw him

period of acute stress.

One way to reach such a state of
mindfulness is through meditation, which

filter the information that reaches us
from the outside world.

It can also be achieved through
breathing exercises, yoga, and body

Achieving mindfulness involves a gradual
process of training, but with a bit of

practice, we can learn to focus our mind
completely, which reduces stress and

helps us live longer.

A little stress is good for you.

While sustained, intense stress is a
known enemy of longevity, and both

and physical health, low levels of
stress have been shown to be beneficial.

After observing a group of test subjects
for more than 20 years, Dr. Howard S.

Friedman, a psychology professor at the
University of California, Riverside,

discovered that people who maintained a
low level of stress, who faced

challenges and put their heart and soul
into their work in order to succeed,

lived longer than those who chose a more
relaxed lifestyle and retired earlier.

From this, he concluded that a small
dose of stress is a positive thing, as

those who live with low levels of stress
tend to develop healthier habits, smoke

less, and drink less alcohol.

Given this, it's not surprising that
many of the supercentenarians, people

live to be 110 or more, whom you'll meet
in this audiobook, talk about having

lived intense lives and working well
into old age.

A lot of sitting will age you.

In the Western world in particular, the
rise in sedentary behavior has led to

numerous diseases, such as hypertension
and obesity, which in turn affect

longevity.

Spending too much time seated at work or
at home not only reduces muscular and

respiratory fitness, but also increases
appetite and curbs the desire to

participate in activities.

Being sedentary can lead to
hypertension, imbalanced eating,

disease, osteoporosis, and even certain
kinds of cancer.

Recent studies have shown a connection
between a lack of physical activity and

the progressive distortion of telomeres
in the immune system, which ages those

cells, and in turn, the organism as a
whole.

This is a problem at all life stages,
not only among adults.

Sedentary children suffer from high
rates of obesity and all its associated

health issues and risks, which is why
it's so important to develop a healthy

active lifestyle at an early age.

It's easy to be less sedentary.

It just takes a bit of effort and a few
changes to your routine.

We can access a more active lifestyle
that makes us feel better inside and

We just have to add a few ingredients to
our everyday habits.

Walk to work or just go on a walk for at
least 20 minutes each day.

Use your feet instead of an elevator or
escalator.

This is good for your posture, your
muscles, and your respiratory system,

other things.

Participate in social or leisure
activities so that you don't spend too

time in front of the television.

Replace your junk food with fruit and
you'll have less of an urge to snack and

more nutrients in your system.

Get the right amount of sleep.

Seven to nine hours is good, but any
more than that makes us lethargic.

Play with children or pets or join a
sports team.

This not only strengthens the body but
also stimulates the mind.

and boost self -esteem.

Be conscious of your daily routine in
order to detect harmful habits and

them with more positive ones.

By making these small changes, we can
begin to renew our bodies and minds and

increase our life expectancy.

Though we age both externally and
internally, both physically and

of the things that tell us the most
about people's age is their skin, which

takes on different textures and colors
according to processes going on beneath

the surface.

Most of those who make their living as
models claim to sleep between 9 and 10

hours the night before a fashion show.

This gives their skin a taut, wrinkle
-free appearance and a healthy radiant

glow.

Science has shown that sleep is a key
anti -aging tool because when we sleep,

generate melatonin, a hormone that
occurs naturally in our bodies.

The pineal gland produces it from the
neurotransmitter serotonin, according to

our diurnal and nocturnal rhythms, and
it plays a role in our sleep and waking

cycles.

A powerful antioxidant, melatonin, helps
us live longer and also offers the

following benefits.

It strengthens the immune system.

It contains an element that protects
against cancer.

It promotes the natural production of
insulin.

It slows the onset of Alzheimer's
disease.

It helps prevent osteoporosis and fight
heart disease.

For all these reasons, melatonin is a
great ally in preserving youth.

It should be noted, however, that
melatonin production decreases after age

We can compensate for this by eating a
balanced diet and getting more calcium,

soaking up a moderate amount of sun each
day, getting enough sleep, avoiding

stress, alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine,
all of which make it harder to get a

good night's rest.

depriving us of the melatonin we need.

Experts are trying to determine whether
artificially stimulating production of

melatonin might help slow the aging
process, which would confirm the theory

we already carry the secret to longevity
within us.

The mind has tremendous power over the
body and how quickly

it ages.

Most doctors agree that the secret to
keeping the body young is keeping the

active. a key element of ikigai, and not
caving in when we face difficulties

throughout our lives.

One study, conducted at Yeshiva
University, found that the people who

longest have two dispositional traits in
common, a positive attitude and a high

degree of emotional awareness.

In other words, those who face
challenges with a positive outlook and

to manage their emotions are already
well on their way toward longevity.

A stoic attitude.

Serenity in the face of a setback can
also help keep you young, as it lowers

anxiety and stress levels and stabilizes
behavior.

This can be seen in the greater life
expectancies of certain cultures with

unhurried, deliberate lifestyles.

Many centenarians and supercentenarians
have similar profiles.

They've had full lives that were
difficult at times, but they knew how to

approach these challenges with a
positive attitude and not be overwhelmed

obstacles they faced.

Alexander Imich, who in 2014 became the
world's oldest living man at age 111,

knew he had good genes, but understood
that other factors contributed too.

The life you live is equally or more
important for longevity, he said in an

interview with Reuters after being added
to Guinness World Records in 2014.

An Ode to Longevity During our stay in
Ogimi, the village that holds

the Guinness Record for longevity, a
woman who was about to turn 100 years

sang the following song for us in a
mixture of Japanese and the local

To keep healthy and have a long life,
eat just a little of everything with

relish. Go to bed early, get up early,
and then go out for a walk.

We live each day with serenity, and we
enjoy the journey.

To keep healthy and have a long life, we
get on well with all our friends.

Spring, summer.

Fall, winter, we happily enjoy all the
seasons.

The secret is not to get distracted by
how old the fingers are, from the

to the head and back once again.

If you keep moving with your fingers
working, one hundred years will come to

you.

We can now use our fingers to play the
next chapter, where we'll look at the

close relationship between longevity and
discovering our life's mission.

Chapter 3 From Logotherapy to Ikigai How
to Live Longer and Better

by Finding Your Purpose What is
logotherapy?

A colleague once asked Viktor Frankl to
define his school of psychology in a

single phrase, to which Frankl replied,
Well, in logotherapy, the patient sits

up straight and has to listen to things
that are, on occasion, hard to hear.

The colleague had just described
psychoanalysis to him in the following

In psychoanalysis, the patient lies down
on a couch and tells you things that

are, on occasion, hard to say.

Frankel explains that one of the first
questions he would ask his patients was,

Why do you not commit suicide?

Usually the patient found good reasons
not to and was able to carry on.

What then does logotherapy do?

The answer is pretty clear.

It helps you find reasons to live.

Logotherapy pushes patients to
consciously discover their life's

order to confront their neuroses.

Their quest to fulfill their destiny
then motivates them to press forward,

breaking the mental chains of the past
and overcoming whatever obstacles they

encounter along the way.

A study conducted by Frankl in his
Vienna clinic found that among both

and personnel, around 80 % believed that
human beings needed a reason for

living, and around 60 % felt they had
someone or something in their lives

dying for.

The search for purpose became a personal
driving force

that allowed Frankl to achieve his
goals.

The process of logotherapy can be
summarized in these five steps.

1. A person feels empty, frustrated, or
anxious.

2. The therapist shows him that what he
is feeling is the desire to have a

meaningful life.

3. The patient discovers his life's
purpose at that particular point in

4. Of his own free will, the patient
decides to accept or reject that

5. This newfound passion for life helps
him overcome obstacles and sorrows.

Frankl himself would live and die for
his principles and ideals.

His experiences as a prisoner at
Auschwitz showed him that everything can

taken from a man but one thing, the last
of the human freedoms, to choose one's

attitude in any given set of
circumstances, to choose one's own way.

It was something he had to go through
alone.

without any help, and it inspired him
for the rest of his life.

Psychoanalysis? The patient reclines on
a couch, like a patient.

Logotherapy?

The patient sits facing the therapist,
who guides him or her without passing

judgment.

Psychoanalysis is retrospective. It
looks to the past.

Logotherapy looks toward the future.

Psychoanalysis is introspective. It
analyzes neuroses.

Logotherapy does not delve into the
patient's neuroses.

In psychoanalysis, the drive is toward
pleasure.

In logotherapy, the drive is toward
purpose and meaning.

Psychoanalysis centers on psychology.

Logotherapy includes a spiritual
dimension.

Psychoanalysis works on psychogenic
neuroses.

Logotherapy also works on noogenic or
existential neuroses.

Psychoanalysis analyzes the unconscious
origin of conflicts, instinctual

dimension.

Logotherapy deals with conflicts when
and where they arise, spiritual

Psychoanalysis limits itself to the
patient's instincts.

Logotherapy also deals with spiritual
realities.

Psychoanalysis is fundamentally
incompatible with faith.

Logotherapy is compatible with faith.

Psychoanalysis seeks to reconcile
conflicts and satisfy impulses and

Logotherapy seeks to help the patient
find meaning in his life and satisfy his

moral principles.

Fight for yourself.

Existential frustration arises when our
life is without purpose or when that

purpose is skewed.

In Frankl's view, however, there's no
need to see this frustration as an

or a symptom of neurosis.

Instead, it can be a positive thing, a
catalyst for change.

Logotherapy does not see this
frustration as mental illness, the way

of therapy do, but rather as spiritual
anguish, a natural and beneficial

phenomenon that drives those who suffer
from it to seek a cure, whether on their

own or with the help of others, and in
so doing, find greater satisfaction in

life. It helps them change their own
destiny.

Logotherapy enters the picture if a
person needs help doing this, if he

guidance in discovering his life's
purpose and later in overcoming conflict

he can keep moving towards his
objective.

In Man's Search for Meaning, Frankl
cites one of Nietzsche's famous

He who has a why to live can bear with
almost any how.

Based on his own experience.

Frankl believed that our health depends
on that natural tension that comes from

comparing what we've accomplished so far
with what we'd like to achieve in the

future.

What we need, then, is not a peaceful
existence, but a challenge we can strive

to meet by applying all the skills at
our disposal.

Existential crisis, on the other hand,
is typical of modern societies in which

people do what they're told to do, or
what others do, rather than what they

to do.

They often try to fill the gap between
what is expected of them and what they

want for themselves with economic power
or physical pleasure or by numbing their

senses.

It can even lead to suicide.

Sunday neurosis, for example, is what
happens when, without the obligations

commitments of the work week, the
individual realizes how empty he is

He has to find a solution.

Above all, he has to find his purpose,
his reason for getting out of bed, his

ikigai.

I feel empty inside.

In a study conducted at the Vienna
Polyclinic Hospital, Frankel's team

that 55 % of the patients they
interviewed were experiencing some

existential crisis.

According to logotherapy, discovering
one's purpose in life helps an

fill that existential void.

Frankel, a man who faced his problems
and turned his objectives into actions,

could look back on his life in peace as
he grew old.

He did not have to envy those still
enjoying their youth because he had

a broad set of experiences that showed
he had lived for something.

Better Living Through Logotherapy A Few
Key Ideas We

don't create the meaning of our life, as
Sartre claimed.

We discover it.

We each have a unique reason for being,
which can be adjusted or transformed

many times over the years.

Just as worry often brings about
precisely the thing that was feared,

attention to a desire or hyper
-intention can keep that desire from

fulfilled.

Humor can help break negative cycles and
reduce anxiety.

We all have the capacity to do noble or
terrible things.

The side of the equation we end up on
depends on our decisions, not on the

condition in which we find ourselves.

In the following case studies, we'll
look at four cases from Frankl's own

practice in order to better understand
the search for meaning and purpose.

Case Study Victor Frankl In German
concentration camps,

as in those that would later be built in
Japan and Korea, psychiatrists

confirmed that the prisoners with the
greatest chance of survival were those

had things they wanted to accomplish
outside the camp.

those who felt a strong need to get out
of there alive.

This was true of Frankel, who, after
being released and successfully

the school of logotherapy, realized he
had been the first patient of his own

practice.

Frankel had a goal to achieve, and it
made him persevere.

He arrived at Auschwitz carrying a
manuscript that contained all the

and research he compiled over the course
of his career, ready for publication.

When it was confiscated, he felt
compelled to write it all over again.

And that need drove him and gave his
life meaning amid the constant horror

doubt of the concentration camp.

So much so that over the years, and
especially when he fell ill with typhus,

would jot down fragments and key words
from the lost work on any scrap of paper

he found.

Case Study The American Diplomat

An important North American diplomat
went to Frankel to pick up where he left

off with a course of treatment he had
started five years earlier in the United

States.

When Frankel asked him why he had
started therapy in the first place, the

diplomat answered that he hated his job
and his country's international

policies, which he had to follow and
enforce.

His American psychoanalyst, whom he had
been seeing for years, insisted he make

peace with his father so that his
government and his job, both

of the paternal figure, would seem less
disagreeable.

Frankl, however, showed him in just a
few sessions that his frustration was

to the fact that he wanted to pursue a
different career, and the diplomat

concluded his treatment with that idea
in mind.

Five years later, the former diplomat
informed Frankl that he'd been working

during that time in a different
profession, and that he was happy.

In Frankl's view, the man not only
didn't need all those years of

psychoanalysis, he also couldn't even
really be considered a patient in need

therapy. He was simply... someone in
search of a new life's purpose.

As soon as he found it, his life took on
deeper meaning.

The mother of a boy who had died at age
11 was

admitted to Frankel's clinic after she
tried to kill herself and her other son.

It was this other son, paralyzed since
birth, who kept her from carrying out

plan. He did believe his life had a
purpose.

And if his mother killed them both, it
would keep him from achieving his goals.

The woman shared her story in a group
session.

To help her, Frankel asked another woman
to imagine a hypothetical situation in

which she lay on her deathbed, old and
wealthy, but childless.

The woman insisted that in that case,
she would have felt her life had been a

failure.

When the suicidal mother was asked to
perform the same exercise, imagining

herself on her deathbed, she looked back
and realized that She had done

everything in her power for her
children, for both of them.

She had given her paralyzed son a good
life, and he had turned into a kind,

reasonably happy person.

To this she added, crying,

As for myself, I can look back
peacefully on my life, for I can say my

full of meaning, and I have tried hard
to live it fully.

I have done my best.

I have done my best for my son.

My life was no failure.

In this way, by imagining herself on her
deathbed and looking back, the suicidal

mother found the meaning that, though
she was not aware of it, her life

had.

Case Study The Grief -Stricken Doctor An
elderly doctor,

unable to overcome the deep depression
into which he'd fallen after the death

his wife two years earlier, went to
Frankel for help.

Instead of giving him advice or
analyzing his condition, Frankl asked

would have happened if he had been the
one who died first.

The doctor, horrified, answered that it
would have been terrible for his poor

wife, that she would have suffered
tremendously.

To which Frankl responded, You see,
doctor, you've spared her all that

suffering. But the price you have to pay
for this is to survive and mourn her.

The doctor didn't say another word.

He left Frankl's office in peace after
taking the therapist's hand in his own.

He was able to tolerate the pain in
place of his beloved wife.

His life had been given a purpose.

Morita Therapy In the same decade that
logotherapy came into being, a few years

earlier in fact, Shoma Morita created
his own purpose -centered therapy in

Japan.

It proved to be effective in the
treatment of neurosis, obsessive

disorder, and post -traumatic stress.

In addition to being a psychotherapist,
Shoma Morita was a Zen Buddhist, and his

therapy left a lasting spiritual mark on
Japan.

Many Western forms of therapy focus on
controlling or modifying the patient's

emotions. In the West, we tend to
believe that what we think influences

feel, which in turn influences how we
act.

In contrast, Morita therapy focuses on
teaching patients to accept their

emotions without trying to control them,
since their feelings will change.

as a result of their actions.

In addition to accepting the patient's
emotions, Morita therapy seeks to create

new emotions on the basis of actions.

According to Morita, these emotions are
learned through experience and

repetition.

Morita therapy is not meant to eliminate
symptoms.

Instead, it teaches us to accept our
desires, anxieties, fears, and worries,

let them go.

As Morita writes in his book, Morita
Therapy and the True Nature of Anxiety

-Based Disorders In feelings, it is best
to be wealthy and generous.

Morita explained the idea of letting go
of negative feelings with the following

fable.

A donkey that is tied to a post by a
rope will keep walking around the post

an attempt to free itself, only to
become more immobilized and attached to

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.

The Basic Principles of Morita Therapy
1.

Accept Your Feelings If we have
obsessive thoughts, we should not try to

them or get rid of them.

If we do, they become more intense.

Regarding human emotions, the Zen master
would say, If we try to get rid of one

wave with another, we end up with an
infinite sea.

We don't create our feelings. They
simply come to us, and we have to accept

them. The trick is welcoming them.

Morita likened emotions to the weather.

We can't predict or control them. We can
only observe them.

To this point, he often quoted the
Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh, who

say, Hello, solitude.

How are you today?

Come. Sit with me, and I will care for
you.

2.

Do what you should be doing.

We shouldn't focus on eliminating
symptoms because recovery will come on

own. We should focus instead on the
present moment, and if we're suffering,

accepting that suffering.

Above all, we should avoid
intellectualizing the situation.

The therapist's mission is to develop
the patient's character so he or she can

face any situation.

and character is grounded in the things
we do.

Morita therapy does not offer its
patients explanations, but rather allows

to learn from their actions and
activities.

It doesn't tell you how to meditate or
how to keep a diary the way Western

therapies do.

It's up to the patient to make
discoveries through experience.

3. Discover Your Life's Purpose We can't
control our emotions.

But we can take charge of our actions
every day.

This is why we should have a clear sense
of our purpose and always keep Morita's

mantra in mind.

What do we need to be doing right now?

What actions should we be taking?

The key to achieving this is having
dared to look inside yourself to find

Ikigai.

The Four Phases of Morita Therapy

Morita's original treatment, which lasts
15 to 21 days, consists of the

following stages.

1.

Isolation and rest, 5 to 7 days.

During the first week of treatment, the
patient rests in a room without any

external stimuli.

No television, book, family, friends, or
speaking.

All the patient has is his thoughts.

He lies down for most of the day and is
visited regularly by the therapist.

who tries to avoid interacting with him
as much as possible.

The therapist simply advises the patient
to continue observing the rise and fall

of his emotions as he lies there.

When the patient gets bored and wants to
start doing things again, he's ready to

move on to the next stage of therapy.

2.

Light Occupational Therapy 5 -7 Days In
this stage, the patient performs

repetitive tasks in silence.

One of these is keeping a diary about
his thoughts and feelings.

The patient goes outside after a week of
being shut in, takes walks in nature,

and does breathing exercises.

He also starts doing simple activities
such as gardening, drawing, or painting.

During this stage, the patient is still
not allowed to talk to anyone except the

therapist.

In this stage, the patient performs
tasks that require physical movement.

Dr. Morita liked to take his patients to
the mountains to chop wood.

In addition to physical tasks, the
patient is also immersed in other

such as writing, painting, or making
ceramics.

The patient can speak with others at
this stage, but only about the tasks at

hand.

4.

The Return to Social Life and the Real
World

The patient leaves the hospital and is
reintroduced to social life, but

maintains the practices of meditation
and occupational therapy developed

treatment. The idea is to reenter
society as a new person, with a sense of

purpose, and without being controlled by
social or emotional pressures.

Nikon Meditation Morita was a great Zen
master of Nikon introspective

meditation.

Much of his therapy draws on his
knowledge and mastery of the school,

centers on three questions the
individual must ask him or herself.

1. What have I received from person X?

2. What have I given to person X?

3. What problems have I caused person X?

Through these reflections, we stop
identifying others as the cause of our

problems and deepen our own sense of
responsibility.

As Morita said, if you are angry and
want to fight, think about it for three

days before coming to blows.

After three days, the intense desire to
fight will pass on its own.

And now, Ikigai.

Logotherapy and Morita therapy are both
grounded in a personal, unique

experience that you can access without
therapists or spiritual retreats.

The mission of finding your Ikigai,
your... existential fuel.

Once you find it, it's only a matter of
having the courage and making the effort

to stay on the right path.

In the following chapters, we'll take a
look at the basic tools you'll need to

get moving along that path.

Finding flow in the tasks you've chosen
to do, eating in a balanced and mindful

way, doing low -intensity exercise, and
learning not to give in when

difficulties arise.

In order to do this, you have to accept
that the world, like the people who live

in it, is imperfect.

but that it's still full of
opportunities for growth and

Are you ready to throw yourself into
your passion as if it were the most

important thing in the world?

Chapter 4 Find Flow in Everything You Do
How to Turn Work and Free Time into

Spaces for Growth We are what we
repeatedly do.

Excellence, then, is not an act, but a
habit.

Aristotle Going with the Flow Imagine
you're skiing down one of your favorite

slopes.

Powdery snow flies up on both sides of
you like white sand.

Conditions are perfect.

You are entirely focused on skiing as
well as you can.

You know exactly how to move at each
moment.

There is no future, no past. There is
only the present.

You feel the snow, your skis, your body,
and your consciousness united as a

single entity.

You are completely immersed in the
experience, not thinking about or

by anything else.

Your ego dissolves, and you become part
of what you're doing.

This is the kind of experience Bruce Lee
described with his famous Be Water, My

Friend.

We've all felt our sense of time vanish
when we lose ourselves in an activity we

enjoy.

We start cooking and before we know it,
several hours have passed.

We spend an afternoon with a book and
forget about the world going by until we

notice the sunset and realize we haven't
eaten dinner.

We go surfing and don't realize how many
hours we've spent in the water until

the next day when our muscles ache.

The opposite can also happen.

When we have to complete a task we don't
want to do, every minute feels like a

lifetime and we can't stop looking at
our watch.

As the quip attributed to Einstein goes,
put your hand on a hot stove for a

minute and it seems like an hour.

Sit with a pretty girl for an hour and
it seems like a minute.

That is relativity.

The funny thing is that someone else
might really enjoy the same task, but we

want to finish as quickly as possible.

What makes us enjoy doing something so
much that we forget about whatever

worries we might have while we do it?

When are we happiest?

These questions.

can help us discover our Ikigai.

The Power of Flow These questions are
also at the heart of psychologist Mihaly

Csikszentmihalyi's research into the
experience of being completely immersed

what we're doing.

Csikszentmihalyi called this state flow
and described it as the pleasure,

delight, creativity, and process when we
are completely immersed in life.

There is no magic recipe for finding
happiness, for living according to your

ikigai, but one key ingredient is the
ability to reach the state of flow and,

through this state, have an optimal
experience.

In order to achieve this optimal
experience, we have to focus on

time we spend on activities that bring
us to this state of flow, rather than

allowing ourselves to get caught up in
activities that offer immediate

like eating too much.

Abusing drugs or alcohol or stuffing
ourselves with chocolate in front of the

TV.

As Csikszentmihalyi asserts in his book,
Flow, The Psychology of Optimal

Experience, Flow is the state in which
people are so involved in an activity

that nothing else seems to matter.

The experience itself is so enjoyable
that people will do it, even at great

cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.

It's not only creative professionals who
require the high doses of concentration

that promote flow.

Most athletes, chess players, and
engineers also spend much of their time

activities that bring them to this
state.

According to Csikszentmihalyi's
research, a chess player feels the same

entering a state of flow as a
mathematician working on a formula or a

performing an operation.

A professor of psychology,
Csikszentmihalyi analyzed data from

world and discovered that flow is the
same among individuals of all ages and

cultures in new york and okinawa we all
reach a state of flow in the same way

but what happens to our mind when we're
in that state when we flow we're focused

on a concrete task without any
distractions our mind is in order the

occurs when we try to do something while
our mind is on other things

The seven conditions for achieving flow.

According to researcher Owen Schaffer of
DePaul University, the requirements for

achieving flow are 1.

Knowing what to do.

2. Knowing how to do it.

3. Knowing how well you're doing.

4. Knowing where to go, where navigation
is involved.

5. Perceiving significant challenges.

6. Perceiving significant skills.

7. Being free from distractions.

If you often find yourself losing focus
while working on something you consider

important, there are several strategies
you can employ to increase your chances

of it.

Strategy number one, choose a difficult
task, but not too difficult.

Schaffer's model encourages us to take
on tasks that we have a chance of

completing, but that are slightly
outside our comfort zone.

Every task, sport, or job has a set of
rules, and we need a set of skills to

follow them.

If the rules for completing a task or
achieving a purpose are too basic

to our skill set, we'll likely get
bored.

Activities that are too easy lead to
apathy.

If, on the other hand, we assign
ourselves to a task that is too

won't have the skills to complete it and
will almost certainly give up and feel

frustrated to boot.

The ideal is to find a middle path,
something aligned with our abilities but

just a bit of a stretch, so we
experience it as a challenge.

That's what Ernest Hemingway meant when
he said, Sometimes I write better than I

can.

We want to see challenges through to the
end because we enjoy the feeling of

pushing ourselves.

Bertrand Russell expressed a similar
idea when he said to be able to

for a considerable amount of time is
essential to difficult achievement.

If you're a graphic designer, learn a
new software program for your next

project. If you're a programmer, use a
new programming language.

If you're a dancer, try to incorporate
into your next routine a movement that

has seemed impossible for years.

Add a little something extra, something
that takes you out of your comfort zone.

Even doing something as simple as
reading means following certain rules,

certain abilities and knowledge.

If we set out to read a book on quantum
mechanics for specialists in physics

without being specialists in physics
ourselves, we'll probably give up after

few minutes.

On the other end of the spectrum, if we
already know everything a book has to

tell us, we'll get bored right away.

However, if the book is appropriate to
our knowledge and abilities and builds

what we already know, we'll immerse
ourselves in our reading.

and time will flow.

This pleasure and satisfaction are
evidence that we are in tune with our

In summary, easy tasks lead to boredom.

Challenging tasks lead to flow.

Tasks beyond our abilities lead to
anxiety.

Strategy 2 Have a clear, concrete
objective.

Video games played in moderation.

Board games and sports are great ways to
achieve flow because the objective

tends to be very clear.

Beat your rival or your own record while
following a set of explicitly defined

rules.

Unfortunately, the objective isn't quite
as clear in most situations.

According to a study by Boston
Consulting Group, when asked about their

the number one complaint of employees at
multinational corporations is that they

don't communicate the team's mission
clearly.

And that is a result.

The employees don't know what their
objectives are.

What often happens, especially in big
companies, is that the executives get

in the details of obsessive planning,
creating strategies to hide the fact

they don't have a clear objective.

It's like heading out to sea with a map,
but no destination.

It's much more important to have a
compass pointing to a concrete objective

to have a map.

Joy Ito, director of the MIT Media Lab,
encourages us to use the principle of

Compass over maps as a tool to navigate
our world of uncertainty.

In the book Whiplash, How to Survive Our
Faster Future, he and Jeff Howe write,

In an increasingly unpredictable world
moving ever more quickly, a detailed map

may lead you deep into the woods at an
unnecessarily high cost.

A good compass, though, will always take
you where you need to go.

It doesn't mean that you should start
your journey without any idea where

going. What it does mean is
understanding that while the path to

not be straight, you'll finish faster
and more efficiently than you would have

if you had trudged along a pre -planned
route.

In business, the creative professions,
and education alike, it's important to

reflect on what we hope to achieve
before starting to work, study, or make

something.

We could ask ourselves questions such
as, What is my objective for today's

session in the studio?

How many words am I going to write today
for the article coming out next month?

What is my team's mission?

How fast will I set the metronome
tomorrow in order to play that sonata at

allegro tempo by the end of the week?

Having a clear objective is important in
achieving flow, but we also have to

know how to leave it behind when we get
down to business.

Once the journey has begun, we should
keep this objective in mind without

obsessing over it.

When Olympic athletes compete for a gold
medal, they can't stop to think how

pretty the medal is. They have to be
present in the moment.

They have to flow.

If they lose focus for a second,
thinking how proud they'll be to show

to their parents, they'll almost
certainly commit an error at a critical

and will not win the competition.

One common example of this is writer's
block.

Imagine that a writer has to finish a
novel in three months.

The objective is clear.

The problem is that the writer can't
stop obsessing over it.

Every day she wakes up thinking, I have
to write that novel, and every day she

sets about reading the newspaper and
cleaning the house.

Every evening she feels frustrated and
promises she'll get to work the next

Days, weeks, and months pass, and the
writer still hasn't gotten anything down

on the page, when all it would have
taken was to sit down and get that first

word out, then the second, to slow with
the project.

expressing her ikigai.

As soon as you take these first small
steps, your anxiety will disappear and

you'll achieve a pleasant flow in the
activity you're doing.

Getting back to Albert Einstein, a happy
man is too satisfied with the present

to dwell on the future.

To summarize, a vague objective leads to
confusion, time and energy wasted on

meaningless tasks, and mental block.

A clearly defined objective and a focus
on process, leads to flow.

And obsessive desire to achieve a goal
while ignoring process leads to a

fixation on the objective rather than on
getting down to business and mental

block.

Strategy 3.

Concentrate on a single task.

This is perhaps one of the greatest
obstacles we face today with so much

technology and so many distractions.

We're listening to a video on YouTube
while writing an email when suddenly a

chat prompt pops up and we answer it.

Then our smartphone vibrates in our
pocket.

Just as soon as we respond to that
message, we're back at our computer

on to Facebook.

Pretty soon, 30 minutes have passed, and
we've forgotten what the email we were

writing was supposed to be about.

This also happens sometimes when we put
on a movie with dinner and don't realize

how delicious the salmon was until we're
taking the last bite.

We often think that combining tasks will
save us time, but scientific evidence

shows that it has the opposite effect.

Even those who claim to be good at
multitasking are not very productive.

In fact, they are some of the least
productive people.

Our brains can take in millions of bits
of information, but we can only actually

process a few dozen per second.

When we say we're multitasking, what
we're really doing is switching back and

forth between tasks very quickly.

Unfortunately, we're not computers adept
at parallel processing.

We end up spending all our energy
alternating between tasks instead of

on doing one of them well.

Concentrating on one thing at a time may
be the single most important factor in

achieving flow.

According to Csikszentmihalyi, in order
to focus on a task we need 1.

To be in a distraction -free environment
and 2.

To have control over what we're doing at
every moment.

Technology is great if we're in control
of it.

It's not so great if it takes control of
us.

For example, if you have to write a
research paper, you might sit down at

computer and use Google to look up the
information you need.

However, if you're not very disciplined,
you might end up surfing the web

instead of writing that paper.

In that case, Google and the Internet
will have taken over, pulling you out of

your state of flow.

It has been scientifically shown that if
we continually ask our brains to switch

back and forth between tasks, we waste
time, make more mistakes.

and remember less of what we've done.

Several studies conducted at Stanford
University by Clifford Ivar Nass

our generation as suffering from an
epidemic of multitasking.

One such study analyzed the behavior of
hundreds of students, dividing them into

groups based on the number of things
they tended to do at once.

The students who were the most addicted
to multitasking typically alternated

among more than four tasks.

For example, taking notes while reading
a textbook, listening to a podcast,

answering messages on their smartphone,
and sometimes checking their Twitter

timeline.

Each group of students was shown a
screen with several red and several blue

arrows. The objective of the exercise
was to count the red arrows.

At first, all the students answered
correctly right away, without much

As the number of blue arrows increased,
the number of red arrows stayed the

same, only their position changed,
however.

The students accustomed to multitasking,
had serious trouble counting the red

arrows in the time allotted, or as
quickly as the students who did not

habitually multitask, for one very
simple reason.

They got distracted by the blue arrows.

Their brains were trained to pay
attention to every stimulus, regardless

importance, while the brains of other
students were trained to focus on a

task, in this case, counting the red
arrows and ignoring the blue ones.

Other studies indicate that working on
several things at once lowers our

productivity by at least 60 % and our IQ
by more than 10 points.

One study funded by the Swedish Council
for Working Life and Social Research

found that a sample group of more than 4
,000 young adults between the ages of

20 and 24 who were addicted to their
smartphones got less sleep, felt less

connected to their community at school,
and were more likely to show signs of

depression.

In summary, concentrating on a single
task.

makes achieving flow more likely,
increases productivity, increases our

retention, makes us less likely to make
mistakes, helps us feel calm and in

control of the task at hand, causes us
to become more considerate as we pay

attention to those around us, and
increases creativity.

Multitasking makes achieving flow
impossible, decreases productivity by

though it doesn't seem to, makes it
harder to remember things, Makes us more

likely to make mistakes.

Makes us feel stressed by the sensation
that we're losing control, that our

tasks are controlling us.

Causes us to hurt those around us
through our addiction to stimuli, always

checking our phones, always on social
media, and reduces creativity.

What can we do to avoid falling victim
to this flow -impeding epidemic?

How can we train our brains to focus on
a single task?

Here are a few ideas for creating a
space and time free of distractions to

increase our chances of reaching a state
of flow and thereby getting in touch

with our ikigai.

Don't look at any kind of screen for the
first hour you're awake and the last

hour before you go to sleep.

Turn off your phone before you achieve
flow.

There's nothing more important than the
task you've chosen to do during this

time. If this seems too extreme, enable
the Do Not Disturb function.

so only the people closest to you
contact you in case of emergency.

Designate one day of the week, perhaps a
Saturday or Sunday, a day of technical

fasting, making exceptions for e
-readers without Wi -Fi or MP3 players.

Go to a cafe that doesn't have Wi -Fi.

Read and respond to email only once or
twice per day.

Define those times clearly and stick to
them.

Try the Pomodoro technique.

Get yourself a kitchen timer.

Some are made to look like a pomodoro or
tomato and commit to working on a

single task as long as it's running.

The pomodoro technique recommends 25
minutes of work and 5 minutes of rest

each cycle.

But you can also do 50 minutes of work
and 10 minutes of rest.

Find the pace that's best for you.

The most important thing is to be
disciplined in completing each cycle.

Start your work session with a ritual
you enjoy and end it with a reward.

Train your mind to return to the present
when you find yourself getting

distracted.

Practice mindfulness or another form of
meditation.

Go for a walk or a swim.

Whatever will help you get centered
again.

Work in a space where you will not be
distracted.

If you can't do this at home, go to a
library, a cafe, or if your task

playing the saxophone, a music studio.

If you find that your surroundings
continue to distract you, keep looking

you find the right place.

Divide each activity into groups of
related tasks and assign each group its

place and time.

For example, if you're writing a
magazine article, you could do research

take notes at home in the morning, write
in the library in the afternoon, and

edit on the couch at night.

Bundle routine tasks, such as sending
out invoices, making phone calls, and so

on, and do them all at once.

A summary of the advantages of flow
versus the disadvantages of distraction.

A focused mind versus a wandering mind.

Living in the present versus thinking
about the past and the future.

Being free from worry versus having
concerns about our daily life and the

around us invading our thoughts.

Having the hours fly by versus having
every minute seem endless.

With flow we feel in control.

With distraction we lose control and
fail to complete the task at hand.

or other tasks or people keep us from
our work.

With flow, we prepare thoroughly.

With distraction, we act without being
prepared.

With flow, we know what we should be
doing at any given moment.

When distracted, we frequently get stuck
and don't know how to proceed.

With flow, our mind is clear and
overcomes all obstacles to the flow of

With distraction, we're plagued by
doubts, concerns, and low self -esteem.

With flow, it's pleasant.

With distraction, it's boring and
exhausting.

And with flow, our ego fades.

We're not the ones controlling the
activity or task we're doing. The task

leading us.

And with distraction, constant self
-criticism.

Our ego is present, and we feel
frustrated.

Flow in Japan Takumis, engineers,
geniuses, and otakus

What do Takumis, artisans, Engineers,
inventors, and otakus,

fans of anime and manga, have in common.

They all understand the importance of
flowing with their ikigai at all times.

One widespread stereotype about people
in Japan is that they're exceptionally

dedicated and hardworking, even though
some Japanese people say they look like

they're working harder than they really
are.

There is no doubt, though, about their
ability to be completely absorbed in a

task, or about their perseverance when
there's a problem to be solved.

One of the first words one learns when
starting Japanese lessons is ganbaru,

which means to persevere, or to stay
firm by doing one's best.

Japanese people often apply themselves
to even the most basic tasks with an

intensity that borders on obsession.

We see this in all kinds of contexts,
from the retirees taking meticulous care

of their rice fields in the mountains of
Nagano, to the college students working

the weekend shift in convenience stores
known as konbinis.

If you go to Japan, you'll experience
this attention to detail firsthand in

almost every transaction.

Walk into one of the stores that sell
handcrafted objects in Naha, Kanazawa,

Kyoto, and you'll also discover that
Japan is a treasure trove of traditional

craftwork. The people of Japan have a
unique talent for creating new

technologies while preserving artisanal
traditions and techniques.

The Art of the Takumi

artisans who are able to make a certain
type of screw by hand.

These takumi, or experts in a particular
manual skill, are extremely important

at Toyota, and they are hard to replace.

Some of them are the only people who
know how to perform their exact skill,

it doesn't seem as though a new
generation is going to take up the

Turntable needles are another example.

They're produced almost exclusively in
Japan.

where you can find the last remaining
people who know how to use the machinery

required to make these precision
needles, and who are trying to pass on

knowledge to their descendants.

We met at Takumi on a visit to Kumano, a
small town near Hiroshima.

We were there for the day, working on a
photo essay for one of the most famous

brands of makeup brushes in the West.

The billboard welcoming visitors to
Kumano shows a mascot holding a large

In addition to the brush factories, the
town is full of little houses and

vegetable gardens.

Heading farther in, you can see several
Shinto shrines at the base of the

mountains that surround the town.

We spent hours taking photos in
factories full of people in orderly

doing a single task, such as painting
the handles of the brushes or loading

boxes of them onto trucks, before we
realized we still hadn't seen anyone

actually putting bristles into the
breath heads.

After we asked about this and got the
runaround several times, the president

one company agreed to show us how it was
done.

He let us out of the building.

and asked us to get into his car.

After a five -minute drive, we parked
next to another, smaller structure, and

climbed the stairs.

He opened a door, and we walked into a
small room filled with windows that let

in lovely natural light.

In the middle of the room was a woman
wearing a mask.

You could see only her eyes.

She was so focused on choosing
individual bristles for the brushes,

moving her hands and fingers, using
scissors and combs to sort the bristles.

that she didn't even notice our
presence.

Her movements were so quick, it was hard
to tell what she was doing.

The president of the company interrupted
her to let her know that we'd be taking

photos as she worked.

We couldn't see her mouth, but the glint
in her eye and the cheerful inflection

in her speech let us know she was
smiling.

She looked happy and proud, talking
about her work and responsibilities.

We had to use extremely fast shutter
speeds to capture her movements.

Her hands danced and flowed.

in concert with her tools and the
bristles she was sorting.

The president told us that this Takumi
was one of the most important people in

the company, even though she was hidden
away in a separate building.

Every bristle of every brush the company
made passed through her hands.

Steve Jobs in Japan Apple co -founder
Steve Jobs was a big fan of Japan.

Not only did he visit the Sony factories
in the 1980s and adopt many of their

methods when he founded Apple, he was
also captivated by the simplicity and

quality of Japanese porcelain in Kyoto.

It was not, however, an artisan from
Kyoto who won Steve Jobs' devotion, but

rather a takumi from Toyama named Yokio
Shakunaga, who used a technique called

etchu setoyaki, known by only a few.

On a visit to Kyoto, Jobs heard of an
exhibition of Shakunaga's work.

He immediately understood that there was
something special about Shakunaga's

porcelain. As a matter of fact, he
bought several cups, vases and plates

went back to the show three times that
week.

Jobs returned to Kyoto several times
over the course of his life in search of

inspiration and ended up meeting
Shakunaga in person.

It is said that Jobs had many questions
for him, almost all of them about the

fabrication process and the type of
porcelain he used.

Shakunaga explained that he used white
porcelain he extracted himself from

mountains in the Toyama Prefecture,
making him the only artist of his ilk

familiar with the fabrication process of
porcelain objects from their origins in

the mountains to their final form, an
authentic takumi.

Jobs was so impressed that he considered
going to Toyama to see the mountain

where Shakunaga got his porcelain, but
thought better of it when he heard that

it was more than four hours by train
from Kyoto.

In an interview after Jobs' death,
Sakunaga said he was very proud that his

had been appreciated by the man who
created the iPhone.

He added that Jobs' last purchase from
him had been a set of twelve teacups.

Jobs had asked for something special, a
new style.

To satisfy this request, Sakunaga made
150 teacups in the process of testing

new ideas.

Of these, he chose the twelve best and
sent them to the Jobs family.

Ever since his first trip to Japan, jobs
was fascinated and inspired by the

country's artisans engineers especially
at sony philosophy especially zen and

cuisine especially sushi sophisticated
simplicity

what do japanese artisans engineers zen
philosophy and cuisine have in

common simplicity and attention to
detail

It is not a lazy simplicity, but a
sophisticated one that searches out new

frontiers, always taking the object, the
body and mind, or the cuisine to the

next level, according to Wanzi Kikai.

As Csikszentmihalyi would say, the key
is always having a meaningful challenge

to overcome in order to maintain flow.

The documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi
gives us another example of a takumi,

time in the kitchen.

Its protagonist has been making sushi
every day for more than 80 years and

a small sushi restaurant near the Ginza
subway station in Tokyo.

He and his son go every day to the
famous Tsukiji fish market and choose

best fish to bring back to the
restaurant.

In the documentary, we see one of Jiro's
apprentices learning to make tamago, a

thin, slightly sweet omelet.

No matter how hard he tries, he can't
get Jiro's approval.

He keeps practicing for years until he
finally does.

Why does the apprentice refuse to give
up?

Doesn't he get bored cooking eggs every
day?

No, because making sushi is his ikigai
too.

Both Jiro and his son are culinary
artists.

They don't get bored when they cook.

They achieve a state of flow.

They enjoy themselves completely when
they're in the kitchen.

That is their happiness, their ikigai.

They've learned to take pleasure in
their work, to lose their sense of time.

Beyond the close relationship between
father and son, which helps keep the

challenge going each day, they also work
in a quiet, peaceful environment that

allows them to concentrate.

Even after receiving a three -star
rating from Michelin, they never

opening other locations or expanding the
business.

They serve just ten patrons at a time at
the bar of their small restaurant.

Zero's family isn't looking to make
money.

Instead, they value good working
conditions.

and creating an environment in which
they can flow while making the best

in the world.

Jiro, like Yukio's shakunaga, begins his
work at the source.

He goes to the fish market to find the
best tuna.

Shakunaga goes to the mountains to find
the best porcelain.

When they get down to work, both become
one with the object they are creating.

This unity with the object that they
reach in a state of flow takes on

meaning in Japan, where, according to
Shintoism, forests, Trees and objects

a kami, spirit or god within them.

When someone, whether an artist, an
engineer or a chef, sets out to create

something, his or her responsibility is
to use nature to give it life while

respecting that nature at every moment.

During this process, the artisan becomes
one with the object and flows with it.

An iron worker would say that metal has
a life of its own, just as someone

making ceramics would say the clay does.

The Japanese are skilled at bringing
nature and technology together.

Not man versus nature, but a union of
the two.

There are those who say that the Shinto
value of being connected with nature

is vanishing.

One of the harshest critics of this loss
is another artist with a clearly

defined ikigai, Hayao Miyazaki, the
director of the animated films produced

Studio Ghibli.

In nearly all his films, we see humans,
technology, fantasy, and nature in a

state of conflict, and in the end,
coming together.

One of the most poignant metaphors in
his film, Spirited Away, is an obese

spirit covered in trash that represents
pollution of the rivers.

In Miyazaki's films, forests have
personalities, trees have feelings, and

befriend birds.

Considered a national treasure by the
Japanese government, Miyazaki is an

capable of becoming completely absorbed
in his art.

He uses a cell phone from the late
1990s, and he makes his entire team draw

hand. He directs his films by rendering
on paper even the tiniest detail,

achieving flow by drawing, not by using
a computer.

Thanks to this obsession on the
director's part, Studio Ghibli is one of

only studios in the world where almost
the entire production process is carried

out using traditional techniques.

Those who have visited Studio Ghibli
know that it's fairly typical on a given

Sunday to see a solitary individual
tucked away in a corner, hard at work.

A man in simple clothes who will greet
them with an Ohio hello without looking

up.

Miyazaki is so passionate about his work
that he spends many Sundays in the

studio, enjoying the state of flow,
putting his ikigai above all else.

Visitors know that under no
circumstances is one to bother Miyazaki,

known for his quick temper, especially
if he is interrupted while drawing.

In 2013, Miyazaki announced he was going
to retire.

To commemorate his retirement, the
television station NHK made a

showing him in his last days at work.

He is drawing in nearly every scene of
the film.

In one scene, several of his colleagues
are seen coming out of a meeting, and

there he is, drawing in a corner, paying
no attention to them.

In another scene, he's shown walking to
work on December 30th, a national

holiday in Japan, and opening the doors
of Studio Ghibli so he can spend the day

there, drawing alone.

Miyazaki can't stop drawing.

The day after his retirement, instead of
going on vacation or staying at home,

he went to Studio Ghibli and sat down to
draw.

His colleagues put on their best poker
faces, not knowing what to say.

One year later, he announced he wouldn't
make any more feature films.

but that he would keep on drawing until
the day he died.

Can someone really retire if he's
passionate about what he does?

The Recluses It is not only the Japanese
who have this capacity.

There are artists and scientists all
over the world with strong, clear, icky

guys. They do what they love until their
dying day.

The last thing Einstein wrote before
closing his eyes forever was a formula

attempted to unite all the forces of the
universe in a single theory.

When he died, he was still doing what he
loved.

If he hadn't been a physicist, he said,
he would have been happy as a musician.

When he wasn't focused on physics or
mathematics, he enjoyed playing the

Reaching a state of flow while working
on his formulas or playing music, his

icky guys, brought him endless pleasure.

Many such artists might seem
misanthropic or reclusive, but what they

doing is protecting the time that brings
them happiness, sometimes at the

expense of other aspects of their lives.

They are outliers who apply the
principles of flow to their lives to an

Another example of this kind of artist
is the novelist Haruki Murakami.

He sees only a close circle of friends
and appears in public in Japan only once

every few years.

Artists know how important it is to
protect their space, control their

environment, and be free from
distractions if they want to flow with

ikigai.

But what happens when we have to, say,
do the laundry, mow the lawn, or

attend to paperwork?

Is there a way to make these mundane
tasks enjoyable?

Near the Shinjuku subway station in one
of the neural centers of Tokyo, there is

a supermarket that still employs
elevator operators.

The elevators are fairly standard and
could easily be operated by the

but the store prefers to provide the
service of someone holding the door open

for you, pushing the button for your
floor, and bowing as you exit.

If you ask around, you'll learn that
there is one elevator operator who has

doing the same job since 2004.

She is always smiling and enthusiastic
about her work.

How is she able to enjoy such a job?

Doesn't he get bored doing something so
repetitive?

On closer inspection, it becomes clear
that the elevator operator is not just

pushing buttons, but is instead
performing a whole sequence of

She begins by greeting the customers
with a song -like salutation, followed

bow and a welcoming wave of the hand.

Then she presses the elevator button
with a graceful movement, as though

geisha offering a client a cup of tea.

Csikszentmihalyi calls this

Microflow We've all been bored in a
class or at a conference and started

doodling to keep ourselves entertained,
or whistled while painting a wall.

If we're not truly being challenged, we
get bored and add a layer of complexity

to amuse ourselves.

Our ability to turn routine tasks into
moments of microflow, into something we

enjoy, is key to our being happy, since
we all have to do such tasks.

Even Bill Gates washes the dishes every
night.

He says he enjoys it.

that it helps him relax and clear his
mind, and that he tries to do it a

better each day, following an
established order or set of rules he's

himself. Plates first, forks second, and
so on.

It's one of his daily moments of
microflow.

Richard Feynman, one of the most
important physicists of all time, also

pleasure in routine tasks.

W. Daniel Hillis One of the founders of
the supercomputer manufacturer Thinking

Machines hired Feynman to work on the
development of a computer that could

handle parallel processing when he was
already world famous.

He says Feynman showed up on his first
day of work and said, Okay, boss, what's

my assignment?

They didn't have anything prepared, so
they asked him to work on a certain

mathematical problem.

He immediately realized they were giving
him an irrelevant task to keep him busy

and said, That sounds like a bunch of
baloney. Give me something real to do.

So they sent him to a nearby shop to buy
office supplies, and he completed his

assignment with a smile on his face.

When he didn't have something important
to do or needed to rest his mind,

Feynman dedicated himself to micro
-flowing, say, painting the office

Weeks later, after visiting the thinking
machine's offices, a group of investors

declared, You have a Nobel laureate in
there, painting walls and soldering

circuits.

Instant Vacations

Getting there through meditation.

Training the mind can get us to a place
of flow more quickly.

Meditation is one way to exercise our
mental muscles.

There are many types of meditation, but
they all have the same objective,

calming the mind, observing our thoughts
and emotions, and centering our focus

on a single object.

The basic practice involves sitting with
a straight back and focusing on your

breath.

Anyone can do it.

and you feel a difference after just one
second.

By fixing your attention on the air
moving in and out of your nose, you can

the torrent of thoughts and clear your
mental horizons.

The winner of the 1988 Olympic gold
medal for archery

was a 17 -year -old woman from South
Korea.

When asked how she prepared, she replied
that the most important part of her

training was meditating for two hours
each day.

If we want to get better at reaching a
state of flow, meditation is an

antidote to our smartphones and their
notifications constantly clamoring for

attention.

One of the most common mistakes among
people starting to meditate is worrying

about doing it right, achieving absolute
mental silence or reaching nirvana.

The most important thing is to focus on
the journey.

Since the mind is a constant swirl of
thoughts, ideas and emotions, slowing

the centrifuge even for just a few
seconds, can help us feel more rested

leave us with a sense of clarity.

In fact, one of the things we learn in
the practice of meditation is not to

worry about anything that flits across
our mental screen.

The idea of killing our boss might flash
into our mind, but we simply label it

as a thought and let it pass like a
cloud, without judging or rejecting it.

It's only a thought, one of the 60 ,000
we have every day, according to some

experts.

Meditation generates alpha and theta
brainwaves.

For those experienced in meditation,
these waves appear right away, while it

might take half an hour for a beginner
to experience them.

These relaxing brainwaves are the ones
that are activated right before we fall

asleep, as we lie in the sun or right
after taking a hot bath.

We all carry a spa with us everywhere we
go.

It's just a matter of knowing how to get
in, something anyone can do with a bit

of practice.

humans as ritualistic beings life is
inherently ritualistic

we could argue that humans naturally
follow rituals that keep us busy in some

modern cultures we've been forced out of
our ritualistic lives to pursue goal

after goal in order to be seen as
successful but throughout history humans

always been busy we were hunting cooking
farming exploring and raising families

activities that were structured as
rituals to keep us busy throughout our

But in an unusual way, rituals still
permeate daily life and business

in modern Japan.

The main religions in Japan,
Confucianism, Buddhism, and Shintoism,

in which the rituals are more important
than absolute rules.

When doing business in Japan, process,
manners, and how you work on something

more important than the final results.

Whether this is good or bad for the
economy is beyond the scope of this

audiobook.

What is indisputable, though, is that
finding flow in a ritualistic workplace

much easier than in one in which we are
continually stressed out trying to

achieve unclear goals set by our bosses.

Rituals give us clear rules and
objectives which help us enter a state

When we have only a big goal in front of
us, we might feel lost or overwhelmed

by it.

Rituals? Help us by giving us the
process, the sub -steps on the path to

achieving a goal.

When confronted with a big goal, try to
break it down into parts and then attack

each part one by one.

Focus on enjoying your daily rituals,
using them as tools to enter a state of

flow.

Don't worry about the outcome.

It will come naturally.

Happiness is in the doing, not in the
result.

As a rule of thumb, remind yourself,
rituals.

over goals.

The happiest people are not the ones who
achieve the most. They're the ones who

spend more time than others in a state
of flow.

Using Flow to Find Your Ikigai After
hearing this chapter, you should have a

better idea of which activities in your
life make you enter flow.

Write all of them on a piece of paper.

Then, ask yourself three questions.

What do the activities that drive you to
flow have in common?

Why do these activities drive you to
flow?

For example, are all the activities you
most like doing ones that you practice

alone or with other people?

Do you flow more when doing things that
require you to move your body or just to

think?

In the answers to these questions, you
might find the underlying ikigai that

drives your life.

If you don't, then keep searching by
going deeper into what you like by...

spending more of your time in the
activities that make you flow.

Also, try new things that are not on the
list of what makes you flow, but that

are similar and that you're curious
about.

For example, if photography is something
that drives you into flow, you could

also try painting.

You might even like it more.

Or if you love snowboarding and have
never tried surfing,

glow is mysterious.

It's like a muscle.

The more you train it, the more you will
flow, and the closer you'll be to your

ikigai.

Chapter 5 Masters of Longevity Words of
Wisdom from the Longest Living People in

the World When we started working on
this audiobook, we didn't want to just

research the factors that contribute to
a long and happy life. We wanted to hear

from the true masters of this art.

The interviews we conducted in Okinawa
merit their own chapter, but in the

section that preceded, we've provided an
overview of the life philosophies of a

few international champions of
longevity.

We're talking about supercentenarians,
people who live to 110 years of age or

more.

The term was coined in 1970 by Norris
McWhirter, editor of the Guinness Book

World Records.

Its use became more widespread in the
1990s, after it appeared in William

Strauss and Neil Howe's Generations.

Today, there are an estimated 300 to 450
supercentenarians in the world,

although the age of only around 75 of
them has been confirmed.

They aren't superheroes, but we could
see them as such for having spent far

time on this planet than the average
life expectancy would predict.

Given the rise in life expectancy around
the world, the number of

supercentenarians might also increase.

A healthy and purposeful life could help
us join their ranks.

Let's take a look at what a few of them
have to say.

Misao Okawa, 117 Eat and sleep, and
you'll live a long

time. You have to learn to relax.

According to the Gerontology Research
Group, until April 2015, the oldest

person in the world was Misao Okawa, who
passed away in a care facility in

Osaka, Japan after living for 117 years,
27 days.

The daughter of a textile merchant, she
was born in 1898, when Spain lost its

colonies in Cuba and the Philippines and
the United States annexed Hawaii.

and launched Pepsi -Cola.

Until she was 110, this woman, who lived
in three different centuries, cared for

herself unassisted.

When specialists asked about her self
-care routine, Misao answered simply,

eating sushi and sleeping, to which we
should add having a tremendous thirst

life.

When they inquired about her secret for
longevity, she answered with a smile, I

ask myself the same thing.

Proof that Japan continues to be a
factory of long life.

In July of the same year, Sakari Momoi
passed away at 112 years and 150 days

old. At the time, he was the oldest man
in the world, though he was younger than

57 women.

I've never eaten meat in my life.

Born in Ecuador in 1889.

Maria Capovilla was recognized by
Guinness as the world's oldest person.

She died of pneumonia in 2006 at 116
years and 347 days old,

leaving behind three children, twelve
grandchildren, and twenty great and

-great -grandchildren.

She gave one of her last interviews at
age 107, sharing her memories and her

thoughts.

I'm happy, and I give thanks to God who
keeps me going.

I never thought I'd live so long.

I thought I'd die long ago.

My husband, Antonio Capovilla, was the
captain of a ship.

He passed away at eighty -four.

We had two daughters and a son, and now
I have many grandchildren and great

-grandchildren.

Things were better back in the old days.

People behaved better.

We used to dance, but we were more
restrained.

There was this one song I loved dancing
to, Maria, by Luis Salacón.

I still remember most of the words.

I also remember many prayers and say
them every day.

I like the waltz and can still dance it.

I also still make crafts.

I do some of the things I did when I was
in school.

When she had finished recalling her
past, she began to dance, one of her

passions, with an energy that made her
seem decades younger.

When asked about her secret for
longevity, she responded simply, I don't

what the secret to long life is.

The only thing I do is... I've never
eaten meat in my life. I attribute it to

that.

Jean Calment, 122 Everything's fine.

Born in Arles, France, in February 1875,

Jean Calment lived until August 4, 1997,
making her, at 122,

the oldest person of verified age in
history.

She jokingly said that she competed with
Methuselah, and there is no question

that she broke numerous records as she
went on celebrating birthdays.

She died of natural causes at the end of
a happy life, during which she denied

herself almost nothing.

She rode a bicycle until she turned a
hundred.

She lived on her own until a hundred and
ten, when she agreed to move into a

nursing home after accidentally starting
a small fire in her apartment.

She stopped smoking at one hundred
twenty, when her cataracts started

hard for her to bring a cigarette to her
lips.

One of her secrets may have been her
sense of humor.

As she said on her 120th birthday, I see
badly, I hear badly, and I feel

bad, but everything's fine.

Walter Bruning, 114 If you keep your
mind and body busy, you'll be around a

time.

Born in Minnesota in 1896, walter
bruning was able to see three centuries

lifetime he died in montana in 2011 from
natural causes he'd had two wives and a

50 -year career on the railroad at 83 he
retired to an assisted living center in

montana where he remained until his
death he is the second oldest man a

age ever born in the united states he
gave many interviews in his final years

insisting that his longevity stemmed
from, among other things, his habit of

eating only two meals per day and
working for as many hours as he could.

Your mind and your body, you keep both
busy, he said on his 112th birthday.

You'll be here a long time.

Back then, he was still exercising every
day.

Among Bruning's other secrets, he had a
habit of helping others, and he wasn't

afraid of dying, as he declared in a
2010 interview with the Associated

We're all going to die.

Some people are scared of dying.

Never be afraid to die, because you're
born to die.

Before passing away in 2011, he is said
to have told a pastor that he'd made a

deal with God.

If he wasn't going to get better, it was
time to go.

Alexander Emich, 111 I just haven't died
yet.

Born in Poland in 1903, Alexander Emets
was a chemist and parapsychologist

residing in the United States, who,
after the death of his predecessor in

became the oldest man of authenticated
age in the world.

Emets himself died a year thereafter, in
June of that year, leaving behind a

long life rich with experiences.

Emets attributed his longevity to, among
other things, never drinking alcohol.

It's not as though I'd won the Nobel
Prize.

he said upon being declared the world's
oldest man.

I never thought I'd get to be so old.

When asked about his secret to living so
long, his answer was, I don't know.

I just haven't died yet.

Icky Guy Artists The secret to long
life, however, is not held by

supercentenarians alone.

There are many people of advanced age
who, though they haven't made it into

Guinness World Records, offer us
inspiration and ideas for bringing

meaning to our lives.

Artists, for example, who carry the
torch of their ikigai instead of

have this power.

Art, in all its forms, is an ikigai that
can bring happiness and purpose to our

days.

Enjoying or creating beauty is free and
something all human beings have access

to.

Hokusai, the Japanese artist who made
woodblock prints in the ukiyo -e style,

and lived for eighty -eight years, from
the mid -eighteenth to the mid

-nineteenth century, added this
postscript to the first edition of his

Hundred Views of Mount Fuji.

All that I have produced before the age
of seventy is not worth being counted.

It is at the age of seventy -three that
I have somewhat begun to understand the

structure of true nature, of animals and
grasses, and trees and birds and fishes

and insects.

Consequently, at eighty years of age, I
shall have made still more progress.

At ninety, I hope to have penetrated
into the mystery of things.

At one hundred years of age, I should
have reached decidedly a marvelous

And when I shall be one hundred ten, all
that I do, every point and every line,

shall be instinct with life.

Following is our collection of some of
the most inspirational words from

interviewed by Camille Sweeney for the
New York Times.

Of those still living, none have
retired, and all still enjoy their

which they plan to pursue until their
final breath, demonstrating that when

have a clear purpose, no one can stop
you.

The actor Christopher Plummer, still
working at 86, reveals a dark desire

by many who love the profession.

We want to drop dead on stage.

That would be a nice, theatrical way to
go.

Osamu Tezuka, the father of modern
Japanese manga, shared this feeling.

Before he died in 1989, his last words
as he drew one final cartoon were,

Please, just let me work.

The 86 -year -old filmmaker Frederick
Wiseman declared on a stroll through

that he likes to work, which is why he
does it with such intensity.

Everybody complains about the rakes and
pains and all that, but my friends are

either dead or are still working, he
said.

Carmen Herrera A painter who just
entered her 100th year sold her first

at 89.

Today, her work is in the permanent
collections of the Tate Modern and the

Museum of Modern Art.

When asked how she viewed her future,
she responded, I am always waiting to

finish the next thing.

Absurd, I know.

I go day by day.

Never Stop Learning You may grow old and
trembling in your anatomies.

You may lie awake at night listening to
the disorder of your veins.

You may miss your only love.

You may see the world about you
devastated by evil lunatics, or know

crampled in the sewers of baser minds.

There is only one thing for it, then.

To learn.

Learn why the world wags and what wags
it.

That is the only thing which the mind
can never exhaust.

Never alienate, never be tortured by,
never fear or distrust, and never dream

regretting.

T. H. White, The Once and Future King
For his part,

naturalist and author Edward O. Wilson
asserted, I feel I have enough

to join those who are addressing big
questions.

About ten years ago, when I began
reading and thinking more broadly about

questions of what are we, Where did we
come from and where are we going?

I was astonished at how little this was
being done.

Ellsworth Kelly, an artist who passed
away in 2015 at the age of 92, assured

that the idea that we lose our faculties
with age is, in part, a myth, because

instead we develop a greater clarity and
capacity for observation.

It's one thing about getting older. You
see more.

Every day I'm continuing to see new
things.

That's why there are new paintings.

At age 86, the architect Frank Gehry
reminds us that some buildings can take

seven years from the time you're hired
until you're finished, a fact that

a patient attitude with regard to the
passage of time.

The man responsible for the Guggenheim
Museum Bilbao, however, knows how to

in the here and now.

You stay in your time. You don't go
backward.

I think if you relate to the time you're
in, you keep your eyes and ears open,

read the paper, see what's going on,
stay curious about everything, you will

automatically be in your time.

Longevity in Japan Because of its robust
civil registry, many of those verified

as having lived the longest are found in
the United States.

However, there are many centenarians
living in remote villages in other

countries. A peaceful life in the
countryside seems pretty common among

who have watched a century pass.

Without question, the international
superstar of longevity is Japan, which

the highest life expectancy of any
country in the world.

In addition to a healthy diet, which we
will explore in detail, and an

integrated health care system in which
people go to the doctor for regular

-ups to prevent disease, longevity in
Japan is closely tied to its culture, as

we'll see later on.

The Sense of Community and the fact that
Japanese people make an effort to stay

active until the very end are key
elements of their secret to long life.

If you want to stay busy even when
there's no need to work, there has to be

ikigai on your horizon, a purpose that
guides you throughout your life and

pushes you to make things of beauty and
utility for the community and yourself.

Chapter 6

Lessons from Japan's Centenarians
Traditions and Proverbs for Happiness

Longevity To get to Ogimi, we had to fly
nearly three hours from Tokyo to

Naha, the capital of Okinawa.

Several months earlier, we'd contacted
the town council of a place known as the

Village of Longevity to explain the
purpose of our trip and our intention to

interview the oldest members of the
community.

After numerous conversations, we finally
got the help we were looking for and

were able to rent a house just outside
the town.

One year after starting this project, we
found ourselves on the doorstep of some

of the longest living people in the
world.

We realized right away that time seems
to have stopped there, as though the

entire town were living in an endless
here and now.

Arriving in Ogimi

After two hours on the road from Naha,
we're finally able to stop worrying

the traffic.

To our left are the sea and an empty
stretch of beach.

To our right, the mountainous jungle of
Okinawa's Yanbaru forests.

Once Route 58 passes Nago, where Orion
Beer, the pride of Okinawa, is made, it

skirts the coast until it reaches Ogimi.

Every now and then a few little houses
and stores crop up in the narrow stretch

of land between the road and the base of
the mountain.

We pass small clusters of houses
scattered here and there as we enter the

municipality of Ogimi, but the town
doesn't really seem to have a center.

Our GPS finally guides us to our
destination, the Center for the Support

Promotion of Well -Being, housed in an
unattractive cinderblock building right

off the highway.

We go in through the back door, where a
man named Taira is waiting for us.

Beside him is a petite, cheerful woman
who introduces herself as Yuki.

Two other women immediately get up from
desks and show us to a conference room.

They serve us each a cup of green tea
and a few chikuasa, a small citrus fruit

that packs a big nutritional pun, as
we'll see later on.

Taira sits down across from us in his
formal suit and opens up a large planner

and a three -ring binder.

Yuki sits next to him. The binder
contains a list of all the town's

organized by age and club, or moai.

Taira points out that these groups of
people who help one another are

characteristic of Ogimi.

The Moai are not organized around any
concrete objective.

They function more like a family.

Taira also tells us that volunteer work,
rather than money, drives much of what

happens in Ogimi.

Everyone offers to pitch in, and the
local government takes care of assigning

tasks. This way, everyone can be useful
and feels like part of the community.

Ogimi is the penultimate town before
Cape Hedo.

the northernmost point of the largest
island in the archipelago.

From the top of Ogimi's mountains, we're
able to look down over the whole town.

Almost everything is the green of the
Yanbaru jungle, making us wonder where

nearly 3 ,200 residents are hiding.

We can see a few houses, but they're
scattered in little clusters near the

or in small valleys accessible by side
roads.

We're invited to eat in one of Ogimi's
few restaurants, but when we arrive, the

only three tables are already reserved.

Don't worry, we'll go to Churaumi
instead.

It never fills up, says Yuki, walking
back to the car.

She's still driving at age 88, and takes
great pride in that.

Her co -pilot is 99, and has also
decided to spend the day with us.

We have to drive fast to keep up with
them on a highway that is sometimes more

dirt than asphalt.

Finally reaching the other end of the
jungle, we can at last sit down to eat.

I don't really go to restaurants, Yuki
says as we take our seats.

Almost everything I eat comes from my
vegetable garden, and I buy my fish from

Tanaka, who's been my friend forever.

The restaurant is right by the sea and
seems like something from the planet

Tatooine from Star Wars.

The menu boasts in large letters that it
serves slow food prepared with organic

vegetables grown in the town.

But really, Yuki continues, food is the
least important thing.

She is extroverted and rather pretty.

She likes to talk about her role as the
director of several associations run by

the local government.

Food won't help you live longer, she
says, bringing to her lips a bite of the

diminutive confection that followed our
meal.

The secret is smiling and having a good
time.

There are no bars and only a few
restaurants in Ogimi.

but those who live there enjoy a rich
social life that revolves around

centers.

The town is divided into 17
neighborhoods, and each one has a

several people in charge of things like
culture, festivals, social activities,

and longevity.

Residents pay close attention to this
last category.

We're invited to the community center of
one of the 17 neighborhoods.

It's an old building right next to one
of the mountains of the Yonbaru jungle,

home to Bunagaya.

the town's iconic sprites.

The Bonagaya Spirits of the Yonbaru
Jungle Bonagaya are magical creatures

that inhabit the Yonbaru jungle near
Ogimi and its surrounding towns.

They manifest as children with long red
hair and like to hide in the jungle's

kajumaru, banyan trees, and go fishing
on the beach.

Many of Okinawa's stories and fables are
about Bonagaya sprites.

They're mischievous, playful, and
unpredictable.

Locals say that the Bunagaya love the
mountains, rivers, sea, trees, earth,

wind, and animals, and that if you want
to befriend them, you have to feel

respect for nature.

A Birthday Party When we arrive at the
neighborhood's community center, we're

greeted by a group of about 20 people
who proudly proclaim, The youngest among

us is 83!

We conduct our interviews at a large
table while drinking green tea.

When we finish, we're brought to an
event space where we celebrate the

of three members of the group.

One woman is turning 99, another 94, and
one young man has just reached 89.

We sing a few songs popular in the
village and finish up with Happy

English.

The woman turning 99 blows out the
candles and thanks everyone for coming

party. We eat homemade shikawasa cake
and end up dancing and celebrating as

though it were the birthday of a 20
-something.

It's the first party.

but not the last that we'll attend
during our week in the village.

We'll also do karaoke with a group of
seniors who sing better than we do, and

attend a traditional festival with local
bands, dancers, and food stands at the

foot of a mountain.

Celebrate each day together.

Celebrations seem to be an essential
part of life in Ogimi.

We're invited to watch a game of
gateball, one of the most popular sports

Okinawa's older residents.

It involves hitting a ball with a mallet
-like stick.

It's a low -impact sport that can be
played anywhere, and it's a good excuse

move around and have fun as a group.

The residents hold local competitions,
and there is no age limit for

participants. We participate in the
weekly game and lose to a woman who

turned 104.

Everyone cheers, and the defeated look
on our faces elicits laughter.

In addition to playing and celebrating
as a community, spirituality.

is also essential to the happiness of
the village's residents.

The main religion in Okinawa is known as
Ryukyu Shinto.

Ryukyu is the original name of the
Okinawa archipelago, and Shinto means

path of the gods.

Ryukyu Shinto combines elements of
Chinese Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism,

Shintoism with shamanistic and animistic
elements.

According to this ancient faith, the
world is populated by an infinite number

spirits divided into several types.

Spirits of the home, of the forest, of
the trees and of the mountains.

It's important to appease these spirits
through rituals and festivals, and by

consecrating sacred grounds.

Okinawa is full of sacred jungles and
forests, where many of the two main

of temples are found, the Utaki and the
Uganju.

We visited an Uganju, or small open -air
temple, adorned with incense and coins,

next to a waterfall in Ogimi.

The utaki is a collection of stones
where people go to pray and where,

supposedly, spirits gather.

In Okinawa's religious practice, women
are considered spiritually superior to

men, whereas the opposite is true of
traditional Shintoism in the rest of

Yuta are women chosen as mediums by
their communities to make contact with

spirit realm through traditional rites.

Ancestor worship is another important
feature of spiritual practice in

and in Japan in general.

The home of each generation's firstborn
usually contains a butsudan, or small

altar, used to pray for and make
offerings to the family's ancestors.

Mabui Every person has an essence, or
mabui.

This mabui is our spirit and the source
of our life force.

It is immortal and makes us who we are.

Sometimes the Mabui of someone who has
died is trapped in the body of a living

person.

This situation requires a separation
ritual to free the Mabui of the

It often happens when a person dies
suddenly, especially at a young age, and

or her Mabui does not want to move on to
the realm of the dead.

A Mabui can also be passed from person
to person by physical contact.

A grandmother who leaves her
granddaughter a ring transfers a part of

to her.

Photographs can also be a medium for
passing mabui among people.

The Older, the Stronger Looking back,
our days in Ogimi were intense,

but relaxed.

Sort of like the lifestyle of the
locals, who always seemed to be busy

important tasks, but who, upon closer
inspection, did everything with a sense

calm.

They were always pursuing their ikigai,
but they were never in a rush.

Not only did they seem to be happily
busy, but we also noticed that they

followed the other principles for
happiness that Washington Burnap stated

years ago.

The grand essentials to happiness in
this life are something to do, something

love, and something to hope for.

On our last day, we went to buy gifts at
a small market at the edge of town.

The only things sold there are local
vegetables, green tea, and shikawasa

along with bottles of water from a
spring hidden in the Anburu forests,

labels that read, Longevity Water.

We bought ourselves some of this
longevity water and drank it in the

lot, looking out over the sea and hoping
that the little bottles that promised a

magic elixir would bring us health and
long life, and would help us find our

Ikigai.

Then we took a photo with a statue of
Abunagaya and walked up to it one last

time to read the inscription.

A Declaration from the town where people
live longest.

At eighty, I am still a child.

When I come to see you at ninety, send
me away to wait until I am a hundred.

The older, the stronger.

Let us not depend too much on our
children as we age.

If you seek long life and health, you
are welcome in our village, where you

be blessed by nature, and together we
will discover the secret to longevity.

April 23, 1993

Ogimi Federation of Senior Citizens
Clubs The Interviews

Over the course of a week, we conducted
a total of 100 interviews, asking the

eldest members of the community about
their life philosophy, their ikigai, and

the secrets to longevity.

We filmed these conversations with two
cameras for use in a little documentary,

and chose a few especially meaningful
and inspiring statements to include in

this section of the audiobook.

1.

Don't worry.

The secret to a long life is not to
worry and to keep your heart young.

Don't let it grow old.

Open your heart to people with a nice
smile on your face.

If you smile and open your heart, your
grandchildren and everyone else will

to see you.

The best way to avoid anxiety is to go
out in the street and say hello to

people. I do it every day.

I go out there and say hello and see you
later.

Then I go home and care for my vegetable
garden.

In the afternoon, I spend time with
friends.

Here, everyone gets along.

We try not to cause problems.

Spending time together and having fun is
the only thing that matters.

I feel joy.

Every morning, waking up at six and
opening the curtains to look out at my

garden, where I grow my own vegetables.

I go right outside to check on my
tomatoes, my mandarin oranges.

I love the sight of them. It relaxes me.

After an hour in the garden, I go back
inside and make breakfast.

I plant my own vegetables and cook them
myself.

That's my icky guy.

The key to staying sharp in old age is
in your fingers.

From your fingers to your brain and back
again.

If you keep your fingers busy, you'll
live to see one hundred.

I get up at four every day.

I set my alarm for that time, have a cup
of coffee and do a little exercise,

lifting my arms.

That gives me energy for the rest of the
day.

I eat a bit of everything.

I think that's the secret.

I like variety in what I eat. I think it
tastes better.

Working. If you don't work, Your body
breaks down.

When I wake up, I go to the butsudan and
light incense.

You have to keep your ancestors in mind.

It's the first thing I do every morning.

I wake up every day at the same time,
early, and spend the morning in my

vegetable garden.

I go dancing with my friends once a
week.

I do exercise every day, and every
morning I go for a little walk.

I never forget to do my Taiso exercises
when I get up.

Eating vegetables, it helps you live
longer.

To live a long time, you need to do
three things.

Exercise to stay healthy, eat well, and
spend time with people.

3.

Nurture your friendships every day.

Getting together with my friends is my
most important ikigai.

We all get together here and talk.

It's very important.

I always know I'll see them all here
tomorrow, and that's one of my favorite

things in life.

My main hobby is getting together with
friends and neighbors.

Talking each day with the people you
love, that's the secret to a long life.

I say hello and see you later to the
children on their way to school and wave

everyone who goes by me in their car.

Drive safely, I say.

Between 7 .20 a .m. and 8 .15 a .m., I'm
outside on my feet the whole time,

saying hello to people.

Once everyone's gone, I go back inside.

Chatting and drinking tea with my
neighbors.

That's the best thing in life.

And singing together.

I wake up at five every morning, leave
the house, and walk to the sea.

Then I go to a friend's house and we
have tea together.

That's the secret to a long life.

getting together with people, and going
from place to place.

My secret to a long life is

always saying to myself, slow down and
relax.

You live much longer if you're not in a
hurry.

I make things with wicker.

That's my icky guy.

The first thing I do when I wake up is
pray.

Then I do my exercises and eat
breakfast.

At seven, I calmly start working on my
wicker.

When I get tired at five, I go visit my
friends.

Doing many different things every day.

Always staying busy but doing one thing
at a time without getting overwhelmed.

The secret to long life is going to bed
early, waking up early and going for a

walk.

living peacefully and enjoying the
little things, getting along with your

friends, spring, summer, fall, winter,
enjoying each season happily.

5.

Be optimistic.

Every day I say to myself, today will be
full of health and energy.

Live it to the fullest.

I'm 98, but consider myself young. I
still have so much to do.

Laugh. Laughter is the most important
thing.

I laugh wherever I go.

I'm going to live to be a hundred. Of
course I am. It's a huge motivation for

me.

Dancing and singing with your
grandchildren is the best thing in life.

I feel very fortunate to have been born
here.

I give thanks for it every day.

The most important thing in Ogimi, in
life, is to keep smiling.

I do volunteer work to give back to the
village a bit of what it has given to

me. For example, I use my car to help
friends get to the hospital.

There's no secret to it. The trick is
just to live.

100 % of the people we interviewed keep
a vegetable garden, and

most of them also have fields of tea,
mangoes, hikawasa, and so on.

All belong to some form of neighborhood
association where they feel cared for,

as though by family.

They celebrate all the time, even little
things.

Music, song, and dance are essential
parts of daily life.

They have an important purpose in life,
or several.

They have an ikigai, but they don't take
it too seriously.

They're relaxed and enjoy all that they
do.

They are very proud of their traditions
and local culture.

They are passionate about everything
they do, however insignificant it might

seem.

Locals have a strong sense of yuima
'aru, recognizing the connection between

people. They help each other with
everything from work in the fields,

sugar cane or planting rice, to building
houses and municipal projects.

Our friend Miyagi, who ate dinner with
us on our last night in town, told us

that he was building a new home with the
help of all his friends and that we

could stay there the next time we were
in Ogimi.

They're always busy, but they occupy
themselves with tasks that allow them to

relax. We didn't see a single old
grandpa sitting on a bench doing

They're always coming and going to sing
karaoke, visit with neighbors, or play a

game of gateball.

Chapter 7 The Ikigai Diet What the
World's Longest Living People Eat and

According to the World Health
Organization, Japan has the highest life

expectancy in the world, 85 years for
men and 87 .3 years for women.

Moreover, it has the highest ratio of
centenarians in the world, more than 520

for every million people, as of
September 2016.

While life expectancy in Japan is high
overall, Okinawa exceeds the national

average.

Okinawa is one of the areas in Japan
that were most affected by World War II.

As a result not only of conflicts on the
battlefield, but also of hunger and a

lack of resources once the war ended,
the average life expectancy was not very

high during the 1940s and 1950s.

As Okinawans recovered from the
destruction, however, they came to be

the country's longest -living citizens.

What secrets to long life do the
Japanese hold?

What is it about Okinawa that makes it
the best of the best in terms of life

expectancy?

Experts point out that, for one thing,
Okinawa is the only province in Japan

without trains.

Its residents have to walk or cycle when
not driving.

It's also the only province that has
managed to follow the Japanese

recommendation of eating less than 10
grams of salt per day.

The mortality rate from cardiovascular
disease in Okinawa is the

lowest in Japan, and diet almost
certainly has a lot to do with this.

It's no coincidence that the Okinawa
diet is so often discussed around the

at panels on nutrition.

The most concrete and widely cited data
on diet in Okinawa came from studies by

Makoto Suzuki, a cardiologist at the
University of Ryukyu, who has published

more than 700 scientific articles on
nutrition and aging in Okinawa since

Bradley J. Wilcox and D. Craig Wilcox
joined Makoto Suzuki's research team and

published a book, considered the Bible
on the subject.

The Okinawa Program.

They reached the following conclusions.

Locals eat a wide variety of foods,
especially vegetables.

Variety seems to be key.

A study of Okinawa's centenarians showed
that they ate 206 different foods,

including spices, on a regular basis.

They ate an average of 18 different
foods each day, a striking contrast to

nutritional poverty of our fast food
culture.

They eat at least five servings of
fruits and vegetables every day.

At least seven types of fruits and
vegetables are consumed by Okinawans on

daily basis.

The easiest way to check if there's
enough variety on your table is to make

you're eating the rainbow.

A table featuring red peppers, carrots,
spinach, cauliflower, and eggplant, for

example, offers great color and variety.

Vegetables, potatoes, legumes, and soy
products, such as tofu, are the staples

of an Okinawan's diet.

More than 30 % of their daily calories
come from vegetables.

Grains are the foundation of their diet.

Japanese people eat white rice every
day, sometimes adding noodles.

Rice is the primary food in Okinawa as
well.

They rarely eat sugar.

And if they do, it's cane sugar.

We drove through several sugar cane
fields every morning on our way to

and even drank a glass of cane juice at
Nakijin Castle.

Beside the stall selling the juice was a
sign describing the anti -carcinogenic

benefits of sugar cane.

In addition to these basic dietary
principles, Okinawans eat fish an

three times per week.

Unlike in other parts of Japan, the most
frequently consumed meat is pork,

though locals eat it only once or twice
per week.

Along these lines, Makoto Suzuki's
studies indicate the following.

Okinawans consume, in general, one
-third as much sugar as the rest of

population, which means that sweets and
chocolate are much less a part of their

diet.

They also eat practically half as much
salt as the rest of Japan, 7 grams per

day compared to an average of 12.

They consume fewer calories, an average
of 1 ,785 per day compared to 2

,068 in the rest of Japan.

In fact, low caloric intake is common
among the five blue zones.

Harahatvibu This brings us back to the
80 % rule we mentioned in the first

chapter, a concept known in Japanese as
harahatvibu.

It's easy to do.

When you notice you're almost full but
could have a little more, just stop

eating.

One easy way to start applying the
concept of harahatvibu is to skip

to reduce portion size.

The idea is to still be a little bit
hungry when you finish.

This is why portion size tends to be
much smaller in Japan than in the West.

Food isn't served as appetizers, main
courses, and dessert.

Instead, it's much more common to see
everything presented at once on small

plates. One with rice, another with
vegetables, a bowl of miso soup, and

something to snack on.

Serving food on many small plates makes
it easier to avoid eating too much and

facilitates the varied diet discussed at
the beginning of this chapter.

Harahatvibu is an ancient practice.

The 12th century book on Zen Buddhism,
Zazen Youjinki, recommends eating two

-thirds as much as you might want to.

Eating less than one might want is
common among all Buddhist temples in the

East.

Perhaps Buddhism recognized the benefits
of limiting caloric intake more than

nine centuries ago.

So, eat less to live longer?

Few would challenge this idea.

Without taking it to the extreme of
malnutrition, of course, eating fewer

calories than our bodies ask for seems
to increase longevity.

The key to staying healthy while
consuming fewer calories is eating foods

high nutritional value, especially
superfoods, and avoiding those that add

our overall caloric intake but offer
little to no nutritional value.

The calorie restriction we've been
discussing is one of the most effective

to add years to your life.

If the body regularly consumes enough or
too many calories, It gets lethargic

and starts to wear down, expending
significant energy on digestion alone.

Another benefit of calorie restriction
is that it reduces levels of IDF1,

insulin -like growth factor 1, in the
body.

IDF1 is a protein that plays a
significant role in the aging process.

It seems that one of the reasons humans
and animals age is an excess of this

protein in their blood.

Whether calorie restriction will extend
lifespan in humans is not yet known,

but... Data increasingly indicate that
moderate calorie restriction with

adequate nutrition has a powerful
protective effect against obesity, type

diabetes, inflammation, hypertension,
and cardiovascular disease, and reduces

metabolic risk factors associated with
cancer.

An alternative to following the 80 %
rule on a daily basis is to fast for one

two days each week.

The 5 -2 or fasting diet recommends two
days of fasting.

consuming fewer than 500 calories every
week and eating normally on the other

five days among its many benefits
fasting helps cleanse the digestive

allows it to rest 15 natural
antioxidants found in the okinawan

diet antioxidants are molecules that
slow down the oxidation process in cells

neutralizing the free radicals that
cause damage and accelerate aging The

antioxidant power of green tea, for
example, is well known and will be

later at greater length.

Because they are rich in antioxidants
and are eaten nearly every day in the

region, these 15 foods are considered
keys to Okinawan vitality.

Soy sprouts, hechima, a cucumber -like
gourd, soybeans, boiled or raw,

sweet potato, peppers, and sanpincha,
jasmine tea.

Sanpincha, the raining infusion in
Okinawa.

Okinawans drink more sanpincha, a mix of
green tea and jasmine flowers, than any

other kind of tea.

The closest approximation in the West
would be the jasmine tea that usually

comes from China.

A 1988 study conducted by Hiroko Sho at
the Okinawa Institute of Science and

Technology indicates that jasmine tea
reduces blood cholesterol levels.

Sanpin Cha can be found in many
different forms in Okinawa and is even

in vending machines.

In addition to all the antioxidant
benefits of green tea, it boasts the

of jasmine, which include reducing the
risk of heart attack, strengthening the

immune system, helping relieve stress,
lowering cholesterol.

Okinawans drink an average of three cups
of Sanpinsha every day.

It might be hard to find exactly the
same blend in the West, but we can drink

jasmine tea or even a high -quality
green tea instead.

The Secrets of Green Tea Green tea has
been credited for centuries with

significant medicinal properties.

Recent studies have confirmed its many
benefits and have attested to the

importance of this ancient plant in the
longevity of those who drink it often.

Originally from China, where it's been
consumed for millennia, green tea didn't

make its way to the rest of the world
until just a few centuries ago.

Unlike other teas, and as a result of
being air -dried without fermentation,

retains its active elements even after
being dried and crumbled.

It offers meaningful health benefits
such as controlling cholesterol,

blood sugar levels, improving
circulation, protection against the flu,

C, promoting bone health, fluoride,
protection against certain bacterial

infections, protection against UV
damage, cleansing, and diuretic effects.

White tea, with its high concentration
of polyphenols, may be even more

effective against aging.

In fact, it's considered to be the
natural product with the greatest

power in the world, to the extent that
one cup of white tea might pack the same

punch as a dozen glasses of orange
juice.

In summary, drinking green or white tea
every day.

can help us reduce the free radicals in
our bodies, keeping us young longer.

The Powerful Shikuwasa Shikuwasa is the
citrus fruit par excellence

of Okinawa, and ogimi is its largest
producer in all of Japan.

The fruit is extremely acidic.

It's impossible to drink shikuwasa juice
without diluting it first with water.

Its taste is somewhere between that of a
lime and a mandarin orange, to which it

bears a family resemblance.

Shikuwasas also contain high levels of
nobilitin, a flavonoid rich in

antioxidants.

All citrus fruits, grapefruits, oranges,
lemons, are high in nobilitin, but

Okinawa's shikuwasas have 40 times as
much as oranges.

Consuming nobilitin has been proven to
protect us from arteriosclerosis,

type 2 diabetes, and obesity in general.

Shikuwasas also contain vitamin C and B,
beta -carotene, and minerals.

They're used in many traditional dishes
and to add flavor to food and are

squeezed to make juice.

While conducting research at the
birthday parties of the town's

were served shikawasa cake.

The Antioxidant Canon for Westerners In
2010, the UK's Daily

Mirror published a list of foods
recommended by experts to combat aging.

Among these foods readily available in
the West are

Vegetables, such as broccoli and chard,
for their high concentration of water,

minerals and fiber.

Oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel,
tuna and sardines, for all the

in their fat.

Fruits, such as citrus, strawberries and
apricots.

They're an excellent source of vitamins
and help eliminate toxins from the body.

Berries, such as blueberries and goji
berries.

They're rich in phytochemical
antioxidants.

Dried fruits, which contain vitamins and
antioxidants and give you energy.

Grains, such as oats and wheat, which
give you energy and contain minerals.

Olive oil, for its antioxidant effects
that show in your skin.

Red wine, in moderation, for its
antioxidant and vasodilatory properties.

Foods that should be eliminated are
refined sugar and grains, processed

goods, and prepared foods.

along with cow's milk and all its
derivatives following this diet will

feel younger and slow the process of
premature aging

chapter 8 gentle

movements longer life exercises from the
east that promote health and longevity

studies from the blue zone suggest that
the people who live the longest are not

the ones who do the most exercise but
rather the ones who move the most.

When we visited Ogimi, the village of
longevity, we discovered that even

over 80 and 90 years old are still
highly active.

They don't stay at home looking out the
window or reading the newspaper.

Ogimi's residents walk a lot, do karaoke
with their neighbors, get up early in

the morning, and as soon as they've had
breakfast, or even before, head outside

to weed their gardens.

They don't go to the gym or exercise
intensely, but...

They almost never stop moving in the
course of their daily routines.

As easy as getting out of your chair.

Metabolism slows down 90 % after 30
minutes of sitting.

The enzymes that move the bad fat from
your arteries to your muscles, where it

can get burdened off, slow down.

And after two hours, good cholesterol
drops 20%. Just getting up for five

minutes is going to get things going
again.

These things are so simple, they're
almost stupid.

says Gavin Bradley in a 2015 interview
with Bridget Schulte for the Washington

Post.

Bradley is one of the preeminent experts
on the subject and the director of an

international organization dedicated to
building awareness of how detrimental

sitting all the time can be to our
health.

If we live in a city, we might find it
hard to move in natural and healthy ways

every day, but we can turn to exercises
that have proven for centuries to be

good for the body.

The Eastern disciplines for bringing
body, mind, and soul into balance have

become quite popular in the West, but in
their countries of origin, they've been

used for ages to promote health.

Yoga, originally from India, though very
popular in Japan, and China's Qigong

and Tai Chi, among other disciplines,
seek to create harmony between a

body and mind so they can face the world
with strength, joy, and serenity.

They're touted as elixirs of youth, and
science has endorsed the claim.

These gentle exercises offer
extraordinary health benefits and are

appropriate for older individuals who
have a harder time staying fit.

Tai Chi has been shown, among other
things, to slow the development of

osteoporosis and Parkinson's disease, to
increase circulation, and to improve

muscle tone and flexibility.

Its emotional benefits are just as
important.

It's a great field against stress and
depression.

You don't need to go to the gym for an
hour every day or run marathons.

As Japanese centenarians show us, all
you need is to add movement to your day.

Practicing any of these Eastern
disciplines on a regular basis is a

do so.

An added benefit is that they all have
well -defined steps, and as we heard in

Chapter 4, disciplines with clear rules
are good for flow.

If you don't like any of these
disciplines, feel free to choose a

you love and that makes you move.

Following, we'll take a look at some of
the practices that promote health and

longevity. But first...

A little appetizer.

A singularly Japanese exercise for
starting your day.

This morning warm -up has been around
since before World War II.

The radio part of its name is from when
the instructions for each exercise were

transmitted over the radio.

But today people usually do these
movements while tuned to a television

or internet video demonstrating the
steps.

One of the main purposes of doing Radio
Taiso is to promote a spirit of unity

among participants.

The exercises are always done in groups,
usually in schools before the start of

classes, and in businesses before the
workday begins.

Statistics show that 30 % of Japanese
practice Radio Taiso for a few minutes

every morning.

But Radio Taiso is one thing that almost
everyone we interviewed in Ogimi had in

common.

Even the residents of the nursing home
we visited dedicated at least five

minutes every day to doing it.

though some did the exercises from their
wheelchairs.

We joined them on their daily practice,
and we felt refreshed for the rest of

the day.

When these exercises are done in a
group, it's usually on a sports field or

large reception hall, and typically
involves some kind of loudspeaker.

The exercises take five or ten minutes,
depending on whether you do all or only

some of them.

They focus on dynamic stretching and
increasing joint mobility.

One of the most iconic Radio Taiso
exercises consists of simply Raising

arms above your head and then bringing
them down in a circular motion.

It's a tool to wake up the body, an easy
mobility workout that is low in

intensity and that focuses on exercising
as many joints as possible.

It might seem basic, but in our modern
lives, we can spend days without raising

our arms above our ears.

Think about it.

Our arms are down when using computers,
when using smartphones, when reading

books. One of the few times we raise our
hands over our heads is when reaching

for something in a cupboard or closet,
while our ancestors were raising their

hands over their heads all the time when
gathering things from trees.

Radio Taiso helps us to practice all the
basic movements of the body.

Yoga Popular in Japan as well as in the
West, yoga can be done by almost anyone.

Some of its poses have even been adapted
for pregnant women and practitioners

with physical disabilities.

Yoga comes from India, where it was
developed millennia ago to unite our

and physical elements.

The word yoga itself comes from the
Sanskrit term for yoke, which refers to

cross piece that binds draft animals to
one another and to the cart they're

pulling.

Yoga strives to unite body and mind in
the same way, guiding us toward a

lifestyle in harmony with the world
around us.

The main objectives of yoga are to bring
us closer to our human nature,

mental and physical purification, to
bring us closer to the divine.

Though all are oriented towards similar
goals, there are many different types of

yoga that vary according to the
traditions and texts from which they

developed. The differences among them
lie, as the masters say, in the path

to the summit of our best self.

The search for discipline and mental
growth.

Karma yoga focuses on action, on tasks
and duties that benefit oneself and

community.

Bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion and
surrender to the divine.

Mantra yoga focuses on the recitation of
mantras to reach a state of relaxation.

Kundalini yoga combines diverse steps to
reach the desired mental state.

Raja Yoga, also known as the Royal Path,
encompasses a range of steps geared

toward achieving communion with oneself
and others.

Hatha Yoga, the most widespread form in
the West and Japan, characterized by

asanas, or poses, combined in a quest
for balance.

How to do a Sun Salutation The Sun
Salutation is one of the most iconic

exercises in Hatha Yoga.

To do it, You simply have to follow
these 12 basic movements.

1. With your feet together, stand up
straight, but keep your muscles relaxed.

Exhale.

2.

Place the palms of your hands together
in front of your chest.

From this position, inhale as you raise
your arms above your head and bend

backwards slightly.

3.

Exhale as you bend forward until you
touch the ground with the palms of your

hands, without bending your knees.

4. Stretch one leg back to touch the
floor with the tips of your toes.

Inhale.

5. Bring the other leg back, keeping
your legs and arms straight as you hold

your breath.

6. As you exhale, bend your arms and
bring your chest to the ground, and then

forward, resting your knees on the
ground.

7.

Straighten your arms and bend your spine
back, keeping the lower half of your

body on the ground.

Inhale.

8. With your hands and feet on the
ground, lift your hips until your arms

legs are straight and your body forms an
upside -down V.

Exhale throughout the movement.

9. Bring forward the same leg you'd
stretched back earlier and bend it so

your knee and foot are aligned under
your head.

and between your hands.

Inhale.

10. Exhale as you bring your back foot
forward and straighten your legs,

your hands on the ground as in Posture
3.

11. Bring your arms above your head with
your palms together and bend backwards

slightly as you did in Posture 2 while
you inhale.

12.

Lower your arms to their initial
position in Mountain Pose while you

You've just greeted the sun.

Now you're ready to have a fantastic
day.

Tai Chi Also known as Tai Chi Chuan, Tai
Chi is a Chinese martial art that can

be traced back hundreds of years to
Buddhism and Confucianism.

It's very popular in Japan, too.

According to Chinese tradition, it was
created by the Taoist master and martial

arts practitioner Chang Sanfeng, though
it was Yang Luchan who in the 19th

century brought the form to the rest of
the world.

Tai Chi was originally a Neijia, or
internal martial art, meaning its goal

personal growth.

Focused on self -defense, it teaches
those who practice it to defeat their

adversaries by using the least amount of
force possible and by relying on

agility.

Tai Chi, which was also seen as a means
of healing body and mind, would go on to

be used more frequently to foster health
and inner peace.

To encourage its citizens to be more
active, the Chinese government promoted

as an exercise.

and it lost its original connection to
martial arts, becoming instead a source

of health and well -being, accessible to
all.

Styles of Tai Chi There are different
schools and styles of Tai Chi.

The following are the best known.

Chen style alternates between slow
movements and explosive ones.

Yang style, the most widespread of the
forms, characterized by slow fluid

movements.

Wu style utilizes small, slow,
deliberate movements.

Hao style, centered on internal
movements with almost microscopic

movements, one of the least practiced
forms of Tai Chi, even in China.

Despite their differences, these styles
all have the same objectives.

1. To control movement through
stillness.

2. To overcome force through finesse.

3. To move second and arrive first.

4. To know yourself and your opponent.

The Ten Basic Principles of Tai Chi
According to the master Yang Chong Fu,

correct practice of Tai Chi follows ten
basic principles.

1. Elevate the crown of your head and
focus all your energy there.

2. Tighten your chest and expand your
back to lighten your lower body.

Relax your waist and let it guide your
body.

Learn to differentiate between heaviness
and lightness, knowing how your weight

is distributed.

Relax the shoulders to allow free
movement of the arms and promote the

energy.

Value the agility of the mind over the
strength of the body.

7. Unify the upper and lower body so
they act in concert.

8. Unify the internal and the external
to synchronize mind, body and breath.

9. Do not break the flow of your
movement.

Maintain fluidity and harmony.

10.

Look for stillness in movement.

An active body leads to a calm mind.

Imitating Clouds One of the best -known
movements in Tai Chi consists of

following the form of clouds in an
exercise called Wave Hands Like Clouds.

Here are the steps.

1.

Extend your arms in front of you with
your palms down.

2. Turn your palms to face in as though
you were hugging a tree trunk.

3. Open your arms out to the side.

4. Bring the left arm up and center and
the right arm down and center.

5.

Trace the shape of a ball in front of
your body.

6. Turn your left palm toward your face.

7.

Shift your weight to your left foot and
pivot from your hip toward that side

while your eyes follow the movement of
your hand.

8. Bring your left hand to your waist
and your right hand in front of your

9. Shift your weight to your right foot.

10. Pivot toward your right, looking at
your raised right hand the entire time.

11.

Repeat this movement fluidly.

shifting your weight from one foot to
the other as you reposition your hands.

12.

Stretch your arms out in front of you
again and bring them down slowly,

returning to your initial position.

Qigong Also known as Qigong, its name
combines qi, life force or

energy, and gong, work, indicating that
the form works with the individual's

life force.

Though relatively modern, Especially
under its current name, the art of

is based on the Tao Yin, an ancient art
meant to foster mental and physical well

-being.

The practice began to appear in reports
on training in martial arts at the

beginning of the 20th century, and by
the 1930s was being used in hospitals.

The Chinese government later popularized
it, as it had done with Tai Chi.

Qigong involves static and dynamic
physical exercises that stimulate

in a standing, seated, or reclined
position.

There are many different styles of
qigong, but all of them seek to

and regenerate qi.

Though its movements are typically
gentle, the practice is intense.

Benefits of Qigong According to numerous
international scientific studies,

qigong, like tai chi and yoga, offers
significant health benefits.

The following stand out among those
proven through scientific research.

As observed by Dr. Kenneth M. Sancer of
San Francisco's Qigong Institute in his

article, Medicinal Applications of
Qigong.

Modification of brain waves.

Improved balance of sex hormones.

Lower mortality rate from heart attacks.

Lower blood pressure in patients with
hypertension.

Greater bone density.

Better circulation.

Deceleration of symptoms associated with
senility.

Greater balance.

and efficiency of bodily functions,
increased blood flow to the brain and

greater mind -body connection, improved
cardiac function, reduction in the

secondary effects of cancer treatments.

Practicing these arts not only keeps us
in shape, it also helps extend our

lives.

Methods for Practicing Qigong In order
to practice Qigong correctly, we should

remember that our life energy flows
through our whole body.

We should know how to regulate its many
parts.

1. Tiao Shen.

Regulating the body by adopting the
correct posture.

It's important to be firmly rooted to
the ground.

2.

Tiao Shi Yi.

Regulating the breath until it is calm,
steady, and peaceful.

3. Jiao Xin, regulating the mind, the
most complicated part as it implies

emptying the mind of thoughts.

Jiao Qi, regulating the life force
through the regulation of the three

elements so that it flows naturally.

Jiao Shen, regulating the spirit.

The spirit is both strength and root in
battle. As Yang Junming explains in the

essence of Taiji Qigong.

In this way, the whole organism will be
prepared to work together toward a

single goal.

The Five Elements of Qigong One of
Qigong's best -known exercises is a

representing the five elements earth,
water, wood, metal, and fire.

This series of movements seeks to
balance the five currents of energy in

to improve brain and organ function.

There are several ways to do these
movements.

In this case, we're following the model
of Professor Maria Isabel Garcia Monreal

from the Qigong Institute in Barcelona.

Earth 1.

Stand with your legs apart and your feet
directly below your shoulders.

2. Turn your feet outward slightly to
straighten the posture.

3. Keep your shoulders relaxed and down.

and your arms loose at your sides,
slightly away from your body.

This is the Wu -Chi, or rooted posture.

4. As you inhale, raise your arms in
front of you until your hands are level

with your shoulders, your palms facing
down.

5.

Exhale as you bend your knees and bring
your arms down until your hands are

level with your stomach, your palms
facing in.

6.

Hold this position for a few seconds,
focusing on your breath water

starting from earth posture bend your
knees into a squat keeping your chest

upright and exhaling throughout two
press your coccyx downward to stretch

lumbar spine three as you inhale stand
to return to earth posture

four repeat twice for a total of three

1.

Starting from earth posture, turn your
palms upward and open your arms to the

side, forming a circle as you inhale
until your hands are level with your

clavicle.

Turn your hands so that your palms and
elbows point downward while keeping your

shoulders relaxed.

2.

Reverse the movement as you exhale,
making a downward circle with your arms

until you reach your initial position.

3. Repeat twice for a total of three.

Metal 1.

Starting from earth posture, raise your
arms until your hands are level with

your sternum.

2. Turn your palms toward each other,
about four inches apart, with your

relaxed and slightly separated, pointing
upward.

3. As you inhale, move your hands away
from each other until they are shoulder

-width apart.

4. As you exhale, bring your hands
toward each other until they are back in

position 2.

5. Repeat twice for a total of 3,
observing the concentration of energy as

bring your hands together in front of
your lungs.

Fire 1.

Starting from earth posture, bring your
hands level with your heart as you

inhale, with one hand slightly above the
other and your palms facing each other.

2. Rotate your hand to feel the energy
of your heart.

3. Turn from your waist gently to the
left, keeping your torso relaxed and

forearms parallel to the ground.

4.

With your palms still facing each other,
separate your hands, bringing one up

until it is level with your shoulder and
the other down in front of your

abdomen.

5.

Turn from your waist gently to the
right, keeping your torso relaxed and

forearms parallel to the ground.

6. As you exhale, let your hands come
back together in front of your heart.

7. With your palms still facing each
other, separate your hands, bringing one

until it is level with your shoulder and
the other down in front of your

abdomen.

Completing the Series 1.

Starting from Earth posture, inhale as
you bring your hands level with your

shoulders, palms facing down.

2. As you exhale, lower your arms to
rest at your sides, returning to the

initial Wu -Ti posture.

Shiatsu Created in Japan in the early
20th century, principally for the

treatment of arthritis, Shiatsu also
works on energy flow through the

application of pressure with the thumbs
and the palms of the hands.

In combination with stretching and
breathing exercises, it seeks to create

equilibrium among the different elements
of the body.

The following quote is about the Tao
Yin, a general term referring to the

ancient arts meant to foster mental and
physical well -being.

It is not important that a Tao Yin have
a name, is imitating something or is

engraved in jade.

What is important is the technique and
the essence of what is really practiced.

Stretching and contracting, bending and
lifting of the head, Stepping, lying

down, resting or standing, walking or
stepping slowly, screaming or breathing,

everything can be a Daoyin.

Ge Hong Breathe better, live longer

The book Xu Qian Xixu, known in the West
as Ten Books on the

Cultivation of Perfection, dates back to
the 13th century.

and is a compendium of materials from
diverse sources on developing the mind

body. It quotes, among others, the
celebrated Chinese doctor and essayist

Simiao, who lived during the 6th
century.

Sun Simiao was a proponent of a
technique called the Six Healing Sounds,

involves the coordination of movement,
breathing, and pronouncing sounds with

the purpose of bringing our soul to a
place of calm.

The six sounds are X -U, pronounced like

with a deep sigh, which is associated
with the liver.

H -E, pronounced like with a yawn, which
is associated with the heart.

S -I, pronounced like with a slow
exhale, which is associated with the

C -H -U -I, pronounced like with a
forceful exhale, which is also

with the kidneys.

H -O -O, pronounced like hu, which is
associated with the spleen, and xi,

pronounced like shi, which connects the
whole body.

The following poem by Sun Simiao offers
clues about how to live well according

to the season.

It reminds us of the importance of
breathing and suggests that as we

visualize the organs associated with
each of the healing sounds.

In spring, breathe shi.

for clear eyes, and so wood can aid your
liver.

In summer, reach for hur, so that heart
and fire can be at peace.

In fall, breathe sur, to stabilize and
gather metal, keeping the lungs moist.

For the kidneys, next, breathe twi, and
see your inner waters calm.

The triple heater needs your shi, to
expel all heat and troubles.

In all four seasons, take deep breaths
so your spleen can process food.

And of course, avoid exhaling noisily.

Don't let even your own ears hear you.

The practice is most excellent and will
help preserve your divine elixir.

It might feel confusing to be presented
with all the Eastern traditions we've

introduced in this chapter.

The takeaway is that they all combine a
physical exercise, with an awareness of

our breath.

These two components, movements and
breath, help us to bring our

in line with our body, instead of
allowing our mind to be carried away by

sea of daily worries.

Most of the time, we're just not aware
enough of our breathing.

Chapter 9 Resilience and Wabi Sabi How
to Face Life's Challenges Without

Letting Stress and Worry Age You

What is resilience?

One thing that everyone with a clearly
defined ikigai has in common is that

pursue their passion no matter what.

They never give up, even when the cards
seem stacked against them or they face

one hurdle after another.

We're talking about resilience, a
concept that's become influential among

psychologists.

But resilience isn't just the ability to
persevere.

As we'll hear in this chapter, it's also
an outlook we can cultivate to stay

focused on the important things in life,
rather than what is most urgent, and

keep ourselves from being carried away
by negative emotions.

In the final section of the chapter,
we'll explore techniques that go beyond

resilience to cultivate anti -fragility.

Sooner or later, we all have to face
difficult moments, and the way we do

can make a huge difference to our
quality of life.

Proper training for our mind, Body and
emotional resilience is essential for

confronting life's ups and downs.

Resilience is our ability to deal with
setbacks.

The more resilient we are, the easier it
will be to pick ourselves up and get

back to what gives meaning to our lives.

Resilient people know how to stay
focused on their objectives, on what

without giving in to discouragement.

Their flexibility is the source of their
strength.

They know how to adapt to change and to
reversals of fortune.

They concentrate on the things they can
control and don't worry about those they

can't. In the words of the famous
Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr,

us grace to accept with serenity the
things that cannot be changed, courage

change the things which should be
changed, and the wisdom to distinguish

from the other.

Emotional Resilience Through Buddhism
and Stoicism Siddhartha Gautama, Buddha,

was born a prince of Kapilavastu, Nepal,
and grew up in a palace surrounded by

riches. At sixteen he married and had a
child.

Not satisfied by his family's wealth,

He decided to try a different lifestyle
and ran away from the palace to live as

an ascetic.

But it wasn't asceticism that he was
looking for.

It didn't offer the happiness and well
-being he sought.

Neither wealth nor extreme asceticism
worked for him.

He realized that a wise person should
not ignore life's pleasures.

A wise person can live with these
pleasures, but should always remain

of how easy it is to be enslaved by
them.

Zeno of Sidium began his studies with
the cynics.

The cynics also led ascetic lives,
leaving behind all earthly pleasures.

They lived in the street, and the only
thing they owned was the clothing on

their backs.

Seeing that cynicism did not give him a
sense of well -being, Zeno abandoned its

teachings to found the school of
Stoicism, which centers on the idea that

is nothing wrong with enjoying life's
pleasures as long as they do not take

control of your life as you enjoy them.

You have to be prepared for those
pleasures to disappear.

The Goal is not to eliminate all
feelings and pleasures from our lives,

cynicism, but to eliminate negative
emotions.

Since their inception, one of the
objectives of both Buddhism and Stoicism

been to control pleasure, emotions, and
desires.

Though the philosophies are very
different, both aim to curb our ego and

our negative emotions.

Both Stoicism and Buddhism are, at the
roots, methods for practicing well

-being.

According to Stoicism, our pleasures and
desires are not the problem.

We can enjoy them as long as they don't
take control of us.

The Stoics viewed those who were able to
control their emotions as virtuous.

What's the worst thing that could
happen?

We finally land our dream job, but after
a little while we're already hunting

for a better one.

We win the lottery and buy a nice car,
but then decide we can't live without a

sailboat.

We finally win the heart of the man or
woman we've been pining for, then

suddenly we find we have a wandering
eye.

People can be insatiable.

The Stoics believe that these kinds of
desires and ambitions are not worth

pursuing.

The objective of the virtuous person is
to reach a state of tranquility,

apatheia, the absence of negative
feelings such as anxiety, fear, shame,

and anger, and the presence of positive
feelings such as happiness.

love, serenity, and gratitude.

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.

To practice negative visualization, we
have to reflect on negative events, but

without worrying about them.

Seneca, one of the richest men in
ancient Rome, lived a life of luxury,

nonetheless, an active Stoic.

He recommended practicing negative
visualization every night before falling

asleep. In fact, he not only imagined
these negative situations, he actually

them into practice.

For example, by living for a week
without servants, or the food and drink

used to as a wealthy man.

As a result, he was able to answer the
question, what's the worst thing that

could happen?

Meditating for healthier emotions

In addition to negative visualization
and not giving in to negative emotions,

another central tenet of Stoicism is
knowing what we can control and what we

can't, as we see in the Serenity Prayer.

Worrying about things that are beyond
our control accomplishes nothing.

We should have a clear sense of what we
can change and what we can't, which in

turn will allow us to resist giving in
to negative emotions.

In the words of Epictetus, It's not what
happens to you, but how you react that

matters.

In Zen Buddhism, meditation is a way to
become aware of our desires and

emotions, and thereby free ourselves
from them.

It's not simply a question of keeping
the mind free of thoughts, but instead

involves observing our thoughts and
emotions as they appear, without getting

carried away by them.

In this way, we train our minds not to
get swept up in anger, jealousy or

resentment.

One of the most commonly used mantras in
Buddhism focuses on controlling

negative emotions.

om mani padme hum, in which om is the
generosity that purifies the ego,

ma is the ethics that purifies jealousy,
ni is the patience that purifies

passion and desire,

pad is the precision that purifies bias,
me is the surrender that purifies

greed, and hum is the wisdom that
purifies hatred.

The Here and Now and the Impermanence of
Things Another key to cultivating

resilience is knowing in which time to
live.

Both Buddhism and Stoicism remind us
that the present is all that exists, and

is the only thing we can control.

Instead of worrying about the past or
the future, we should appreciate things

just as they are in the moment, in the
now.

The only moment in which you can be
truly alive is the present moment.

observes the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat
Hanh.

In addition to living in the here and
now, the Stoics recommend reflecting on

the impermanence of the things around
us.

The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius said
that the things we love are like the

leaves of a tree.

They can fall at any moment with a gust
of wind.

He also said that changes in the world
around us are not accidental, but rather

form part of the essence of the
universe.

A rather Buddhist notion, in fact.

We should never forget that everything
we have and all the people we love will

disappear at some point.

This is something we should keep in
mind, but without giving in to

Being aware of the impermanence of
things does not have to make us sad.

It should help us love the present
moment and those who surround us.

All things human are short -lived and
perishable, Seneca tells us.

The temporary, ephemeral, and
impermanent nature of the world is

every Buddhist discipline.

Keeping this always in mind helps us
avoid excessive pain in times of loss.

Wabi -sabi is a Japanese concept

that shows us the beauty of the
fleeting, changeable, and imperfect

the world around us.

Instead of searching for beauty in
perfection, we should look for it in

that are flawed, incomplete.

This is why the Japanese place such
value, for example, on an irregular or

cracked teacup.

Only things that are imperfect,
incomplete, and ephemeral can truly be

beautiful, because only those things
resemble the natural world.

A complementary Japanese concept is that
of ichigo ichie, which could be

translated as, this moment exists only
now and won't come again.

It's heard most often in social
gatherings as a reminder that each

whether with friends, family or
strangers, is unique and will never be

meaning that we should enjoy the moment
and not lose ourselves in worries about

the past or the future.

The concept is commonly used in tea
ceremonies, Zen meditation and Japanese

martial arts, all of which place
emphasis on being present in the moment.

In the West We've grown accustomed to
the permanence of the stone buildings

cathedrals of Europe, which sometimes
gives us the sense that nothing changes,

making us forget about the passage of
time.

Greco -Roman architecture adored
cemeteries, sharp lines, imposing

buildings and statues of the gods that
outlast the centuries.

Japanese architecture, on the other
hand, doesn't try to be imposing or

because it is built in the spirit of
wabi -sabi.

The tradition of making structures out
of wood presupposes their impermanence

and the need for future generations to
rebuild them.

Japanese culture accepts the fleeting
nature of the human being and everything

we create.

The Grand Shrine of Ise, for example,
has been rebuilt every 20 years for

centuries. The most important thing is
not to keep the building standing for

generations, but to preserve customs and
traditions, things that can withstand

the passage of time.

better than structures made by human
hands.

The key is to accept that there are
certain things over which we have no

control, like the passage of time and
the ephemeral nature of the world around

us.

Ichigo Ichie teaches us to focus on the
present and enjoy each moment that life

brings us.

This is why it's so important to find
and pursue our ikigai.

Wabi -sabi teaches us to appreciate the
beauty of imperfection as an opportunity

for growth.

Beyond Resilience Anti -Fragility As the
legend goes, the

first time Hercules faced the Hydra, he
despaired when he discovered that

cutting off one of its heads meant that
two would grow back in its place.

He would never be able to kill the beast
if it got stronger with every wound.

As Nassim Nicholas Taleb explains in
Anti -Fragile, Things that Gain from

Disorder, we use the word fragile.

to describe people, things, and
organizations that are weakened when

the words robust and resilient for
things that are able to withstand harm

without weakening.

But we don't have a word for things that
get stronger when harmed, up to a

point.

To refer to the kind of power possessed
by the Hydra of Lerna, to talk about

things that get stronger when they are
harmed, Taleb proposed the term anti

-fragile.

Anti -fragility is beyond resilience or
robustness.

The resilient resists shocks and stays
the same.

The anti -fragile gets better.

Catastrophes and exceptional
circumstances offer good models for

-fragility.

In 2011, a tsunami hit the Tohoku region
of Japan, doing tremendous damage to

dozens of cities and towns along the
coast, most famously Fukushima.

When we visited the affected coast two
years after the catastrophe, having

driven for hours along cracked highways,
and passed one empty gas station after

another. We passed through several ghost
towns whose streets had been taken over

by the remnants of houses, piles of
cars, and empty train stations.

These towns were fragile spaces that had
been forgotten by the government and

could not recover on their own.

Other places, such as Ishinomaki and
Kisenuma, suffered extensive damage but

were rebuilt within a few years, thanks
to the efforts of many.

Ishinomaki and Kisenuma showed how
resilient they were in their ability to

return to normal after the catastrophe.

The earthquake that caused the tsunami
also affected the Fukushima nuclear

plant.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company
engineers working at the plant were not

prepared to recover from that kind of
damage.

The Fukushima nuclear facility is still
in a state of emergency and will be for

decades to come.

It demonstrated its fragility in the
face of an unprecedented catastrophe.

The Japanese financial markets closed
minutes after the earthquake.

Which businesses did the best in the
aftermath?

Stock and big construction companies has
been steadily on the rise since 2011.

The need to rebuild the entire coast of
Tohoku is a boon for construction.

In this case, Japanese construction
companies are anti -fragile, since they

benefited enormously from the
catastrophe.

Now let's take a look at how we can
apply this concept to our daily lives.

How can we be more anti -fragile?

Instead of having a single salary, try
to find a way to make money from

your hobbies, at other jobs, or by
starting your own business.

If you have only one salary, you might
be left with nothing should your

run into trouble, leaving you in a
position of fragility.

On the other hand, If you have several
options and you lose your primary job,

might just happen that you end up
dedicating more time to your secondary

maybe even make more money at it.

You would have beaten that stroke of bad
luck and would be, in that case, anti

-fragile.

One hundred percent of the seniors we
interviewed in Ogimi had a primary and

secondary occupation.

Most of them kept a vegetable garden as
a secondary job and sold their produce

at the local market.

The same idea goes for friendships and
personal interests.

It's just a matter, as the saying goes,
of not putting all your eggs in one

basket.

In the sphere of romantic relationships,
there are those who focus all their

energy on their partner and make him or
her their whole world.

Those people lose everything if the
relationship doesn't work out.

Whereas, if they've cultivated strong
friendships and a full life along the

they'll be in a better position to move
on at the end of a relationship.

They'll be anti -fragile.

Right now you might be thinking, I don't
need more than one salary and I'm happy

with the friends I've always had. Why
should I add anything new?

It might seem like a waste of time to
add variation to our lives because

extraordinary things don't ordinarily
happen.

We slip into a comfort zone.

But the unexpected always happens,
sooner or later.

Step 2.

Bet conservatively in certain areas and
take many small risks in others.

The world of finance turns out to be
very useful in explaining this concept.

If you have $10 ,000 saved up, you might
put $9 ,000 of that into an index fund

or fixed -term deposit and invest the
remaining $1 ,000 in 10 startups with

growth potential, say $100 in each.

One possible scenario is that three of
the companies fail.

You lose $300.

The value of three other companies goes
down. You lose another $100 or $200.

The value of three goes up, you make one
or two hundred dollars, and the value

of one of the startups increases
twentyfold.

You make nearly two thousand dollars, or
maybe even more.

You still make money, even if three of
the businesses go completely belly up.

You've benefited from the damage, just
like the Hydra.

The key to becoming anti -fragile is
taking on small risks that might lead to

great reward, without exposing ourselves
to dangers that might sink us, such

as... investing $10 ,000 in a fund of
questionable reputation that we saw

advertised in the newspaper.

Step 3.

Get rid of the things that make you
fragile.

We're taking the negative route for this
exercise.

Ask yourself, what makes me fragile?

Certain people, things and habits
generate losses for us and make us

Who and what are they?

When we make our New Year's resolutions,
we tend to emphasize adding new

challenges to our lives.

It's great to have this kind of
objective, but setting good riddance

have an even bigger impact.

For example, stop snacking between
meals.

Eat sweets only once a week.

Gradually pay off all debt.

Avoid spending time with toxic people.

Avoid spending time doing things we
don't enjoy simply because we feel

to do them.

spend no more than 20 minutes on
Facebook each day.

To build resilience into our lives, we
shouldn't fear adversity because each

setback is an opportunity for growth.

If we adopt an anti -fragile attitude,
we'll find a way to get stronger with

every blow, refining our lifestyle and
staying focused on our ikigai.

Taking a hit or two can be viewed as
either a misfortune or an experience

we can apply to all areas of our lives.

as we continually make corrections and
set new and better goals.

As Taleb writes in Anti -Fragile, We
need randomness, mess, adventures,

uncertainty, self -discovery, here
traumatic episodes, all these things

make life worth living.

We encourage those interested in the
concept of anti -fragility to read

Nicholas Taleb's Anti -Fragile.

Life is pure imperfection.

as the philosophy of wabi -sabi teaches
us, and the passage of time shows us

that everything is fleeting.

But if you have a clear sense of your
ikigai, each moment will hold so many

possibilities that it will seem almost
like an eternity.

Epilogue Ikigai The Art of Living

Mitsuo Aida was one of the most
important calligraphers and haikuists

of the 20th century.

He is yet another example of a Japanese
person who dedicated his life to a very

specific ikigai, communicating emotions
with 17 -syllable poems using a shodo,

calligraphy brush.

Many of Aida's haikus philosophize about
the importance of the present moment

and the passage of time.

One could be translated as, In the here
and now, the only thing in my life is

your life.

In another poem, Aida writes simply,
Here, now.

It is an artwork that seeks to evoke
feelings of manono aware, a melancholy

appreciation of the ephemeral.

The following poem touches on one of the
secrets of bringing ikigai into our

lives.

Happiness is always determined by your
heart.

And one last one, also by Aida, is Keep
going.

Don't change your path.

Once you discover your ikigai, pursuing
it and nurturing it every day will bring

meaning to your life.

The moment your life has this purpose,
you will achieve a happy state of flow

all you do, like the calligrapher at his
canvas, or the chef, who after half a

century, still prepares sushi for his
patrons with love.

Conclusion Our ikigai is different for
all of us.

But one thing we have in common is that
we're all searching for meaning.

When we spend our days feeling connected
to what is meaningful to us, we live

more fully.

When we lose the connection, we feel
despair.

Modern life estranges us more and more
from our true nature, making it very

for us to lead lives lacking in meaning.

Powerful forces and incentives, money,
power, attention, success, distract us

a daily basis.

Don't let them take over your life.

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.

Be led by your curiosity and keep busy
by doing things that fill you with

meaning and happiness.

It doesn't need to be a big thing.

We might find meaning in being good
parents or in helping our neighbors.

There is no perfect strategy to
connecting with our Ikigai.

But what we've learned from the
Okinawans is that we should not worry

about finding it.

Life is not a problem to be solved.

Just remember to have something that
keeps you busy doing what you love while

being surrounded by the people who love
you.

The Ten Rules of Ikigai We'll conclude
this journey with ten rules we've

distilled from the wisdom of the long
-lived residents of Ogimi.

1.

Stay active.

Don't retire.

Those who give up the things they love
doing and do well lose their purpose in

life.

That's why it's so important to keep
doing things of value, making progress,

bringing beauty or utility to others,
helping out, and shaping the world

you, even after your official
professional activity has ended.

2. Take it slow.

Being in a hurry is inversely
proportional to quality of life.

As the old saying goes, walk slowly and
you'll go far.

When we leave urgency behind, life and
time take on new meaning.

3.

Don't fill your stomach.

Less is more when it comes to eating for
long life, too.

According to the 80 % rule, in order to
stay healthier longer, we should eat a

little less than our hunger demands
instead of stuffing ourselves.

4. Surround yourself with good friends.

Friends are the best medicine.

They're for confiding worries over a
good chat, sharing stories that brighten

your day, getting advice, having fun,
dreaming, in other words, living.

5.

Get in shape for your next birthday.

Water moves.

It is at its best when it flows fresh
and doesn't stagnate.

The body you move through life in needs
a bit of daily maintenance to keep it

running for a long time.

Plus, exercise releases hormones that
make us feel happy.

A cheerful attitude is not only
relaxing, it also helps make friends.

It's good to recognize the things that
aren't so great, but we should never

forget what a privilege it is to be in
the here and now, in a world so full of

possibilities.

7.

Reconnect with nature.

Though most people live in cities these
days, human beings are made to be part

of the natural world.

We should return to it often to recharge
our batteries.

8.

Give thanks.

To your ancestors, to nature, which
provides you with the air you breathe

the food you eat.

To your friends and family, to
everything that brightens your days and

feel lucky to be alive.

Spend a moment every day giving thanks,
and you'll watch your stockpile of

happiness grow.

9.

Live in the moment.

Stop regretting the past and fearing the
future.

Today is all you have.

Make the most of it.

Make it worth remembering.

10.

Follow your ikigai.

There is a passion inside you.

a unique talent that gives meaning to
your days and drives you to share the

best of yourself until the very end.

If you don't know what your Ikigai is
yet, as Viktor Frankl says, your mission

is to discover it.

The authors of this audiobook wish you a
long, happy, and purposeful life.

Thank you for joining us.

Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles

You've been listening to Ikigai, The
Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy

by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles,
narrated by Walter Dixon.

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