I happened to read this book "IKIGAI" a couple of months back and it changed my outlook towards life. ⠀
IKIGAI (生き甲斐) is a Japanese concept that means "a reason for being." The word refers to having a meaningful direction or purpose in life.⠀
"Your Ikigai is at the intersection of what you are good at and what you love doing,” says Hector Garcia, the co-author of Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life. He writes,“Just as humans have lusted after objects and money since the dawn of time, other humans have felt dissatisfaction at the relentless pursuit of money and fame and have instead focused on something bigger than their own material wealth. This has over the years been described using many different words and practices, but always hearkening back to the central core of meaningfulness in life.”
In their book Ikigai, The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles break down the ten rules that can help anyone find their own Ikigai.⠀
1. Stay active and don’t retire⠀
2. Leave urgency behind and adopt a slower pace of life⠀
3. Only eat until you are 80 per cent full⠀
4. Surround yourself with good friends⠀
5. Get in shape through daily, gentle exercise⠀
6. Smile and acknowledge people around you⠀
7. Reconnect with nature⠀
8. Give thanks to anything that brightens our day and makes us feel alive.⠀
9. Live in the moment⠀
10. Follow your Ikigai⠀
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If there was one book I'd recommend to read in 2021 that would be IKIGAI. Find what motivates you every morning and never let your purpose die. Not all days are same, but its the innate ability of humans to achieve something that keeps us going. ⠀
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So be curious, be active, rediscover yourself, be thankful to others and yourself for waking up everyday and never giving up. Find your purpose and pursue it with all you have!