IKIGAI.

● Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years. 

● Treat everyone as a brother. 

● Find some EXCUSES to CELEBRATE or to be happy. 

● According to those born in Okinawa, island with most centurions in the world, OUR IKIGAI IS THE REASON WE GET UP IN THE MORNING. 

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

● Eating until their stomach are only 80% full. 

● Have a simple and rich in vegetable diet. 

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

◆ Keys to longevity are ◆

(i) Diet. 

(ii) Exercise. 

(iii) Finding a purpose in life 

(iv) Forming strong social ties: That is having a broad circle of friends and good family relations. 

● People in okinawa would rather WALK then drive. 

● We should STOP eating when we are starting to feel FULL. 

● With PHYSICAL exercise have a MENTAL exercise as well. 

● Dealing with new situations, learning something new everyday, playing games, Interacting with other people seems to be essential antiaging strategies for the mind. 

● Most health problems are caused by stress. 

● Practice MINDFULNESS. 

◆ A lot of sitting will age you◆ 

--> Walk to work or at least work for 20 minutes each day.

--> Use your feet instead of elevator or escalator.

--> Replace  your junk food with fruits.

--> Participate in social activities.

--> Get the right amount of sleep. 

--> Join a sports team. 

● Secret to keep Body young is keeping the MIND ACTIVE.

● People who live longest have two

dispositional traits in common. 

(i) A positive attitude.

(ii) High degree of emotional awareness. 

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

● Psychiatrist confirmed that the prisoners with the greatest chance of survival were those who had things they wanted to accomplish outside the camp.

◆ Basic principle of Morita Therapy. ◆

(i) Accept your feelings:

--> We don't create our feelings, they simple come to us and the trick is to welcome them. 

(ii) Do what you should be doing:

--> Focus on present moment. 

(iii) Discover your life's purpose:

(i) What do we need to be doing right now? (ii) What action should we be taking? 

◆ Phases of Morita therapy.◆

(i) Isolation, and rest. 

--> No t.v, books, family, friends or speaking. 

--> All he has is his thoughts. 

(ii) Light occupational therapy. 

--> Keeping a diary about his thoughts and feelings. 

--> Goes outside take walk in nature and exercise. 

--> Even not allowed to speak. 

--> Performs repetitive tasks in silence. 

(iii) The returned to social life and the real world. 

--> The idea is to re-enter society as a new person, with a sense of purpose and without being controlled by social or emotional pressures.

◆ Naikan meditation.◆

(i) What have I received from person X? 

(ii) What have I given to person X?

(iii) 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 responsibilities. 

● Enjoy the each moment you are living in. 

● WE ARE WHAT WE REPEATEDLY DO. EXCELLENCE THEN IS NOT AN ACT BUT A HABIT. 

● Go with the flow. 

● Be completely immersed in what we are doing. 

● What makes us enjoy doing something so much that we forgot about whatever worries we might have while we do it?

● WHEN ARE WE HAPPIEST? This question can help us to discover our ikigai. 

● Don't get catch up in activities that offer immediate pleasure like eating too much, drugs, alcohol, TV, entertainment Etc. Spend time on activities that bring us state of flow. 

● The state in which PEOPLE ARE SO INVOLVED IN AN ACTIVITY THAT NOTHING ELSE SEEMS TO MATTER IS STATE OF FLOW.

● MEDITATION is the one way to exercise our mental muscle. 

● If you keep your MIND and BODY BUSY, you will be around a LONG TIME. 

● NEVER STOP LEARNING. 

● The secret to live long is smiling and having good time. 

● Celebration seems to be an essential part of life in ogimi.

● The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.

◆ Meaningful and inspiration statements.◆

(i) Don't worry:

--> Secret to a long life is not to worry. 

--> Open your heart to people with a nice smile on your face. 

(ii) Cultivate good habits: 

--> Exercise to stay healthy.

--> Eat well.

--> Spend time with people.

--> Wake up early. 

(iii) Nurture your friendships every day:

--> Talk everyday with the people you love.

Spend a good time with them. 

(iv) Live an unhurried life: 

--> Living peacefully and enjoying the little things. 

(v) Be optimistic. 

◆ Diet of Okinawa.◆

--> Lots of fruits and vegetables.

--> Low sugar. 

--> Less salt.

--> Consume only 1785 calories per day.(approx)

● Eat less to live more, eat nutrition food. 

● Have green tea/jasmine tea/white tea, everyday. 

● People who live longest are not the ones who do the most exercise but rather the ones who MOVE the most.

● WALK A LOT. 

● Do radio taiso exercise for warm-up.

● Gentle movements longer life. 

Do yoga and Sun salutation:

--- Jnana yoga: The Yoga of wisdom, the search for discipline and mental growth. 

--- Karma yoga: Focuses on action, on tasks and duties that benefits oneself and one's community. 

● Practice Tai-Chi and qigong.

● Fall seven time, rise eight.

● Control pleasure, emotions and desires.

● The more resilient we are, the easier it will be to pick ourselves up and get back to what gives meaning to our life. 

● Curb ego and control negative emotions.

● Imagine the worst thing that could happen in order to be prepare.

● Concentrate on the thing that can be controlled and don't worry about you can't.

● Worrying about things that are beyond our control accomplished nothing. 

● In the words of the epictetus "IT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU, BUT HOW YOU REACT THAT MATTERS".

● Present is all that exists, appreciate things just as they are in the movement, in the now.

● "THE ONLY MOMENT IN WHICH YOU CAN BE TRULY ALIVE IS THE PRESENT MOMENT."

● Beyond resilience is antifragility: things that get stronger when they are harmed. 

● WE SHOULD NEVER FORGET THAT EVERYTHING WE HAVE AND ALL THE PEOPLE WE LOVE WILL DISAPPEAR AT SOME POINT. 

● Focus on present, enjoy each moment that life brings us. 

● THIS MOVEMENT EXISTS ONLY NOW AND WON'T COME AGAIN. 

● We all search for meaning. 

● Appreciate the beauty of imperfection as an OPPORTUNITY for GROWTH. 

● When we spend our days feeling connected to what is Meaningful to us, we live more fully 

● The moment your life has purpose, you will achieve a happy state of flow. 

● Keep busy by doing things that fill you with meaning and happiness. It doesn't need to be big things and we should not worry too much about finding it.

◆TEN RULES FOR IKIGAI ◆

1. Stay active, don't retire: Do things that you love until your last breath.

2. Take it slow: "walk slow and you'll go far." When we leave urgent behind, life and time take on new meaning.

3. Don't fill your stomach: 80% rule.

4. Surround yourself with good friends: Friends are best medicine, they will help you to live.

5.Get in shape.

6. Smile.

7. Reconnect with nature.

8.Give thanks: To nature, ancestors, friends, family and everyone that brightens your day.

9. Live in the moment: Today is all you have. Make it worth remembering. 

10. Follow your ikigai: If you don't know what your ikigai is, your mission is to discover it.

A self help book written by Hector Gracia and Francesc miralles.

HAPPY READING!