Book Review Of Ikigai

Ikigai
By Yukari Mitsuhashi.
Release: 24^th May 2018.
Genre: Self Help

Summary:

The world knows that Japan always had a reputation for its unique culture and tradition. Ikigai, which means “a reason for being”, is one of those unique concepts in Japanese. Giving every day meaning and joy, is what this book tries to explain. Basically, ikigai is formed of two Japanese characters, 'iki' meaning life, and 'gai' meaning values. The meaning of ikigai may differ from person to person. Some believes that ikigai is nothing but knowing the purpose in life, whereas, some believes that it is something you do even though no one has asked you to do. It is related to everyday life. A person’s Ikigai could be anything, it could be their family, work or any hobby. There is a strong focus on present moment that makes us more aware about the surroundings. They always concentrate on minute details in everyday life. According to this, paying attention to details, grabs our focus onto what is right in front of them. Ikigai in simple is everyday's things. This book explains Ikigai, as well as healthy diet and lifestyle, which was a contributing factor to longevity of Japanese. It says, start small and see the impact one could make in his/her life.

My Review:

This book explains how the meaning of ikigai differs from person to person. It also explains why Japanese live longer life than others, and what mindset make them so unique from others. It has been seen that people in 60s or 70s are very active in Japan. All the answers have been given in this book. She has explained how small things should matter to us, but, we always concentrate on big goals. To achieve big goal, one must take smaller baby steps in everyday life. What I understood, Ikigai is knowing yourself. If you already know it, then you should take small-small actions, which will take you towards contentment, and if you don’t know your Ikigai, then take a pause, look back, and think what makes you happy and gives the feeling of fulfilment. Ikigai allows you to:

Feel happy and content.
Find a stable state of mind.
Find a sense of purpose.
Feel Motivated and driven.
Become more proactive.
Eliminate insecurities about any decision.

She also interviewed the top successful people in Japan and explained their views on Ikigai. She has explained how Ikigai changed their lives, how it helped them in times of difficulty, how they discovered their Ikigai. Last but not the least, she has also explained how we can discover our Ikigai.

What all things I liked about the book

She has done quite a good research on how Ikigai is different for different person.
She has very well explained the Ikigai is not only related to career or work, it could be anything, it could be a hobby or happiness of a person whom he/she loves.
She has also helped the readers to understand their Ikigai by asking some relevant questions at the end of the book.
Language is also quite simple to understand.

What all things I disliked about it

I felt like something was missing, she should have explained it more elaborately. However, related topics are good, but she should have gone into more deeper level. I understand, it might be very common among Japanese, but I felt like we needed more information about this concept.
For me font was also a problem as it was a bit smaller to read.

Reason to read it

If you are also looking for your Ikigai things in your life, then this book might help you.
If you are a beginner and wanted to try out self help, then you may go with this book because it contains only 112 pages(you will need very less patience to finish it).

Any Reason to skip it