Ikigai Book Review — Is it worth reading?

Ikigai — A Japanese term that translates to “a reason for being”. Using this as an inspiration, Ikigai is a guide that fosters livable principles to enhance your existence. Ikigai is a state of mind that brings your body, mind, and soul together. It is not the idea of achieving the purpose but rather identifying with something bigger than yourself.

Ikigai Book is written by the New York Times Bestselling Shinpan Japanese author, Shouhei Fujisawa. This book was first published in 2016 and was released for Amazon Kindle owners. The Amazon page shows that Ikigai Book has received appreciation for the simplicity and straightforwardness of the content. I am highly attracted to the simplicity and straight-to-the-point approach of this book since I am not fond of reads that are filled with fluff just to add up the word count.

There are many books on the market promising to teach you how to reach your maximum potential and they all promise greatness. There are signs of doubt in my mind when I see such books since the idea of self-growth and improvement is exploited in many ways and they become a marketing and sales tool rather than a useful one.

Almost everyone, believe it or not, wants to be happy. But how can one be happy? Illness is another problem that every human being has to face in life. It’s not easy to do so. You have to come up with different ideas, so you could find the happiness that you are expecting.

How to find your Ikigai?

Your Ikigai, or soul purpose, is the essence of what brings meaning to your life. It can be anything — a passion, a hobby, an interest — but whatever it is, it’s something that keeps you going and makes your life worth living.

Here’s how you can find your Ikigai:

1) Identify your talents and passions: Know what you’re good at and why. These are valuable assets that can help you get to your Ikigai. Your talents and passions might be valuable in their own rights, such as artistic talent or technical ability. They can also lead to something valuable down the road. For example, if you get really good at drawing, one day you may use your artistic skills to design websites or print materials for a living. Or maybe you have a natural knack for connecting with people online, which could help with writing resumes or getting interviews.

2) Choose an area of expertise: List all the things that are important to you. Think about activities that are essential to fulfilling your Ikigai. For example, if you enjoy cooking with friends and family, then consider becoming a chef or taking classes in culinary arts. If you’re interested in travel writing but don’t have much experience yet, then consider taking some courses on travel writing online so that someday soon you’ll be able to use those skills in the real world.

3) Find an opportunity: Make a list of opportunities where you can utilize these skills to make money doing what you love best. If cooking professionally is important to you but feels out of reach at the moment because it seems too specialized, then take baby steps by starting with something more accessible like catering to small parties where your friends gather regularly or by starting an informal blog that documents recipes that don’t require complicated ingredients. See which kind of opportunities excite you most and start pursuing them today!

Seven principles of Ikigai

1. Discover your strengths

2. Make new friends (but don’t overdo it)

3. Live life to its fullest (but don’t get hurt)

4. Be independent (but don’t be aloof)

5. Learn and grow (but never stop learning yourself)

6. Don’t take yourself too seriously (but take yourself seriously enough) and

7: Have fun with everything you do!

What did I like about this book?

The book focuses on a topic that is a bit of a mystery to many people: what do you do with your life? While I was able to discover the answer to this question, it didn’t feel like I was learning about something new or different. Rather, it gave me more clarity on the subject and helped me find motivation for making changes in my life.

I liked how the book was broken down into chapters based on themes. Each chapter took about ten minutes to read and felt like it had something important to say. Even though I found this helpful, I still don’t think I would have spent the time reading each chapter if they weren’t broken up into smaller bites.

I appreciated how the book incorporated real-life examples (because everyone can relate to them) but didn’t seem like they were there just because they could be used as examples. The author also gave specific recommendations on how to make these changes but didn’t dwell on them too long. It was obvious she wanted us to go out there and make changes for ourselves instead of feeling like we had to learn everything from her first-hand experience.

What I Didn’t Like?

There were some parts of the book I didn’t like. The author is very focused on Japan and Japanese culture, so this part of the book is full of Japanese names, words, and phrases.

I also had some issues with the author’s writing style. It’s very easy to understand and I’m sure that there are people who would love it, but I found it a little annoying. His writing style is very informal and conversational, almost as if he’s talking with you personally. That may make it seem casual, but it’s actually quite formal for someone who has written a couple of books about mindfulness. Then there are some passages where he makes contradictions or leaves you wondering what exactly he is trying to say.

But even though I didn’t like all of the content in this book, I do recognize that it has something valuable to offer. The information in this book has given me an opportunity to think about my life in a new way and to start making changes that will improve my life in the long run. And that’s what mindfulness is all about — taking an opportunity to think about our lives in ways we haven’t before so we are better prepared for whatever comes our way.”

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Originally published at https://prashantaggarwal.com on September 24, 2021.