INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • 2 MILLION+ COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE
“Workers looking for more fulfilling positions should start by identifying their ikigai.” ―Business Insider
“One of the unintended—yet positive—consequences of the [pandemic] is that it is forcing people to reevaluate their jobs, careers, and lives. Use this time wisely, find your personal ikigai, and live your best life.” ―Forbes
Find your ikigai (pronounced ee-key-guy) to live longer and bring more meaning and joy to all your days.“Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years.” —Japanese proverb According to the Japanese, everyone has an
ikigai—a reason for living. And according to the residents of the Japanese village with the world’s longest-living people, finding it is the key to a happier and longer life. Having a strong sense of
ikigai—where what you love, what you’re good at, what you can get paid for, and what the world needs all overlap—means that each day is infused with meaning. It’s the reason we get up in the morning. It’s also the reason many Japanese never really retire (in fact there’s no word in Japanese that means
retire in the sense it does in English): They remain active and work at what they enjoy, because they’ve found a real purpose in life—the happiness of always being busy.
In researching this book, the authors interviewed the residents of the Japanese village with the highest percentage of 100-year-olds—one of the world’s Blue Zones.
Ikigai reveals the secrets to their longevity and happiness: how they eat, how they move, how they work, how they foster collaboration and community, and—their best-kept secret—how they find the
ikigai that brings satisfaction to their lives. And it provides practical tools to help you discover your own
ikigai. Because who doesn’t want to find happiness in every day?
What’s your ikigai?
Héctor García and Francesc Miralles are the coauthors of
The Book of Ichigo Ichie and
The Four-Way Path. Héctor is a citizen of Japan, where he has lived for over a decade, and is the author of
A Geek in Japan, a #1 bestseller in Japan. Francesc is the author of a number of bestselling self-help and inspirational books and of the novel
Love in Lowercase, which has been translated into twenty languages.
“
Ikigai urges individuals to simplify their lives by pursuing what sparks joy for them. . . . Much in the same way that
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up emphasizes ‘choosing what we want to keep, and not what we want to get rid of,’ [
Ikigai] demonstrates that aging could be an opportunity to
keep working
, keep smiling,
keep active, and
keep being social.” —
KonMari Newsletter“Want to live longer? Keep super busy. If
hygge is the art of doing nothing,
ikigai is the art of doing something—and doing it with supreme focus and joy. . . . Pack up those cozy blankets and candles you purchased in last year’s
hygge-fueled Ikea spree. Fall’s biggest imported lifestyle trend is
ikigai, and it might help you live to 100.” —
New York Post“Originating from a country with one of the world’s oldest populations,
ikigai is becoming popular outside of Japan as a way to live longer and better. . . . [It] is helping people live longer on Okinawa as it gives them purpose.” —
World Economic Forum“The Japanese concept of
ikigai (the happiness of being busy) [is] attainable and even an important key to living longer.” —
Elle.com“Discovering your
ikigai, or passion, can be one of the greatest journeys you will embark on.” —
Forbes“Enjoy a cup or two of green tea as you digest this small, charming book.” —
Minneapolis Star Tribune“A must-follow lifestyle hack . . . Think
feng shui with Venn diagrams—although this time there is no need to move the front door.” —
The Guardian“
Ikigai is what allows you to look forward to the future even if you’re miserable right now. . . . It might just help you live a more fulfilling life.” —
BBC “A refreshingly simple recipe for happiness.” —
Stylist“An attractive and absorbing book.” —
The Bookseller“Persuasively shows that small changes can help readers find more joy and purpose in their lives [with] clear, succinct information . . . skillfully compiled . . . into an engaging, easily accessible format with lists, charts, and illustrations.” —
Publishers Weekly
“
Ikigai gently unlocks simple secrets we can all use to live long, meaningful, happy lives. Science-based studies weave beautifully into honest, straight-talking conversation you won’t be able to put down.” —
Neil Pasricha, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation
