Ikigai Quotes

“Now, if you find the questions above boring or to general, you can ask yourself the following questions instead: − What is the one thing you'd like to change the most in the world? − Currently, what is it that makes you very happy and joyful in life? − What makes you wake up in the morning and go through your day? −        Can you think of any life-changing experiences, whether career or personal, that gave you a great sense of clarity in life?”
― Alan Daron, Ikigai: The Japanese Life Philosophy

“And one of the best ways to find joy in life is by discovering and living out our purpose - the reason why we've been put on this Earth!  There's something about being in one's purpose and living it out.”
― Alan Daron, Ikigai: The Japanese Life Philosophy

“It's very easy to find happiness. Just grab a bottle of your favorite drink, devour foods that give you so much comfort and stress-relief, go for a run (happy hormones), or watch an NBA championship game at ringside! It's as instant as microwaveable foods! But joy is a different thing. Joy takes time to build, but it's worth the time. And one of the best ways to find joy in life is by discovering and living out our purpose - the reason why we've been put on this Earth! There's something about being in one's purpose and living it out.”
― Alan Daron, Ikigai: The Japanese Life Philosophy

“Ikigai means the value, meaning, or purpose of life - the reason to get up every day and continue living.”
― Alan Daron, Ikigai: The Japanese Life Philosophy

“What is the one thing you'd like to change the most in the world? − Currently, what is it that makes you very happy and joyful in life? − What makes you wake up in the morning and go through your day?”
― Alan Daron, Ikigai: The Japanese Life Philosophy

“What do you love doing? This pertains to your passion. − What are you very good at? This pertains to your profession. − What do you think the world needs? This pertains to your personal mission. − What can you get paid for? This pertains to your vocation.”
― Alan Daron, Ikigai: The Japanese Life Philosophy

“The study was done in a relatively small town in Kyoto named Kyotango.  What makes this town special and a very good place to conduct the study was the fact that its population of people above 100 years old was the highest in Japan - 3 times more than the average for any town in the country.  The program - Takeshi no katei no igaku - specifically wanted to find out what these very old - but very joyful - bunch of people in Kyotango had in common when it comes to living their daily lives.  The program followed 7 people who were already in their late 90s and early 100s from sunrise to sunset.  The program also subjected them to health checkups such as blood tests, among others.  One of the interesting findings of the study was that all of the 7 subjects had very high levels of DHEA, which is a steroid hormone produced by the body's adrenal glands.  DHEA has a solid reputation of being a miracle hormone that's highly associated with longevity.  And as the study continued following the 7 super senior citizens, they discovered another commonality:  they all did things that they really enjoyed.  Each of them had different hobbies they passionately practiced every day such as painting, fishing and making traditional Japanese masks, among others. Given these findings, is it possible then that doing something you really love to do, something you're very passionate about, is the key to higher levels of DHEA and, therefore, a much longer life?  The science on this relationship hasn't been established yet, but the program concluded that regularly doing something that you're very interested in, passionate about, and focused on can give you a long-lasting and deep sense of personal satisfaction in life, which in turn can help elevate your DHEA levels.  And when such levels are very high, a long and joyful life isn't far behind.  And guess what, the program repeatedly made mention of Ikigai in discussing this concept of conclusion.”
― Alan Daron, Ikigai: The Japanese Life Philosophy