The Book of Ikigai: Discover the Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life in Just Twelve Weeks

by Caroline de Surany

Ikigai is the Japanese secret to living happily and in good health. Sometimes translated as joie de vivre or raison d’être, it can be understood as the nexus between what brings us pleasure, what we’re naturally talented at and what we believe the world truly needs. In other words, ikigai gives us the feeling that our life makes sense.

But how do we find our ikigai? That is the purpose of this twelve-week program from reiki master Caroline de Surany. It is packed with relatable anecdotes, inspiration from ancient tradition and more than seventy playful exercises to bring you closer to your own reason for being. It will empower you to understand your own values – where you find connection; how you feel love; what gives you a sense of place in the world – moving you towards a way of life that brings you peace of mind and lasting joy.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Spirituality

208 pages, Hardcover

First published February 7, 2018

Reviews

[Chi – cuddle.thereader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Một cuốn khá dễ chịu, nhưng để nói là hữu ích thì không hẳn.

[Ita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good ideas which you're supposed to put into action with what the author calls games for twelve weeks with a different theme each week. I read the book without doing the games but still got to know myself better just by thinking about the various actions. It was more like a magazine than a book, but I still enjoyed this fairly light read.

[Javikigai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Propuesta valiente y con un excelente cuidado por los detalles.

[Chan Stevens · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really, really expected to love this book. The premise is so great, it aims to be a daily devotional for finding your life's purpose. But it just falls flat. So many, and I mean SO MANY, of the activities in this book are repetitive and just don't help the reader to accomplish anything. At least 4 times in this book, the author asks the reader to just live their daily routine differently, "wake up 30 minutes earlier or later, eat lunch at a different time, go for a walk in a new direction." I mean the first suggestion was interesting, but it got old fast. And over and over you are asked to make gigantic lists of things, people, places you like or don't like, and then to connect themes from these lists. And again, this gets old pretty quickly. It also has a lot of activities that are just unrealistic, like asking the reader to take a large trip to another country because that's what the author did when she was "finding" herself. It reads a lot like a generationally wealthy individual telling the poor masses to just have more fun. There are also all of these "meditations" that you are supposed to record yourself reading out loud and then you are supposed to listen to the recording of yourself reading the meditation so that you can actually do the meditation... I mean. Who is going to do that? Or even wants to do that?

[Cathie Hilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I personally loved this book. Little snippets of mindfulness throughout. It brought me back to reconnecting with simple pleasures in life. Connection with nature, listening to our bodies…you can use the challenges that you feel you have a connection with or that have been long forgotten. In a fast-paced world, it is easy to forget to enjoy the simple pleasures or even act on them as we would have as children.

[claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the little intermissions within chapters that talked about different ideas in Japanese life philosophy. The art was also great and complemented the style and tone of the book well. Found some of the exercises boring/too time-consuming for my liking but overall a good read.

[Artemisia Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d never heard of the Japanese concept of Ikigai before I picked this book off of the New Reads shelf at my local library. I’ve often enjoyed reading books that describe lifestyle and self improvement ideas from other cultures and present new and often very appealing ways of being. I’ve been drawn to so many....feng shui, wabi sabi, hygge and lykke to name a few. Some have really resonated for me and helped me define my own values more clearly. The Book of Ikigai, though not as resonating for me at first, ended up having some really good inspiration for finding one’s purpose in life, clearly stating it and beginning to live it more fully. I’ll admit that the 12 week program author Caroline de Surany proposed felt a bit gimmicky, and also seemed to pre-suppose that most people haven’t given much thought to one of life’s biggest questions, namely “why am I here?”. But I do think this is usually something most people at some point in life, and at the very least through trial and error, have struggled with. So anyway I guess having a more organized approach could be helpful. Still, I’m also a firm believer in the “take what you like and leave the rest” approach to advice of any kind. And in that respect, there are actually some wonderful bits of wisdom here presented in ways that encourage taking action to incorporate what is being learned into a more effective and authentic way of living.

[Jezzeri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ikigai is a Japanese word that is made up of four characters that mean 'life', 'what's worth doing', 'priority and initiative' and 'beauty and elegance'. It focuses on bringing sense to your life and making it joyful. It simultaneously implies the idea of self-actualisation and the notion of contributing to society. Reconnect with yourself, realize you are not what you buy, give up your received ideas, adopt compassion, find your mission, surround yourself with meaningful people in your life, take action, and become radiant.

[Basma Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple honest step by step guide to understanding yourself more and finding those “aha” moments about your passions and what motivates you, to find that center of purpose, your Ikigai. I loved how Authort Caroline De Surany was open about her experience and shared her own knowledge in a simple week by week plan.

[A Library Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book includes an abundance of different activities that are easy and simple for the reader to complete, and are accompanied by examples, stories and experiences of the author. Along with the beautiful illustrations scattered throughout, this is a very beautiful nicely written self-help book.

[Lenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leuk, veel opdrachtjes ter inspiratie

[Ralique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Illustrations are nice! Some helpful exercises but unlikely to do all of them

[Xuân Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find my full review here: https://kimxuannnn.wordpress.com/2020...

[Akke · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book, some bits useful others more useful. Most of all i think it is so beautiful, that made me enjoy it more-maybe most!

[Tanti · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first chapters are quite interesting. But the rest are not much

[Janine Zachariae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lasst mich vorher eins klar stellen: Ich hab es durchgearbeitet und die einzelnen Aufgaben auch mitgemacht - intensiv.

Aber: die ersten Wochen des 12 - Wochen - Programms fand ich ganz schlimm. So richtig deprimierend. Es hat sich so vorwurfsvoll angefühlt, als ob alles, was bis hierher war, schlecht ist. Im April hatte ich ein paar düstere Gedanken und Zeiten. Aber ich hab mich rausgekämpft und weiß, dass ich meine Probleme irgendwie auch so in den Griff bekomme. Ich bin Sozial ziemlich aktiv: Als Trainerin (auch mit Kindern, dessen Eltern aus einem fernen Land hierher gekommen sind), im Elternbeirat und liebe es, Kontakt zu anderen zu haben. Natürlich bin ich auch gerne alleine - beim Schreiben nicht sonderlich verwunderlich. Und ja, wenn ich merke, dass alles nicht so klappt, dann kann ich richtig verzweifeln. 

Das Buch hat mir gezeigt, dass ich jedenfalls nicht so ein großer Versager bin, wie ich dachte. 

Mir waren ihre "Angeber" Berichte doch too much. Natürlich bewundere ich, was sie geschafft hat. Aber manches ging mir doch zu weit und zu nahe. 

In einer Aufgabe hieß es, man sollte einen Tag lang unfreundlich sein. Sorry, das geht nicht. 

Oder: Relativ am Anfang sagt sie, Zeit nehmen, auch auf dem Weg zur Arbeit. Den Kaffee im Park genießen und irgendwann zur Arbeit schlendern, ist man spät dran? Jetzt aber flink und laufen. Sorry, ich habe keine Lust verschwitzt und genervt auf Arbeit anzukommen. Adrenalin stoß? Nope, bei mir nicht. Ist mi übrigens tatsächlich kürzlich passiert. Ich kam mir den ganzen Tag richtig eklig vor, weil ich so nass war. 

Es gibt weitere Themen und Punkte, die mich aufgeregt haben. Und doch hat es mich zum Nachdenken angeregt und ich glaube, wenn ich die Punkte, die ich markiert habe, erneut durchgehe, könnte ich doch einen positiven Schritt nach vorne machen. Ich lasse es sacken und spätestens beim Video dazu, erneut darauf eingehen. Vielleicht intensiver.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly a book with exercises, I should still try them before rating. First impression: some things look really easy, some things really hard, and some things quite woo-woo, but I guess that if you stick to it, you'll see some improvements.

[Alicia Mejia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo amé. Nunca pensé q el Ikigai era más que símbolo que todo el mundo dibujaba