IKIGAI - Chất Nhật Trong Từng Khoảnh Khắc

by First News Trí Việt

Ikigai là một khái niệm đã tồn tại từ rất lâu trong truyền thống văn hóa Nhật Bản. Đây là khái niệm về niềm vui trong cuộc sống thường nhật, hay nói cách khác là lý do mà bạn thức dậy vào mỗi sáng.

Trong cuốn sách, Yukari Mitsuhashi đã phỏng vấn rất nhiều người, bao gồm cả nhà khởi nghiệp hay vận động viên để hỏi về những thứ mà ikigai đã đem đến cho họ, nó đã giúp họ vượt qua những khó khăn trong cuộc sống như thế nào, và bằng cách nào mà họ tìm ra ikigai của chính mình. Thực tế cho thấy mỗi người có một ikigai khác nhau và không phải ai cũng đã tìm ra được ikigai cho bản thân mình.

Ikigai - Chất Nhật trong từng khoảnh khắc là cuốn sách tập trung vào việc tìm kiếm ikigai của bản thân, xác định mục tiêu hoặc đam mê của bạn và sử dụng sự hiểu biết này để đạt được niềm hạnh phúc to lớn hơn trong đời. Dù bạn đang ở độ tuổi nào nếu bạn tìm được ikigai dưới dạng sở thích hoặc các hoạt động khác nó sẽ giúp bạn giữ được sự năng động và tình yêu đối với cuộc sống.

Tùy vào ikigai của bạn là gì mà bạn sẽ nhận được những điều khác nhau từ nó, nhưng nhìn chung hiểu về ikigai của bản thân sẽ giúp bạn cảm thấy hạnh phúc và hài lòng về bản thân mình, có tâm trí điềm tĩnh và vững vàng hơn, kiểm soát cuộc sống thường nhật tốt hơn, tìm thấy được mục đích sống, chủ động hơn và giúp bạn tìm thấy nguồn sinh lực để sống và phát triển. Tất cả những điều này có được là nhờ bạn hiểu bản thân muốn gì và trân trọng điều gì trong cuộc sống.

Cuộc sống luôn luôn đem đến cho chúng ta những khó khăn riêng, và chắc chắn ikigai không phải là một công thức kỳ diệu giúp mọi thứ trở nên hoàn hảo. Nhưng khi có ikigai trên từng chặng đường, chúng ta có thể mãn nguyện khi nhìn lại cả cuộc đời mình.

Với triết lý đơn giản và quan điểm phóng khoáng Ikigai - Chất Nhật trong từng khoảnh khắc sẽ là nguồn cảm hứng giúp bạn theo đuổi hạnh phúc và quan trọng hơn là hiểu được chính mình.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Philosophy, Japan, Psychology, Spirituality, Japanese Literature

104 pages, Paperback

First published May 24, 2018

Reviews

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a single reason why not to give this one a 5 🌟 non-fiction read for someone who is looking for an effective change in their life.

"Each person's ikigai is unique because we all find joy on different aspects of life. There is no right or wrong answer."

✨Short
✨Explains Ikigai in every way possible
✨Action bound
✨Interviews of 6 people from different walks of life who has lived up to their possible Ikigai
✨Written for a BBC documentary on the same topic

👉 6 chapters in all with notable references towards the end

*How this book is helpful:

🔹helps in understanding what is Ikigai and how it is different for different people

👉 Simple interpretation as per the book: "the values in your life that make it worth living"

🔹 helping in identifying my own ikigai:

The book puts forward a basic set of choices for this

⏳Everyday life Vs lifetime

⏳External Vs internal work

⏳Giving Vs receiving

⏳Change Vs fixed

⏳Emotional Vs logical

⏳Specific Vs abstract

⏳Active Vs passive

This is just 20 pc of the book. The rest is even more interesting and helped in actually seeing how I am and where I am in my life at the moment.

It's about people who wants to progress in their life, make changes in their work, improve their careers and improve their living overall.

This book doesn't give tips on how to improve your life or work but will guide you in how to do it yourself; help you reflect and make your own decisions.

[Haniyeh · Rating 3 out of 5]

نام کتاب: ایکیگای؛ دلخوشی‌های کوچک زندگی (Ikigai: Giving Every Day Meaning and Joy)

چگونه یک زندگی پرمفهوم داشته باشیم؟

نویسنده: یوکاری میتسوهاشی (Yukari Mitsuhashi)

ژانر: هستی‌شناسی، موفقیت و خودیاری، معنای زندگی

ترجمه پیشنهادی: نشر سنگ، محدثه احمدی

درباره ایکیگای کتاب‌های مختلفی نوشته شده. این اولین کتابی هست که من درباره‌اش خوندم. ایکیگای یک کلمه ژاپنیه. "ایکی" به معنی "زندگی" و "گای" به معنی "ارزش" یا "بها" و در کنار هم یعنی "ارزش زندگی" یا "شادی در زندگی". نویسنده کتاب میگه این کلمه بسیار زیاد در کشور خودشون متداوله ولی توضیحش کار آسونی نیست. چراکه ایکیگای برای هر کسی میتونه معنا و مفهوم متفاوتی داشته باشه.

یه راهنمایی برای درک ایکیگای بهمون معرفی کرده: دلیلی که هر روز صبح از جامون بلند می‌شیم.
درواقع برعکس چیزی که ممکنه درباره ایکیگای به ذهنمون بیاد یعنی هدف یا غایت زندگی، ایکیگای درباره زمان حال و نه آینده صحبت میکنه. درباره اینکه چه چیزهایی در همین زمان میتونه باعث شادی ما بشه و بهمون دلیلی برای زندگی بده. بعضی اشتباها فکر میکنن اون عامل حتما باید کارمون باشه اما لزوما اینطور نیست. میتونه خانواده، یه تفریح یا حتی قهوه‌ای دلچسب (البته نه بعنوان ایکیگای اصلی) در آغاز روزمون باشه.
درباره کار برامون توصیه‌هایی داره مثل "کارسازی". میگه اگر کارتون ایکیگای شما نیست یا ایکیگای شما در کارتون نیست(با هم فرق دارن. ممکنه شما خود کارتون رو ایکیگای بدونید یا اینکه کارتون در تحقق ایکیگای‌تون موثر واقع بشه) ولی دوست دارید که باشه به این توصیه‌ها عمل کنید. مثلا یه نمونه‌اش اینه که لیستی از کارهایی که به‌خاطر شغلتون انجام میدید تهیه کنید و بعد بررسی کنید که آیا باعث میشن از کارتون لذت‌ ببرین یا نه. مثلا اگر یادداشت‌برداری در جلسه برای شما کار سختیه اما برای دوست یا همکارتون لذت‌بخشه، میتونید مسئولیت‌هاتون رو با هم عوض کنید.

از طرفی بهمون یاد میده که میتونیم چند ایکیگای داشته باشیم. پس لزوما نباید به دنبال یه چیز خاص بگردیم.
همینطور گوشزد میکنه که ایکیگای میتونه تغییر کنه پس وقتی چیزی برامون کم‌اهمیت شد یا چیز جدیدی برامون ارزش پیدا کرد نباید نگران بشیم چراکه ما هم در طول زندگیمون بدون تغییر نیستیم.

ایکیگای ما حتما نباید در رابطه با زندگی خودمون باشه؛ میتونه درمورد دیگران باشه. مثلا شما ممکنه ایکیگای خودتون رو کمک خیرخواهانه و داوطلبانه به سالمندان یا کودکان بی‌سرپرست در نظر بگیرید. یا ممکنه در آموزش دانسته‌های خودتون به دیگران ایکیگای‌تون رو پیدا کنید.

در بخش پنجم که بنظرم جالب‌ترین فصل کتابه، بهمون میگه بعد از بررسی‌هایی که انجام شده متوجه شدن که افراد موفق ایکیگای مرکزی خودشون (مهم‌ترینش) رو پیدا کرده و در جهت اون حرکت کرده بودن و همین عامل موفقیتشون شده. نقل قول جالبی هم از صنعت‌گری که باهاش مصاحبه کردن خوندم:

به نظر من ایکیگای کاریست که انجام می‌دهید بدون اینکه کسی از شما خواسته باشد؛ انجامش می‌دهید چون دلتان می‌خواهد. اگر پی آن کار را بگیرید و نهایتا به سود جامعه تمام شود، بیش از پیش ایکیگای خود را حس می‌کنید. وقتی ایکیگای خود را بیابید می‌توانید زندگی آرام‌تری داشته باشید.

وقتی به بخش پنجم گوش بدید متوجه میشید که اشکالی نداره اگر تا الان ایکیگای خودتون رو پیدا نکردید. شاید به زمان بیشتری نیاز دارید. و البته متوجه میشید که ممکنه قبلا در مسیر ایکیگای خودتون قدم برداشته باشید. مثلا در کودکی یا نوجوانی، که اگر براش وقت گذاشته و بهش فکر کنید میتونید پیداش کنید. نقل قولی از "استیو جابز" تو این فصل هست که میگه:

اگر به جلو نگاه کنید، نمی‌توانید سرنخ‌ها را به هم وصل کنید. تنها زمانی متوجه ارتباطشان می‌شوید که به عقب بنگرید.

درنهایت در فصل آخر یه مجموعه سوال داریم که با استفاده از اون بتونیم ایکیگای خودمون رو پیدا کنیم. وقتی به سوالات جواب میدیم به شباهت‌هایی بین اونا پی میبریم که به ما در تشخیص ایکیگای کمک میکنن.

بنظرم کتاب برای معرفی مفهوم ایکیگای و راهنمایی ما جهتِ حرکت در مسیر اون خوب عمل کرده. نمیگم بی‌نظیره اما میتونم بگم باعث شد که من بخوام بهش فکر کنم. اشکالی که میتونم بهش وارد کنم کوتاه بودنشه؛ اینکه عمیق نمیشه یا خوب توضیح نمیده بلکه هرچیزی رو درحد چند جمله و بدون فوت وقت میگه و میره.
اگر دغدغه یافتن ایکیگای خودتون رو دارید شاید این کتاب بتونه کمی کمکتون کنه؛ البته که بعضی کتاب رو دوست نداشتن پس پیشنهادم اینه که خودتون امتحانش کنید و ببینید به کارتون میاد یا نه.

[Natalie Cranberry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. Let's just talk this one out...

I want to start by sharing something that is rather personal but true. I have no issue with Japanese people but I do have issues with the Japanese government and elements of the culture. Here is why. When interviewing to teach English abroad my worst interview was with a school in Japan. It ended in eight minutes after being rudely told that I wasted their time for applying knowing I had EVER been put on anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medication. Why? BECAUSE THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT DOESN'T GIVE VISAS TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD ANY KIND OF MENTAL HEALTH MEDICINE.

So that is the baseline. I read this book to try and open myself up to Japan and Japanese ides despite having such a horrible experience. Finding this out about Japan greatly tarnished my view of the country and the culture.

This book did not help.

I want to start out with the positive aspects of this book. The aesthetics are beautiful. The calligraphy and chapter dividers were beautifully designed. It is a beautiful little thing.

Now, let's talk about the content... I don't feel like Mitsuhashi gave a clear definition of ikigai and the benefits of finding it or even how to incorporate it into your lifestyle. Sure, she says it is different for everyone and you have to find it yourself, but that is the extent of it. Just those words rearranged multiple ways with little actual insight. How ikigai was presented made it seem like the most selfish and surface level mode of happiness. It seems to be more about status than about personal enjoyment. Does the text insist that it is personal? Constantly. Is every example explicitly status and work related? Yes. Are chapters filled with needless name-dropping without any context for why I should care or read into what a person says? Constantly.

In Mitsuhashi's intro to Chapter 4: Work and Ikigai she includes this bit from a 2014 survey, "women in their twenties also ranked being thanked or praised by their boss or senpai (older mentor) as their motivation" (48). That isn't exactly something to be proud of, especially if ikigai is supposed to come from within. It is disjointed and illogical given the premise of ikigai. What is supposed to be something that helps us get out of bed in the morning is now turned into... weird sexism? Apparently.

Chapter 5: Inspiring Ikigai is the most telling. It is six different people talking about their experience with ikigai and it is often problematic. In the intro here, Mitsuhashi writes, "the people I've selected all have respectable careers and, in a general sense, would be considered successful" (62). Literally all six of the people she collected are high status, upper class people. There is not an ordinary perspective among them. There was no interview of a normal worker in suburban Japan. Instead it is just the wealthy. The first person she interviews, Rika Yajima, has the most vapid ikigai-- "it is my personal goal to live in a beautiful world..." (65)-- she is the founder of a company that gets traditional Japanese crafts to 0-6 year olds. That is some mommy-blogger nonsense but without, seemingly, any actual attention for her child. Following Yajima is Ryuichiro Takeshita who desires human connection through media. At least that isn't shallow.

Sexism rears its ugly head again in Chapter 5 in the section about Midori Sakano, a creative director, who at least talks about her family. The issue is this line, "with a newborn to take care of, making time for anything is a challenge. I try not to do it all on my own and ask my husband to help out" (81). Clearly this is not Sakano's fault but a marriage is a partnership. Is her husbands ikigai more important than hers? Why should anyone aspire to incorporate a culture standard where sexism is such a pervasive problem into their lives?

Of all six examples in Chapter 5, only one talked about ikigai outside of work. That was Dai Tamesue, a retired field and track athlete turned business man. His ikigai involved educating himself about LGBTQ issues and spending time with his son. If it wasn't for his status, Tamesue would have been a perfect example of an ordinary person just trying to be happier.

This book left such a bad taste in my mouth. I want to believe that ikigai is not a sexist, classist element of a culture that is already so discouraging. Japan has such a high suicide rate and such intense struggles with mental illness, yet ikigai does not seem to actually address any problems. This is not a self help book. Maybe it it more of a cultural study of wealthy Japanese people in the work force.

I honestly feel like I have to try another ikigai book to try and challenge my views again because this one just reinforced them.

((Again. I hold no hate for Japanese people. I do have problems with the Japanese governments and some of the cultural elements.))

[Zohre savaran · Rating 5 out of 5]

پنج ستاره میدم چون خیلی کتاب و دوست داشتم و واسم مفید بود...اینکه ایکیگای ما در زندگی چیه؟ چطوری باید پیداش کنیم و به چه دردی میخوره...
ایکیگای هدف زندگی نیست ولی میتونه علتی واسه حرکت زندگی باشه...دلیل احساس نشاط در شغل و زندگی روزمره هر فرد.و نکته جالبش اینه که به تعداد آدمای روی زمین ایکیگای وجود داره😌

[Chadi Raheb · Rating 2 out of 5]

[Aug. 2024]

Ikigai my ass!

———————-
[Nov. 2023]

My ikigai these days: kittens! Specially Héra!

———————-
[Jun. 2023]

Ikigai in a nutshell:
Ikigai is what makes you get out of bed in the morning :|

[Reyhan 🌱 · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتابی که به نظرم خوبه هر چند وقت یک بار بهش برگردی و دوباره از اول گوش بدی مبادا گفته هاش فراموشت شده باشه…

[Medini · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few favorite quotes:

'When you look back at your life, I think the memorable moments are the ones where your emotions were shaken up. Everyone should be able to recall at least a few moments like this in their life.'

'I think the lesson here is that when you find anything even remotely interesting, try not to dismiss it so easily. By dismissing your subtle interests, you are missing your chance to find out if it's something transient or if there is anything more to it. Pay attention to the things that pique your interest and give them a chance to develop into something more.'

[Taweepong Santipattanakul · Rating 4 out of 5]

หนังสือเล่มนี้พูดถึงแนวคิด "อิคิไก" หรือเหตุผลในการมีชีวิตอยู่ ที่ทำให้ชีวิตมีคุณค่าในชีวิตประจำวัน การทำงาน และความสัมพันธ์ แน่นอนว่ามันไม่มีสูตรสำเร็จ หรือบอกว่าทำตาม 1-2-3 แล้วชีวิตจะเพอร์เฟค ทุกคนมีอิคิไกที่อาจเหมือนหรือแตกต่างกัน เราต้องค้นหาเองจึงจะเจอ เล่มนี้เหมาะกับคนที่อยากเข้าใจอิคิไกแบบง่ายๆ เห็นได้ในชีวิตประจำวัน

[☘︎ elisabet ☘︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a lovely little thing this book is! something we all should have looked at by age 25.

[Colton Kennelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quick read but never explained the concept or ways to implement it in your life. Seemed more like a blog post put into a book.

[The Zahra. · Rating 2 out of 5]

صبح که از خواب بیدار شدم، دیدم طاقچه صوتی این کتاب رو رایگان گذاشته. همونجا شروع کردم به پخش کردنش و تا برسم به دانشگاه، کتاب تموم شد.
دوستش نداشتم ولی بد هم نبود. قطعا اورریتد بود شدیدا. دیگه این که خیلی تلاش زیادی می‌کرد که تاثیرگذار و الهامبخش باشه که نه واقعا، ممنون.
الان هم شیفت لپتاپم دوباره خراب شده و حوصله ندارم بیشتر از این درباره اش بنویسم. :))

[Ellis Hyman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute simple read. Nothing life changing, but I've never really found any self-help books to be life changing. I enjoyed the concepts in the book and a lot of these ideas are things that I have thought about on my own time but it was nice to have the words laid out before me.

She talked about your life meaning not relating to work, and yet 5 out of the 6 interviews had people's whose purposes all related to work. So that was frustrating and made the point feel less important.

The underlying force behind ikigai is Action (capital "a" baby) and the closing lines of the book say that you can't find ikigai by sitting on your butt at home. And all I'm doing.....is sitting on my butt at home.....so that was frustrating. But that can't be changed due to the Pandemîc right now. Going forward, I will take bits of pieces of the concept of ikigai when I need inspiration in my thinking but the main punch of the book as a whole fell somewhat flat.

[Jyotsna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ikigai is something that you enjoy doing. It is something you enjoy in your daily life and gives you a nice feeling, be it at work or at home.

That is all I learnt from this book.

The content of the book could have been much better. The only reason I am giving the book two stars is because I like the interviews. They were nice and insightful. And that is the only part I liked about the book.

Also, ikigai is a part of Japanese culture, but Japanese work culture is officially an exhausting one. Wonder where do the professionals in the country apply ikigai (I am just being very curious).

Ikigai is seen in all eastern cultures in some or the other way. Just that many of them don't name it. Personally, I think the book will appeal to those who are from the West.

Conclusion: Not worth the read. Honestly.

[Isaac van der Sluis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought there were some worthwhile ideas to take away from this, such as self-examination, trying to find things you enjoy in your daily life, enjoying the moment, and shaping your life/career more towards the activities you find fulfilling.

But I also felt that some of it bordered on endorsing workaholism. Especially in the ‘interviews’ chapter I felt like many of the examples given were from people who were successful if a corporate/business way, making remarks that come awfully close to a certain kind of toxic positivity. ‘I go to bed exhausted every day, but I’m happy because I have ikigai!’ 😒 Definitely some sentiments in here that are reminiscent of ‘love what you do and you never work a day in your life.’

[Prathyusha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is my first encounter with a Japanese author's work. This book is a great learning experience and I got to learn a lot about IKIGAI and this is the first time I got to learn something on ikigai and it's completely a new experience for me. The book was clear and crisp and it is to the point. The author has done a phenomenal job on this book and she has really done a great research about many aspects related to ikigai.
There is a lot of positivity in this book and never miss on this one if you love reading self help books.
Ps:Saying so I believe there is much more about ikigai and I can't wait to explore this concept more.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the Japanese concept of “Ikigai”, which means the value of living. One way of thinking of Ikigai is: What will I want to do when I’m old that I’m already doing today? Another spin on it is: What would I do or enjoy even if money was no object? Ikigai is generally meant to exclude work. I feel Ikigai when I’m reading, spending time with my family and kids, and enjoying a great coffee in the morning. Nice concept but you can probably read the Wikipedia page instead of the book.

[Vinka Maharani · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short book that quite packed with the essence of Ikigai. Nice for a reading in a short flight.

[Meriem EBM (bookworm.chaos) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book to push you to think about good things in your life. About your ikigaï.

[Sebastian Godoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It really helped me to understand and find my Ikigai

[Fatemeh Bahrami · Rating 2 out of 5]

۲/۵

نویسنده زیادی چشم‌بسته غیب می‌گفت.

[Levi Rudolph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gute Ideen, schön geschrieben, aber zu kurz. Aber definitiv Interessante Ansätze, deckt sich teilweise auch mit Stoicismus. Die Passage über des Dorf in Japan Ogimi war auch krass.

[Terry Kinane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good reminder of what is important

[aliyahrambely · Rating 5 out of 5]

A small book but give so much impact. The most important is that this book makes me more clear about the Ikigai concept. This is also the second book about Ikigai I have read.

Ikigai does not mean by finding something you love and make it pay for you. It does but that does not a whole of Ikigai concept! Ikigai is more on finding something that makes us want to wake up every morning and it can be changed. For me, as a student, my Ikigai would be wake up every day to attend classes and study all the time. For mum, as an example, her Ikigai can be seeing her child growth healthyly.

Ikigai concept is something that we want to pursue and it can be either for this moment or for future. The author wrote that, imagining our future can also be as our Ikigai. Making it as our motivation to keep striving with life.

I love how this author explain about Ikigai in just a simple writing in compact book. This book contain with six chapter.

Chapter 1 - What is Ikigai?
Chapter 2 - Defining Ikigai
Chapter 3 - Interest and Ikigai
Chapter 4 - Work and Ikigai
Chapter 5 - Inspiring Ikigai
Chapter 6 - Ikigai is the action we take in pursuit of happiness

The most chapter that interest me is chapter 5. I love to read on how Ikigai are impacting in people's life. This author has made interview with successful people.

"There is no right or wrong answer to what Ikigai is to a person, but one thing we can say for sure is that you can't find your Ikigai by sitting around the house. Because Ikigai is the action we take in pursuit of happiness".

[Ali Hassan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ikigai is a Japanese word which is formed of two words: Iki meaning life and gai meaning value or worth. Ikigai, then, is the value of life, or happiness in life. Put simply, it’s the reason you get up in the morning.

You might wonder what difference it makes to have an ikigai in your life. As ikigai is about knowing yourself and what you want out of life. You can live happily making decisions based on your feelings or instincts moment by moment. But we all know that time flies by, and in order to make the best of the limited time we are given, having a direction in our lives can certainly help us to live a more fulfilling life as a whole.

What ikigai brings to you would depend on what your ikigai is, but for many, knowing your ikigai will allow you to:
• feel happy and content
• find a stable state of mind
• have better control over your day-to-day life
• grow and progress
• find a sense of purpose
• feel more driven and motivated
• become more proactive
• find vitality to live and move forward
All of these things come as a result of knowing what you want and value in life.

But above all, by being aware of what you truly enjoy and are passionate about, ikigai brings you focus and direction, and serves as an anchor in your life. With ikigai in mind, you will not have to think twice about what matters to you, and hence you will know what to prioritize.

[Nasim · Rating 3 out of 5]

مثل یه لقمه کوچیک از کتاب روانشناسی موفقیت بود. در واقع یکی از اصل ها برای زیستن یک زندگی خوب و سالم و شاید موفق رو تو این کتاب بیان کرده. اینکه خلاصه و ساده بیان شده بود هم خوب بود و ترجمه قابل قبولی داشت.

«ایکیگای؛ دلخوشی های کوچک زندگی» را از طاقچه دریافت کنید
https://taaghche.com/book/91945

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely little book, beautiful designed, if a bit tight at the spine. Having previously read Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life and The Ikigai Journey, both by Hector García and Francesc Miralles, I wondered if this tiny book could help me better understand the concept than those previous books had. Hands down, I finally get it, and I can finally state with certainty what my ikigai is (or rather, are).

Although the two aforementioned books contain a lot of value, they are more a compendium of things I've encountered in other self-help books. In one there are even directions for doing the sun salutation. The focus on Okinawa was very interesting but I still wasn't entirely sure that I understood the concept from a Japanese perspective.

Yukari Mitsuhashi's slim volume states it this way, "Put simply, it's the reason you get up in the morning." It's what brings you joy. And it's associated with action of some sort. She uses a formula to sketch an outline of the qualities of ikigai: A is great than B. Ikigai is more everyday life than some big lifetime purpose, more external world than internal world, more giving than receiving, more fluid than fixed, more emotional than logical, more specific than abstract, more active than passive.

So, I finally can say with conviction, my ikigai is reading and the whole world of books. That's been a through line from early childhood. It's also the world of education, which was where I made my living and where I volunteer now as a school board member. It's cat's and other animals, cooking and cookbooks, and France, including a nightly habit of watching French tv series. That all feels so right.

My one negative, and another reviewer here pointed this out too, is that her interviews of people regarding their own ikigai were focused almost entirely on work and were of more prominent individuals. I would have loved hearing from a wider range of people, including those with interesting hobbies or home centered ikigai, for example. Just plain folks. The ones she presented were rather dry and focused on work, which sadly isn't available to everyone, that is, finding joy in the work they do. She does suggest tips for finding ikigai in work if you don't currently have it, but even so, more variety would have been nice.

This would make a lovely gift book.

[Mayad Tarabey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend of mine from college recommended this book for me to read, I was not familiar with the concept of IKIGAI. And I was intrigued and interested to know more about it.
In this small but powerful book, I learned what it means to have IKIGAI and what it makes me feel.
I believe for now while I just have finished the book that my IKIGAI is to change the world in any way I can big or small with my writings. Which ironic considering that the author herself mentioned in this book that she always wanted to write in English about her culture to make people understand it more and that’s how I feel about my writings, especially the recent ones that deal with the concept of my identity and culture. I want people to understand what it means to be us, to feel the things we felt and to see things from our perspective.

I also highlighted a quote by Dai Tamesue which was one of the people mentioned in this book, he said and I quote: “I am happiest when I’m gaining a deeper understanding of something, when I can help strengthen other people’s understandings or perceptions of things, and when I find a new side to myself”
Funny enough, I was talking to someone about this a couple of days ago. I remember telling them how I consider myself a person who likes to learn to understand things on a deeper level and not just at a surface level. I ask questions a lot out of genuine curiosity and in the aim to be able to gain a better understanding of what things are, known or unknown.

Nevertheless, this was an amazing book as you can tell by how much I appreciated it and how much I enjoyed reading and also writing a review about. Definitely recommend, again short book but with powerful, impactful and meaningful content.

[Lai Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

❝ Ikigai là điều khiến bạn cảm thấy biết ơn vì được sống ❞

Ikigai là một khái niệm về niềm vui trong cuộc sống thường nhật, hay nói cách khác là kim chỉ nam cho bạn biết mình đang sống vì điều gì.

Không giống với "life purpose" - mục đích của cuộc đời, ikigai thiên về những hạnh phúc nhỏ bé thường ngày, những điều có thể mang lại những thay đổi rất nhỏ nhưng có ý nghĩa tích cực cho cuộc đời bạn. Nhắc đến đây mình nghĩ một xíu về sự tương đồng giữa ikigai và hygge - niềm vui sống không cần là cái gì đó quá lớn lao, cứ đơn giản là một tách trà nóng ngày mưa, một cái ôm ấm áp, một cuốn sách hay hay một khao khát được sống trong cái đẹp, miễn là điều cho bạn cảm giác vui vẻ 🌿

Mình rất thích phần đầu khi tác giả đi tìm định nghĩa ikigai dựa trên cách phân tích từ ngữ của Nhật. Sau đó còn là các ví dụ cho sự đa dạng và lợi ích của ikigai đối với cuộc sống của mỗi cá nhân.

Có lẽ không nhiều bạn ở đây biết được ikigai của mình là gì và cũng không biết cách làm thế nào đề tìm ra. Một gợi ý nho nhỏ mà tác giả đề cập đến là bạn hãy dành thời gian đối thoại với bản thân, điều gì bạn yêu thích, những trải nghiệm nào cho bạn niềm vui, và việc gì bạn vẫn làm dù không được ai yêu cầu?

❝ Tôi không nghĩ người ta sẽ liên tục tự hỏi ikigai của mình là gì. Nhưng khi sống một cách trọn vẹn và làm việc chăm chỉ, bạn sẽ có những trải nghiệm mang lại cảm xúc mãnh liệt hoặc cảm giác vui sướng. Tôi nghĩ chúng rất giống với cảm xúc về ikigai. Nếu có điều gì mang lại cho bạn những cảm xúc mạnh như vậy, thì đó có thể chính là điều sẽ đem đến cảm giác thoải mãn, cảm giác của ikigai ❞

[Shamsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always been drawn to Japanese culture. Their respect to tradition and attention to detail is something I find fascinating.
.
This book has brought to my attention a very important concept in Japanese tradition and culture “ikigai”- life value.
.
Some thing in life I guess we take for granted and we somehow tend to get dragged into a life cycle we are unaware of. We end up living without enjoying the minute details of our day.
.
This book brings to ones attention the importance of giving our life a meaning. Through several interviews and a set of questions provided in this book we can determine our “ikigai”.
.
I rated his book as ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars

[☽ Su ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great short read!
This book is so beautifully written, really wonderful!
It explains the concept of Ikigai and how to find yours!

"The Japanese word ikigai is formed of two Japanese characters, or kanji: ‘iki’ [生き], meaning life, and ‘gai’ [甲斐], meaning value or worth. Ikigai, then, is the value of life, or happiness in life. Put simply, it’s the reason you get up in the morning".

This book brought me a lot of joy.
I highly recommend it to everyone!