A few months ago, I went to a relative’s house, they kept a cupboard full of books in a room. I took a book whose name was IKIGAI to read. I always keep small diary in my pocket, to note down anything of importance. As I went through the book, I have noted many the points from the book, which I am sharing here in this small writeup.

IKIGAI, is Japanese secret for a long and happy life. This Japanese word means happiness in remaining busy always. It is a state of mental balance where your needs, ambitions and desires are satisfied. The Japanese people like to stay connected with their childhood friends throughout their life. In order to maintain relationships, we need to communicate with each other on a daily basis. Among friends, if someone needs financial help, they immediately provide it, just like the Cooperative System that works in our country.

They like to eat lightly and chew their food well. Getting enough rest, moderate and regular exercise, is a big contribution to their health. After working for 30 minutes, they prefer to get up and do light exercise. If we work continuously then our mind does not get the needed rest. Remember whenever when we take a break from work and go back to our work after connecting with nature, we pay more attention to work. When we are ready to face the worst thing that happens in any situation, then we become strong and we can handle that situation easily.

As a human being, we either worry about our future or regret our past, we have no control over both. It leads most of us to depression and many other ailments. Let go of all your worries by trusting in the Almighty and always enjoy and live in the present moment.

To keep yourself smart, break your daily routine, don’t choose a difficult task but a little bit of tension is always good for you. Always have a clear and concrete goal and focus on one task. When we grow up, we feel that we have learned enough and we don’t feel the need to keep updated. So, if something new is happening in the world, we will not be able to find out. Many people come into contact with each other in everyday life, we can learn many things from them. Because of this, there is no age to learn and there is no limit.

The word “Retiree” does not exist in the Japanese dictionary. When the emperor wanted to retire at the age of 85, a special law was passed to this effect. The average age of men in Japan is 85 years and for women it is 87.3 years. There are 520 persons out of every million, that have exceeded the age of 100 years. It is the highest in the world.

The life of some people who have crossed the age of one hundred in Okinawa city of Japan, and their secret of long life, is being given below:

• Misai Okawa is 117 years old: Eat, sleep and rest and you will live for a long time. You will learn to relax.
• Walter Browning age 114: Keep your mind and body busy, you will live long.
• Jeanne Kamet age 122: Everything is fine with him. He cycled until he was 100 years old and took care of himself until he was 110 years old. After a fire in the house, he was transferred to and old age care center.

We can all find ways to keep ourselves happy:

• Keep working slowly and don’t retire.
• Always be in contact with your good friends.
• Keep smiling.
• Start preparing for your next birthday now.
• Never stop learning.
• Everyday spend some time with your family.
• Stop worrying.
• Create good habits.
• Be optimistic

By Virenderjit Singh Bir (DGM Retd. of Punjab Sind Bank)