Most people would say “yes if I can stay healthy and I can do whatever I want to do.” Ikigai is a Japanese word that means something/someone that makes our life liveworthy. A lot of people have said it is important to have ikigai to live longer.
There is one man who will appear on Japan’s10,000-yen notes from 2024. He lived his ikigai and had longevity. His name is Eiichi Shibusawa. (By the way, the Japanese government changes the note for the first time since 1984.)
Who is Eiichi Shibusawa?
He was an industrialist, known as the “father of Japanese capitalism.” He was born in 1840 and founded 500 companies in his life, including the predecessors of Mizuho Bank, Sapporo Breweries, and Tokyo Marine. (The photo below is from Wikipedia.)
He left a lot of wise sayings, one of which inspired and encouraged me tremendously.
It goes (my translation)
“People in their 40s and 50s are snotty (little) boys. Those in their 60s and 70s are in the prime of their working life. When we reach 90 and Heaven comes to pick us up, tell it to wait until 100 and ask to leave.”
I love this phrase because this is encouraging and it indicates that we can do whatever we want to do no matter our age. In addition, I feel the power in these words.
If you don’t know your ikigai, start small
Some of you might say “I don’t know my ikigai.”
My suggestion is to do small things that make you happy. Your ikigai doesn’t have to be a big dream, such as “finish all the conflicts in the world.”
For example, if you want to take a taxi home, take a taxi home. If you do whatever you want to do even though it is a tiny thing, you will eventually know what you want to do.
If you think you don’t want to live long, it is a good time to review your self-esteem
Actually, I was there. Until recently, I thought this world is full of adversity, and living longer means we have to go through more adversity.
But when I was listening to an audiobook, I learned this negative perspective on life was rooted in my low-self esteem. Since then, I try not to think this world is full of adversity, because I don’t want to be a person with low self-esteem.
I am sure Eiichi Shibusawa had a lot of ikigai as well as high self-esteem. When we have those, we want to achieve more in our lives and want to live longer.
He passed away on November 11, 1931, at the age of 91, when the average life span was 43 years old.
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