The Japanese secret to a long and happy life. I am always keen to learn from other cultures and this book gives you an insight into Japanese way of life. The book written by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles
These were the sections that resonated me:
“fill your belly to 80%” this is to prevent overeating and wearing down our bodies with long digestive processes. As a child we were not allowed to leave the table until we ate everything on our plates. Took me decades to change an engrained discipline from childhood. This gives you the why its important not to overeat.
The basic principles of Morita therapy. Accept your feelings, if we control or suppress they become more intense. Work in progress for me, the hardest challenge is the feeling being accepted or suppressed?
Naikan Meditation, loved the questions related to the meditation: 1. What have I received from person X? 2.What have I given person X? 3. What problems I have caused person X? the questions are aimed at taking responsibility for our own actions. Will be utilising these questions in my meditation.
The art of the takumi an expert in a particular skill. The story of Steve Jobs is a fascinating insight in to the extent of research Steve Jobs investigated to continually improve his products. The chapter looks at many organisations and the relevance of Takumi.
Using flow to find your ikigai. Thought provoking chapter looking at activities we do where we lose our sense of time. When we are in our flow we are at our happiest and it is these activities that extend life. They dont need to be challenging, they can be every day activities: cooking, cleaning.
Overall worth the read, as there are many concepts that are thought provoking and insightful. Will definitely implementing changes on the back of reading this book.
This book was a gift from my good friend Liz. She knows I love a spiritual read, and this book is truly inspiring. We are all on a journey, navigating and learning as we go. The book captures the essence of human struggles and gives you a calming approach to the world.
Here are the inspiring moments:
Attachment is not: having desires, goals or personal preferences. Attachment is: the mental tension you feel when you do not get exactly what you crave; its refusing to accept change or let go of control. Yoga has been a great teacher of attachment, as I age my postures are more limited, at first I fought the change, now I surrender and every now again I surprise myself.
What is real happiness? Happiness is not fulfilling every pleasure or getting every outcome you desire. Happiness is being able to enjoy life with a peaceful mind that is not constantly craving more. It is inner peace that comes with embracing change. (being). Recently listened to Jonny Wilkinson “I am” his lessons on pursuing success at the price of happiness in the her and now. https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/i-am-with-jonny-wilkinson/id1610549437
Know your sources of rejuvenation: The amount of solitude you need to feel fresh again, the activities that strengthen your creativity, the people who light up your spirit. Not until I moved out of the city did I appreciate the need for solitude and being outdoors, the impact is huge and my wellbeing is the best its ever been.
How much of your inner turmoil is self-imposed? The answer is most! Caused by overthinking, not sharing vulnerabilities and holding onto beliefs that no longer serve.
your relationships improve drastically and the tension in your mind decreases significantly when you can accept people for who they are instead of fixating on how they should change in order to be more like you. I have written may blogs about my journey with judgement, the greatest lesson of life. Letting go of judgement liberates you and your ability to learn from others accelerates.
Four teachers that give free lessons: Change, Water, solitude and being. Finding a passion in surfing a decade ago, has been a liberating experience as you need to be present. I love the moment I get in the water, its almost as if the water is washing away all your tensions, what follows is a feeling of freedom and happiness. My approach to the day is transformed, no matter what challenges lay ahead I can approach with a clear head.
Thanks Liz for a great book. I could not put it down. So much wisdom in a young writer.
It was also a turning point when mentee becomes mentor, a significant moment where I felt immensely proud of the journey we had been on together and how far she had come personally. As she spoke about the book I realized that this book had had a profound impact on her, the most significant change in recent years.
Intrigued I got stuck into the book and I soon realized why it had such an impact. Jay’s journey to become a monk, is inspiring and his vulnerability about his personal challenges allows you to connect to him, as his challenges are every humans weakness, we all have them, some more controlled than others.
Some of the excerpts that resonated with me:
The more we define oursleves in relation to the people around us, the more lost we are. This is in the context of purging ourselves of envy, jealousy, greed, lust and more. This is so true. Being yourself and working on your challenges is more important than holding an opinion of others. None of us are perfect.
Transformatioal forgiveness: Revenge is the mode of ignorance. I think I practice forgiveness really well, however there is one incident related to me being made redundant due to a “mate” being given a restructured job. No matter how much I work on letting this go, I find myself repeating the story to others. Why? its not helpful and reflects poorly on me.
Job crafting, what employees do to redesign their jobs in ways that foster engagement at work, job satisfaction, resilience and thriving. Love this, as a leader I have always encouraged employees that care about sustainability or love customer facing engagements to find ways to make it part of their job. This is a must for everyone to connect to their job, company, peers and customers.
If you think you are too good for something, you succumb to the worst egotistical impulses, and you devalue anyone that does that chore. I witness this behavior in poor leaders. I roll up my sleeves at every opportunity as I feel more connected to my team and it really helps me understand the challenges they face.
To walk down the same old path and find a new stone is to open your mind. The example Jay uses to illustrate how monks are trained is well worth the read. During covid I did walking meetings everyday. Where I live we are surrounded by a very quiet international airport, industrial estates and suburbia! Never the less I walked the industrial estates and housing areas every day doing my calls. I heard others complain how boring walking around the neighbourhood is. For me it was one adventure after another, exploring areas I had never been to before, and where I had been I was on the look out for something new. Under the runway is a weir into a canal, I spotted two unusual birds, took pictures and when I got home discovered they were Spoonbills. Never ever seen this bird before. This morning I was walking back from the supermarket in the rain, when I spotted unusual mushrooms. Every day is a discovery if we open our minds.
Sustain your humility after achieving something. Remember and give thanks to the people who gave you the skills you are getting recognition for. Sharing the success with them keeps you humble. So important to share the impact others have on you. I am fortunate to have many amazing mentors.
Thanks to my amazing mentee/mentor Danielle for the gift of “Think like a monk”. It is one of my all time favorite reads and I know I will be rereading this book again and again.
Thanks to Joe Shetty for sharing your personal journey, exposing your own vulnerabilities. This is a life changing book if you practice the many lessons that are contained within the covers.
Angela Lovegrove 