Your ikigai is the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for."Only those who remain busy want to live forever."

Ikigai = Reason for Being

A life of purpose keeps you young. Retire from your job, not from your passions. Stay curious. Stay useful.

Stay Active — Don’t Retire

Don’t rush through life. The slower you move, the deeper you see. Focus on presence, not pace.

Take It Slow

Stop eating when you're 80% full. Simplicity in food = longevity in life.

Eat Light, Live Long

Do things that absorb you fully. Flow isn’t luxury — it’s your lifeline to joy and presence.“Flow is the secret to happiness.”

Find Flow Daily

Friendship is medicine. Belonging is immunity. Share meals. Laugh daily. Loneliness is a slow killer.

Connect with Community

Walk, garden, stretch, smile. Movement is joy — not punishment. Consistency > intensity.

Move Your Body Gently

Accept imperfection. Cherish the simple, the old, the flawed. Peace comes from letting go.

Wabi-Sabi Your Life

Lifelong learning is the fountain of youth. Read. Reflect. Ask questions. Curiosity keeps the spirit awake.

Keep Your Mind Young

Those who know why they wake up in the morning live longer, happier, more meaningful lives.

Purpose is the Real Anti-Aging Secret

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • 1.5 MILLION+ COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE “Workers looking for more fulfilling positions should start by identifying their ikigai.” ―Business Insider   “One of the unintended—yet positive—consequences of the [pandemic] is that it is forcing people to reevaluate their jobs, careers, and lives. Use this time wisely, find your personal ikigai, and live your best life.” ―Forbes Find your ikigai (pronounced ee-key-guy) to live longer and bring more meaning and joy to all your days. “Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years.” —Japanese proverb   According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai—a reason for living. And according to the residents of the Japanese village with the world’s longest-living people, finding it is the key to a happier and longer life. Having a strong sense of ikigai—where what you love, what you’re good at, what you can get paid for, and what the world needs all overlap—means that each day is infused with meaning. It’s the reason we get up in the morning. It’s also the reason many Japanese never really retire (in fact there’s no word in Japanese that means retire in the sense it does in English): They remain active and work at what they enjoy, because they’ve found a real purpose in life—the happiness of always being busy. In researching this book, the authors interviewed the residents of the Japanese village with the highest percentage of 100-year-olds—one of the world’s Blue Zones. Ikigai reveals the secrets to their longevity and happiness: how they eat, how they move, how they work, how they foster collaboration and community, and—their best-kept secret—how they find the ikigai that brings satisfaction to their lives. And it provides practical tools to help you discover your own ikigai. Because who doesn’t want to find happiness in every day?

books

Books

Hector Garcia was born in Spain in 1981 and has been living in Tokyo since 2004. During his spare time he writes aGeekinJapan.com, one of the most widely-read blogs in the world in Spanish and in English, as well as books about his experiences in Japan. He is the author of the bestsellers: Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life and A Geek in Japan. You can find more of Hector's musings at ageekinjapan.com

Héctor García

Francesc Miralles Contijoch is a Catalan writer, essayist, translator, and musician.

Francesc Miralles

Ikigai

Fancy cars and designer clothes show spending, not wealth. True wealth is hidden — it’s savings, not splurging.“Spending money to show people how much money you have is the fastest way to have less money.”

Wealth is What You Don’t See

Getting rich requires taking risks. Staying rich requires humility, patience, and avoiding ruin.“Getting wealthy and staying wealthy are different skills.”

Getting Rich vs. Staying Rich

You don’t need a specific goal to save. Just having cash gives you freedom, options, and peace.

Save Money Without a Reason

Small, consistent gains over time beat big, dramatic wins. Time + consistency = wealth.“The most powerful force in investing is time.”

Compounding is Magic

You don’t need to be a genius. You need to be calm, consistent, and self-aware. Emotional control beats IQ.

Your Behavior Matters More Than Your Knowledge

Success isn’t always earned. Failure isn’t always deserved. Be humble about your wins and forgiving of losses.

Luck and Risk Shape Everything

A few big wins or losses usually shape the entire outcome. You don’t need to get everything right — just avoid disaster.

Tail Events Drive Outcomes

The real value of money is control over your time. Freedom is the ultimate dividend.“The highest form of wealth is the ability to wake up and say, ‘I can do whatever I want today.’”

Wealth is Freedom

You don’t have to make perfect decisions — just sustainable ones. Your financial plan should feel good enough to stick with.

Be Reasonable, Not Rational

Greed is endless. Define your “enough” — and stop moving the goalposts.

Know What “Enough” Looks Like

Doing well with money isn’t necessarily about what you know. It’s about how you behave. And behavior is hard to teach, even to really smart people. Money—investing, personal finance, and business decisions—is typically taught as a math-based field, where data and formulas tell us exactly what to do. But in the real world people don’t make financial decisions on a spreadsheet. They make them at the dinner table, or in a meeting room, where personal history, your own unique view of the world, ego, pride, marketing, and odd incentives are scrambled together. In The Psychology of Money, award-winning author Morgan Housel shares 19 short stories exploring the strange ways people think about money and teaches you how to make better sense of one of life’s most important topics.

Morgan Housel is a partner at The Collaborative Fund. He is a two-time winner of the Best in Business Award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, winner of the New York Times Sidney Award, and a two-time finalist for the Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism. He lives in Seattle with his wife and two kids.

Morgan Housel

The Psychology of Money

All health issues—emotional and physical—stem from cellular memories of past emotional pain (especially from childhood). These unresolved memories generate stress in the body, which in turn causes illness.

Foundational Idea

The body’s autonomic nervous system (ANS) can heal anything if the stress is removed. The authors claim that The Healing Code neutralizes the stress caused by false beliefs stored in the heart (used metaphorically to mean the subconscious or emotional memory center).

Healing Mechanism

Explains the theory behind the Healing Code—how emotional memories affect physical health.

Part I

Introduces the “Healing Codes” system, including the four healing centers of the body and hand positions.

Part II

Offers protocols for using the Codes, including 6-minute practices done 1–3 times daily, and customizing them for specific problems.

Part III

Includes scientific references, FAQs, and anecdotal stories of healing.

Appendices & Testimonials

Prayer and Intention: Starts with a prayer asking for healing to occur, typically invoking divine guidance.Energy Healing: The method involves holding the hands in specific positions around the head and neck (without touching), based on energy points.Truth Focus Statements: Positive, truth-based affirmations are used to replace false beliefs stored in emotional memory.

Core Elements of The Healing Code

<ul><li>Bridge (above nose)</li><li>Adam’s Apple (throat)</li><li>Jaw (on both sides)</li><li>Temples (side of the forehead)</li></ul>These are the points where the hands are directed to channel healing energy.

The Four Healing Centers

Quantum Physics & Epigenetics: The book references quantum mechanics and the idea that emotions can affect DNA expression (epigenetics). However, critics argue these references are loosely applied and lack rigorous scientific support.Spiritual Integration: Heavily integrates spirituality and prayer; the process assumes the presence of a higher intelligence or divine healing force.

Scientific and Philosophical Foundations

Mind-Body Emphasis: Highlights the real and often neglected link between emotional trauma and physical health.Simple & Accessible: No tools or prior knowledge needed; the process can be self-administered.Holistic Approach: Combines emotional healing, energetic focus, and spiritual elements.

Strengths

Scientific Validity: While the book cites scientific studies, many claims are anecdotal or theoretical. The exact mechanism behind the Codes lacks peer-reviewed clinical validation.Generalization: It may oversimplify complex diseases by attributing them all to emotional stress.Placebo vs. Proven: Critics argue that results might be due to placebo effect, relaxation response, or the power of suggestion and belief rather than a specific healing mechanism.

Criticisms and Concerns

Individuals open to spiritual or energetic healing approachesPeople struggling with chronic emotional issues like trauma, anxiety, guilt, or stressThose looking for non-invasive and meditative daily practices

Who It May Benefit

Not a Substitute for Medical Treatment: The authors disclaim that this should not replace medical advice, yet the tone of the book may encourage some to do so.Empowerment vs. Dependency: While empowering, it can also foster dependence on a routine that lacks empirical verification.

Ethical and Practical Considerations

“The Healing Code” offers a compelling blend of emotional healing, spirituality, and energy work. While not scientifically conclusive, it taps into real psychological and emotional needs, promoting self-awareness, forgiveness, and inner calm. Its effectiveness may vary, but the method can serve as a complementary self-care practice.

Final Thoughts

“The Healing Code” by Dr. Alexander Loyd (with co-author Dr. Ben Johnson) is a self-help and alternative healing book that proposes a method for healing emotional and physical issues by targeting underlying stress and subconscious memories.

With over 1 million copies sold worldwide and translated into 29 languages, Dr. Alex Loyd's international bestselling book is a life-changing program that uses energy medicine to heal mental and physical challenges. The Healing Code is your healing kit for life-to recover from the issues you know about, and repair the ones you don't. The book also includes:<ul><li>The Seven Secrets of life, health, and prosperity</li><li>The 10-second Instant Impact technique for defusing daily stress</li><li>The Heart Issues Finder, the only test that identifies your source issues in a succinct personalized report</li></ul>Dr. Alex Loyd discovered how to activate a physical function built into the body that consistently and predictably removes the source of 95% of all illness and disease. His findings were validated by tests and by the thousands of people from all over the world who have used The Healing Code's system to heal virtually any physical, emotional, or relational issue. His testing also revealed that there is a "Universal Healing Code" that will heal most issues for most people. In this book you will get that Universal Healing Code, which takes only minutes to do.

Alexander Loyd

The Healing Code

Repeating key ideas across time solidifies learning.Spread your message, then revisit it in different ways (e.g., stories, visuals, applications).

Repetition Wins

People only remember what feels relevant to them.Link new ideas to personal goals, emotions, or experiences.

Make it Matter

The brain processes images faster and more effectively than text or speech.Use pictures, diagrams, or metaphors to anchor your message.

Visuals Trump Words

Stories trigger emotional engagement and are easier to recall.Wrap data or ideas in narrative structures.

Tell Stories

Memorized speeches feel fake. The brain prefers natural conversation.Learn your core points, then speak authentically and fluidly.

Ditch the Scripts

People only pay attention to what they choose to focus on.Control focus with cues like gestures, pauses, and rhetorical questions.

Use the Spotlight Effect

Challenge improves memory.Don’t make everything easy—well-designed difficulty strengthens learning.

Embrace Struggle

The brain stores knowledge in networks.Show how ideas link together, rather than presenting facts in isolation.

Connect Ideas

Sleep helps solidify memory.Encourage breaks and reflection rather than info overload.

Let Them Sleep on It

The brain remembers the unexpected.Use novelty, humor, or contrast to grab attention.

Surprise Matters

People engage more when challenged intelligently.Speak with clarity, not simplification.

Don’t Dumb it Down

Emotional content boosts recall and action.Make your audience feel something—curiosity, urgency, joy, etc.

Engage Emotion

Influence isn’t about being perfect; it’s about being real and relatable.Show vulnerability and passion to inspire trust and connection.

Be Human

Stop dumping information. Start shaping experience. Influence happens when people feel, connect, struggle, and see themselves in the message.

Key Takeaway

To truly influence others, especially in teaching, presenting, or leading, you must communicate in line with how the brain actually learns. Each lesson is based on neuroscience and psychology, focused on how people best receive, retain, and apply information.

Love it or hate it, we are all teachers. Whether walking clients through a new program, guiding an audience through a novel proposition, or helping our children to kick a soccer ball, nearly every day we work to disseminate knowledge and wisdom to others. The problem is that very few of us have ever been taught how to teach! Drawing on Jared Cooney Horvath’s nearly 15 years of experience conducting brain research at prominent universities, teaching students from 10 to 80 years of age, and working closely with organizations and schools across 4 continents, Stop Talking, Start Influencing outlines 12 scientific principles of how people learn. The result is a book that shows readers how to impart their knowledge to others in a manner that sticks with and truly influences them — regardless of the situation or circumstance. For every business leader sick of repeating themselves ad nauseam to colleagues and clients, for every coach tired of endlessly drilling athletes without seeing meaningful improvement, for every entrepreneur who’s had enough of pouring their heart into presentations only to see no lasting impact among the audience … it’s time to stop talking and start influencing!

Jared Cooney Horvath

Stop Talking, Start Influencing

Just like hands toughen through repetition, your mind strengthens through pain, struggle, and discomfort."You are in danger of living a life so soft that you will die without ever realizing your true potential."

Callous Your Mind

When you think you're done, you're only at 40% of your actual capacity. Your mind quits long before your body does.

The 40% Rule

Pain is your passport to growth. Instead of running from suffering, use it to fuel transformation.“Suffering is the true test of life.”

Turn Suffering Into Fuel

Life will break you if you're not hard. Build grit daily. Discipline is the armor of greatness.

Stay Hard

Look yourself in the mirror and stop lying. Radical self-honesty is the starting line for change.

The Accountability Mirror

Create a mental jar of every win, every battle you survived. Tap into it when you want to quit.“The most important conversations you’ll ever have are the ones you’ll have with yourself.”

Build the Cookie Jar

You won’t always feel inspired. Build discipline. Show up whether you feel like it or not.

Motivation is Crap

No one’s coming to save you. Own your life. Forge your own story through suffering and effort.

You’re Your Own Hero

Stop chasing comfort. The suck sharpens you. Run toward it, not away.

Embrace the Suck

Don’t settle for average. Even among the elite, find ways to stand out. Be relentless. Be uncommon.

Get Uncommon Among the Uncommon

Author: David Goggins

Genre: Mental Toughness / Self-Discipline / Resilience

New York Times Bestseller Over 2.5 million copies sold For David Goggins, childhood was a nightmare - poverty, prejudice, and physical abuse colored his days and haunted his nights. But through self-discipline, mental toughness, and hard work, Goggins transformed himself from a depressed, overweight young man with no future into a U.S. Armed Forces icon and one of the world's top endurance athletes. The only man in history to complete elite training as a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller, he went on to set records in numerous endurance events, inspiring Outside magazine to name him The Fittest (Real) Man in America. In this curse-word-free edition of Can't Hurt Me, he shares his astonishing life story and reveals that most of us tap into only 40% of our capabilities. Goggins calls this The 40% Rule, and his story illuminates a path that anyone can follow to push past pain, demolish fear, and reach their full potential.

David Goggins is an American ultramarathon runner, ultra-distance cyclist, triathlete, public speaker, and author. He is a retired United States Navy SEAL member who served in the Iraq War.

David Goggins

Can't Hurt Me

True freedom begins when you stop asking for permission — from others, from society, from your own doubts. “Fierce, Fearless, and Free” awakens the unstoppable spirit inside you: the one who dares, rises, and thrives, no matter what.

Big Idea

Fierce is the Fire.Your fierce spirit is your creative force. It’s your passion, your refusal to shrink. Fierceness is not aggression — it’s vibrant aliveness.Fearless is the Freedom.Being fearless doesn’t mean the absence of fear. It means taking action despite fear. Fear becomes your fuel, not your chain.Free is the Final Form.True freedom is inner — it’s living by your values, your dreams, your truths. Not living for approval, acceptance, or applause.

Key Insights

Break Your Own Rules First.Challenge the invisible scripts you were given. If you didn’t consciously choose them, they don’t have to govern you.Honor Your Wildness.You were not made to be tame. Your instincts, dreams, and desires are maps — follow them.Choose Courage Over Comfort.You won’t grow where you feel safest. Step where your heart beats fastest — that’s where life begins.Embody Your Power Daily.Show up boldly. Speak with clarity. Act with decisiveness. Repeat until it feels like breathing.

Life Lessons You Can Apply

“Freedom is not handed to you — it is claimed by the one who remembers who she really is.”“When you listen to your wild heart, you don’t get lost — you come home.”

Quotes

Daily Fierce Ritual:Every morning, ask: “What would my fiercest self do today?” Then do it.Fearless Journal Prompt:“Where am I shrinking? What would I do if fear wasn’t a factor?”Freedom Check-In:“Am I living my truth — or someone else’s expectation?” Adjust accordingly.

Takeaways

You are already fierce. You are already fearless. You are already free.This book doesn’t give you something new — it wakes up what was sleeping inside you all along.Go — unleash it.

Final

You don’t become fierce, fearless, and free.You remember that you already are.Stop seeking. Start unleashing.

The Core Awakening

Fierce = Alive.It’s your passion. Your instincts. Your refusal to dim your light for anyone else’s comfort.

What It Means to Be Fierce

Fearless = Moving with fear, not without it.Fear isn’t your enemy. It’s your compass. Where fear stands, freedom waits.

The True Meaning of Fearless

Freedom = Living your truth without apology.Not rebellion. Not resistance. Pure, grounded authenticity.

What Freedom Really Is

Every morning, ask:“What would my fiercest self do today?”Then act like it’s already done.

Your Fierce Daily Ritual

Write today:“Where am I shrinking?What would I do if fear wasn’t in the room?”Your next move lives in the answer.

A Fearless Journal Prompt

Question for your soul:“Am I living my truth — or someone else’s idea of who I should be?”Adjust boldly.

Freedom Check-In

Your wildness is your wisdom.Tame it, and you’ll lose your way. Trust it, and you’ll find your path.

Wildness Is Not a Flaw

Growth and greatness are uncomfortable.Choose courage over comfort every single time.

Courage > Comfort

You are not missing anything.You already have everything you need to rise.Fierce. Fearless. Free.You.

Reminder

You are already fierce. You are already fearless. You are already free.

A brilliant, inclusive collection of traditional tales from around the world featuring amazing women and girls. Once upon a time, there was a handsome prince who – no, that's not right! Once upon a time, there were strong, fierce women who plotted, schemed, took action, showed kindness, used magic and trickery, and made their own destiny. From the long-haired Petrosinella who escaped the tower and broke the spell that the ogress had cast over her and Nana Miriam who beat a hippo using politeness and magic, to Kate Crackernuts who tried to save her stepsister from her mother's curse, these are stories of girls doing it for themselves! With stories drawn from all over the world, including China, Scotland, Armenia, Italy and Nigeria, Lari Don presents heroine stories that don't leave girls sitting around waiting to be saved by the handsome prince. Book Band: Dark Blue Ideal for ages 9+

Lari Don

Fierce, Fearless and Free

In a distracted world, the ability to focus without interruption is your competitive edge."Deep work is like a superpower in our increasingly competitive twenty-first-century economy."

Deep Work is a Superpower

Emails, meetings, and social scrolling dilute your brain. These tasks feel productive but leave no legacy.

Shallow Work is the Enemy

You don’t “have” attention—you build it. Cut distractions. Set focus rituals. Embrace boredom.

Train Your Focus Like a Muscle

Don’t reach for your phone when you’re bored. Let your mind wander — it’s where ideas are born."If you don’t train your brain to tolerate boredom, you’ll never be able to focus deeply."

Embrace Boredom

Use digital tools deliberately. If it doesn’t serve your mission, it’s noise.

Quit Social Media (Ruthlessly)

Don’t wait for the perfect time. Set deep work hours like sacred appointments — and defend them.

Schedule Deep Work Like a Ritual

Work like a monk. Rest like a minimalist. True productivity is found in deep intensity + full disconnection.

Work With Intensity, Then Shut Down

Where your attention goes, your life goes. Shallow habits = shallow life. Choose depth.

Attention is Your Identity

Genre: Productivity / Focus / Cognitive Mastery

Master one of our economy’s most rare skills and achieve groundbreaking results with this “exciting” book (Daniel H. Pink) from an “exceptional” author (New York Times Book Review). Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It's a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time. Deep Work will make you better at what you do and provide the sense of true fulfillment that comes from craftsmanship. In short, deep work is like a super power in our increasingly competitive twenty-first century economy. And yet, most people have lost the ability to go deep-spending their days instead in a frantic blur of e-mail and social media, not even realizing there's a better way. In Deep Work, author and professor Cal Newport flips the narrative on impact in a connected age. Instead of arguing distraction is bad, he instead celebrates the power of its opposite. Dividing this book into two parts, he first makes the case that in almost any profession, cultivating a deep work ethic will produce massive benefits. He then presents a rigorous training regimen, presented as a series of four "rules," for transforming your mind and habits to support this skill. 1. Work Deeply 2. Embrace Boredom 3. Quit Social Media 4. Drain the Shallows A mix of cultural criticism and actionable advice, Deep Work takes the reader on a journey through memorable stories-from Carl Jung building a stone tower in the woods to focus his mind, to a social media pioneer buying a round-trip business class ticket to Tokyo to write a book free from distraction in the air-and no-nonsense advice, such as the claim that most serious professionals should quit social media and that you should practice being bored. Deep Work is an indispensable guide to anyone seeking focused success in a distracted world. An Amazon Best Book of 2016 Pick in Business & Leadership Wall Street Journal Business Bestseller A Business Book of the Week at 800-CEO-READ

Cal Newport is Provost’s Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University, and the author of seven books. His ideas and writing are frequently featured in major publications and on TV and radio.From his website: "I write about the intersection of digital technology and culture. I’m particularly interested in our struggle to deploy these tools in ways that support instead of subvert the things we care about in both our personal and professional lives."

Cal Newport

Deep Work

You can't care about everything. Power comes from choosing what truly matters — and letting the rest burn."You only have so many f**s to give, so give them wisely."*

Choose Your F***s Wisely

Happiness doesn’t come from avoiding problems, but from solving better ones. Growth = meaningful struggle.

Life is a Struggle — Pick a Better One

His style is really direct — kind of like a friend shaking your shoulders and saying, “Get real with yourself.” His work focuses a lot on accepting limitations, handling pain, finding meaning, and letting go of unrealistic expectations.

Ikigai

The Psychology of Money

The Healing Code

Stop Talking, Start Influencing

Can't Hurt Me

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