Do You Want to Learn How to Always Be Happy? Here Are 15 Habits of Happiness to Learn From Japanese People.
Hello Aluxers! Have you ever wondered why Japanese people always seem to be so peaceful and happy? What’s their secret? Well, stay with us for a few minutes and we’ll spill the truth about the exact habits people in Japan use to live a happy life!
Let us know if there’s anything you particularly like or intend to implement in your life as well. We’ll get in touch with the first 50 of you who will leave a comment on our video! Oh, and, if you like our content, let us know by subscribing to our channel and hitting the bell button to be notified of any future video we post.
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So, without further ado, let’s dive into the wonderful culture of Japan!
1
Ikebana
It’s the Japanese tradition of arranging flowers. The Japanese believe that working with nature to create something beautiful, meditative and healing. This practice should be done in silence, so that you can focus all your attention on the harmony of nature.
2
Forest Bathing
Taking a forest bath means immersing yourself in a forest for several hours and soaking up its sights, smells and sounds. Simply being in a forest and absorbing its atmosphere has a restorative and happy effect on the body and mind. Science has proven that this habit can reduce stress levels, improve sleep, increase focus and creativity, and give a sense of overall happiness.
3
Ceremonial Tea Drinking
Forget about pouring hot water on a random tea bag! Drinking tea in Japan is a true ceremony that involves precise movements and rituals. When the tea masters and their guests are immersed in the ceremony, they temporarily detach from the everyday world to share a moment of beauty and serenity.
4
Kintsugi
It means “golden joinery” and it’s the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold seams. The Japanese believe that breakage and imperfections are part of life, and that what is broken can be mended into something uniquely beautiful. Doing it requires love, care and attention. Just the same as when healing wounds of the soul.
5
The Way of Writing
Calligraphy is considered a form of meditation in Japan. The careful preparation of the ink and the gentle brush strokes require complete focus and tranquillity. This allows to be fully in the moment and helps finding balance.
6
Ofuro
Who doesn’t like a nice hot bath? Well, the Japanese take this common practice to a whole different level! As they settle into a cradle of soothing warm water, they disconnect from the outside world completely. All that there is are the sensations of the water, steam, heat and fragrances that lull you into a deep state of well-being.
7
Busy without Hurry
Or, as the Japanese call it, ikigai. Ikigai is not just a word, but a whole concept. Put it simply, it means to always be busy but without hurry. In Japan, people are always doing something: gardening, going for walks, meeting with friends and family. Everything, though, is done with absolute mindfulness and slowness to savour every moment.
8
Japanese Nurture Connections with Friends Every Day
Perhaps less so in big cities like Tokyo, but in smaller centres social life is all about gathering the community as often as possible to celebrate… well, pretty much everything! From birthdays, to weddings, every aspect of life is worth being enjoyed and shared with family and friends.
9
Continuous Improvement
Taiichi Ohno is considered the father of the Toyota Production System. One of the most important rules he set for his employees came directly from the Zen philosophy: Re-improve what was improved for further improvement. In other words, never be satisfied with the result: if you look carefully, there’s always something to make it better!
If you want to learn more about this extraordinary man, we suggest you the book The Ten Commandments of Taiichi Ohno by Yoshihito Wakamatsu. It’s a great introduction to the lean philosophy and it also gives an idea about the Japanese culture that created this production philosophy. You can also listen to the book for free if you go to alux.com/freebook thanks to our good friends at Audible.
10
Minimalism
The term minimalism is probably overused these days. It refers to anything that is spare or stripped to its essentials. It’s become the fashion to be a minimalist and, as most fashions, it’s often misinterpreted. The way the Japanese apply minimalism to live happier is by dedicating their energies to what is really important.
Ever heard of the 5 by 5 rule? It goes like this: if it’s not gonna matter in 5 years, don’t spend more than 5 minutes being upset about it. Try to apply this rule every day and you’ll save yourself a hell of a lot of headaches!
If you want to apply minimalism to your life by trying to declutter, check out 15 Ways To Declutter Your Life.
11
“When You Walk, Walk. When You Eat, Eat”
This Zen proverb highlights what we’ve been knowing for some time: multi-tasking doesn’t work! Doing multiple things at a time will just end up in a mess. Either you won’t finish any of them or will do all of them badly. Do one thing at a time and do not get involved in the next task until the first one is concluded. You’ll be amazed at how much more you will accomplish!
If you want more tips on productivity, check out our video “15 Productivity Habits To Win Back Your Time And Life”: you’re welcome!
12
Just Live
Ok, Aluxers, we all know that comparison is not good, right?! Of course we can and should be inspired by the people who have reached the same goals we are aiming to. But if that becomes a constant battle against those people or, even worse, against ourselves, that’s where it needs to stop! We are all unique beings with unique qualities. Instead of trying to become like somebody else, spend time finding out what your true nature and your strengths are, and make the most of them.
13
Meditation
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Oprah Winfrey, and even Sir Paul McCartney: these are just 3 of the dozens of successful people who swear by meditation. There are many meditation techniques and one coming from Japan is zazen. The aim is to sit quietly and let words, ideas, images and thoughts pass by without getting involved in them, and without judging them.
Meditation is such a fascinating world, so much so that at Alux we have created a specific course to allow you to make the most of this life-changing practice. Go to alux.com/courses and enroll now in our Mind Mastery course! We promise it’s worth it!
14
Detachment
We’ve learned during the past year and a half that life can throw us some pretty curve balls. I mean: who could have imagined a world pandemic?! What is important in the Japanese culture, though, is not so much what happens but how you deal with it to stay happy.
If you hang on to negative thoughts and feelings, you’re bound to a much harder life than it needs t be. Accept life as it is and learn from every experience: there isn’t much you can do about the past, but you can definitely work for a better future.
15
Mindfulness
As you may have noticed, many of the practices that the Japanese use in their everyday lives are aimed to ground them in the present moment. As we mentioned before, the past is nothing we can work on anymore and we sure should continuously improve ourselves to live a better future.
The truth is, though, that the only moment we can truly do something about is now! Think about it: yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not here yet. Why worry about things we can no longer change and those we still don’t know anything about? Let’s focus on making this moment right now the best possible and living it to the fullest!
Question:
That’s all, folks! 15 Secret Habits People From Japan Use to Be Happy. Don’t you think many of them could actually become everyday practices in our lives as well? What do you think? Let’s talk about it!
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