Ikigai Book Cover

Book Review: Ikigai by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles — Discover Your Reason for Being

ByThe Mind Connectory

Quick Overview: This exploration of the Japanese concept of “life’s purpose” combines wisdom from the world’s longest-living people with practical guidance for modern living.

Key Focus: Life purpose discovery, longevity principles, work-life integration, and mindful living practices

Best For: Anyone seeking life direction, professionals experiencing burnout, and those interested in wellness and longevity

Why Read in 2025: As people reassess priorities post-pandemic, finding authentic purpose and meaning has become more important than ever

What Does the Longest Study on Adult Development Tell Us About Life?

What Does the Longest Study on Adult Development Tell Us About Life?

ByThe Mind Connectory

Human relationships and interactions are essential to our longevity and happiness. A Harvard study dating back to 1938 still continues on today. It is the oldest study of it’s type in existence and unlocks many key answers to living a long, happy and fulfilled life. Waldinger, the director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, said…

The Key To Getting Ahead Is Starting

The Key To Getting Ahead Is Starting

ByThe Mind Connectory

If you have all these grand ambitions and visions of yourself in the future, you must get them out. They are your purpose in life. If you never work on them and build them up for the world to see, nobody will ever see them. Only YOU are capable of making a unique mark on…

All Problems Have Solutions

All Problems Have Solutions

ByThe Mind Connectory

There are solutions that exist to all the problems that surround our life and sometimes we just need to think outside the box and look at these problems from a new perspective. Thinking outside the box means being creative in the way you approach things. Seeking a new perspective means giving up your old metrics…

Change Your Mindset, Change Your Day

Change Your Mindset, Change Your Day

ByThe Mind Connectory

The reality is, and you’ve probably heard this quote before; If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. Wayne Dyer For those that do not know, Wayne Dyer was an American self-help author and a motivational speaker. So, what was he trying to say when he shared this…

Feeling Behind On Your Goals?

Feeling Behind On Your Goals?

ByThe Mind Connectory

Do you ever get this anxious feeling that you’re behind or in some ways off track in life? Maybe your goals keep escaping you or they’re taking a long time and you get demotivated and disappointed with yourself. Then you look back to all the times you’ve failed or the things that haven’t worked out…

You Have To Be Willing To Expand Yourself

You Have To Be Willing To Expand Yourself

ByThe Mind Connectory

Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player of all time said, “Limits, just like fears, are often just an illusion.” What can we draw from this statement? It packs in a lot of messages and it also encourages us to develop our self awareness. What I believe Michael was trying to express is that we…

What If We Never Quit?

What If We Never Quit?

ByThe Mind Connectory

What if we never quit on the things that really mattered? What would it mean for who we are now or who we could be in the future? It would mean a stronger will power and a more decisive attitude. When we don’t quit it’s because we care about what we’re working towards and anything…

The Community’s Way Of Lifting Our Spirits

The Community’s Way Of Lifting Our Spirits

ByThe Mind Connectory

Sometimes there’s disappointments, letdowns or frustrations that don’t just affect us but that affect a large number of people. When the community share’s in a loss or a disappointment, there’s a shared dissatisfaction. This is both painful and uplifting. It’s an interesting fact; we must deal with our own feelings as well as worry about…

Always Be Brave Enough To Dream Smartly

Always Be Brave Enough To Dream Smartly

ByThe Mind Connectory

Our dreams are controlled by the limits we place on ourselves. We often let our limits suppress our capabilities and we can’t reach our full potential. A dream represents what we want most – what our ‘ideal’ scenario might be for the future. We can have multiple dreams at any one time. These can be…

The Pursuit For Positive Experience Is Actually A Negative Experience

The Pursuit For Positive Experience Is Actually A Negative Experience

ByThe Mind Connectory

A tricky statement, sometimes a bit confusing and convoluted but it’s actually quite true. What it means is this – the fact that we believe we always need more, want more and deserve more makes us unappreciative of who we are now. To ourselves we will never be enough because we’re not satisfied with our…

The Beauty Of Patience

The Beauty Of Patience

ByThe Mind Connectory

In a world where we can often get frustrated with what’s happening around us and discouraged when things don’t work out we must learn to be patient. When we try and rush a result just to get the reward it normally doesn’t pay off and in the rare cases where it does, the fulfilment we…

Non-Cognitive Skills Will Help You Get Things Done

Non-Cognitive Skills Will Help You Get Things Done

ByThe Mind Connectory

Non-cognitive skills form the basis of how we respond to the tasks, activities and situations that encompass our day-to-day life. These skills comprise of things such as conscientiousness, perseverance and teamwork. I don’t think you can name one successful person or group that didn’t have either of these traits in large volumes. The reason why…

The Power To Change Your Life (Chapter 2.0 – Accountability)

The Power To Change Your Life (Chapter 2.0 – Accountability)

ByThe Mind Connectory

See Chapter 1.0 – Momentum At any given moment, you have the ability to change your life. The moment you take full accountability of the outcomes of your life you start to take back power – you gain a sense of control over situations. Not control over the outcomes themselves, but control over your response…

It Takes 21 Days To Build Or Break A Habit

It Takes 21 Days To Build Or Break A Habit

ByThe Mind Connectory

We’ve all had habits, good ones and bad ones. We know which habits are supportive of our growth and those that are not. There’s some habits that constantly bug us. We know they’re poor choices but we still do them because we’re in a pattern that keeps drawing us back in – tempting us. We’ve…

A Simple Life Is A Better Life

A Simple Life Is A Better Life

ByThe Mind Connectory

Clear the clutter and let the simple stuff stay. We need far less to live a good life than we realise. There is a lot of meaningless stuff that ties us down that we think belongs in our life, but it doesn’t. There are many distractions that we run to for comfort in times of…

Don’t Be Perfect, Be ‘Perfectly You’

Don’t Be Perfect, Be ‘Perfectly You’

ByThe Mind Connectory

There’s a chance you’re reading this because you want to be perfect, you want everything to go to plan and you want your life to just fall in place for you. If I’m honest, continuing to have these thoughts is actually what’s holding you back from exactly what you want. To be ‘perfectly you’ is…

Love Yourself And Love Your Goals

Love Yourself And Love Your Goals

ByThe Mind Connectory

It’s easy to get caught up in trying to please others and in trying to prove to the world that we are good enough. The truth is, we don’t have to and we should never have to. If people, situations or criteria ever make us feel this way we need to properly evaluate why this…

If Only We Could Turn Back Time

If Only We Could Turn Back Time

ByThe Mind Connectory

If only we could turn back time, would we change the things of our past or let them be as they are? Does time moving forward signify that we can’t go back to the better days that we believe are behind us? It’s nice sometimes to speculate about going back in time to improve things…

Anxious Feelings In Your Stomach – A Remedy

Anxious Feelings In Your Stomach – A Remedy

ByThe Mind Connectory

Sometimes we become anxious for no apparent reason, other times we know the exact cause, but nonetheless it can be difficult to manage in either case. Those rumblings in our stomach can feel all knotted up and out of control and we can even begin to question our own self worth. Sometimes we get anxious…

Always Be Willing To Love Life

Always Be Willing To Love Life

ByThe Mind Connectory

Life is a beautiful challenge. It can beat us down till we can take no more and it can drive us to glories that we never even imagined. I love life because even when I am hurt, it will save me – when I am afraid love will give me courage. Love is a guiding…

We Can Only Connect The Dots Looking Backwards

We Can Only Connect The Dots Looking Backwards

ByThe Mind Connectory

You might not understand what is happening to you right now and for what reason things seem to be stagnated. It happens in everyone’s life at some stage – sometimes multiple times, don’t feel like you’re alone. It could be leading to a great sense of confusion for you and you have no direction that…

Spending Valentine’s Day Alone (Part 1)

Spending Valentine’s Day Alone (Part 1)

ByThe Mind Connectory

~See Part 2~ You might be spending today alone, with no soulmate and nobody you can call your partner in crime, but don’t be so hard on yourself. You are where you need to be right now and God has a special plan for you. Love is not just romantic, it comes in many forms…

Setting Our Shame Free – Riah’s Message

Setting Our Shame Free – Riah’s Message

ByThe Mind Connectory

This is a message from Riah about the importance of self worth. She has been fantastic enough to share her experiences to help others. I think that the message she shares is truly inspiring. I hope it can inspire you too!

Getting Back Up After A Mistake

Getting Back Up After A Mistake

ByThe Mind Connectory

Sometimes we stuff up really bad, and other times just a bit, but we feel equally guilty no matter what’s at stake. We knock ourselves because of our mistakes and we can hold onto baggage for a long long time. Making mistakes hurts us and it hurts other people. The first step to getting back…

Where Growth Pursues, Happiness Cultivates

Where Growth Pursues, Happiness Cultivates

ByThe Mind Connectory

In a world where uncomfortable and often undeserved issues plague us, we must look to something more wholesome, something more efficient that can ground us. We need to look to things that rise above resentment, negativity and shame. We often beat ourselves up about things we cannot physically change, but why? for what cause? Challenges…