Occasionally, I receive correspondence from a reader that is so fascinating and useful that I want to share it with a wider audience. I am grateful to John Jay Pelletier, who sent me his book, "If You're Happy and You Know It, Keep It Up. If You're Not Happy, Whose Fault Is It?"
Pelletier, who describes himself as a 75-year-old world traveler, writes about "ikigai," 10 golden rules to happiness distilled from the wisdom of long-living residents of Ogimi, Japan. "Ikigai," pronounced "icky guy," is the title of a 2016 book written by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles.
These rules transcend international boundaries — it turns out I have been practicing them without even realizing it! So, I can vouch for the validity of their advice.
Here are the 10 rules, followed by my comments:
Stay active. Don't ever retire. I have followed this advice religiously. The only grass that grows under my feet is on the golf course. When people ask me about retirement, I tell them I'm going with my boots on.
Take it slow, one day at a time. I'm not sure I take it slow, but I do go one day at a time. I don't dwell on the past.
Don't fill your stomach; have a good diet. I have always eaten healthy (with a lot of help from my wife, Carol Ann, for the last 60-plus years).
Surround yourself with good friends. I have friends I have known since grade school, high school and college, friends who started out as business contacts, golfing friends, friends who share my passion for community service, and friends I met last week. They are all important to me.
