Latest / Hardiness with Dr Paul Taylor / Mojo Monday: Ikigai, Feel a Life Worth Living

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Mojo Monday: Ikigai, Feel a Life Worth Living · Hardiness with Dr Paul Taylor

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Hi everybody. It's Carli here for this week's Mojo Monday.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: So I'm going to start with a question and feel
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: free to press poruts if you want to spend a
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: bit more time thinking about an answer, because it's not
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: one of those questions you can just kind of rattle
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: off the answer. It needs a bit of thinking process.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: So here it is. This is a question what makes
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  Speaker 1: your life worth living? So this is a question that
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: can help you find your ikey guy, which is a
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: topic I'll be talking about today. And I did question
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  Speaker 1: whether I would do a Mojo Monday or iggy Guy,
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  Speaker 1: as I wasn't sure ten minutes or would really do
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: it justice. So this is really a taste of what
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: egy guy is and how you can tap into it.
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  Speaker 1: And then at the end, I'll give you some recommended
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  Speaker 1: books and even maybe a course that you can look
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: into if you're interested to find out more. So when
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  Speaker 1: I mentioned the word ike guy, you may have had
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  Speaker 1: an image in your mind that comes up with a
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  Speaker 1: ven diagram. And if you google ikey guy, or go
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  Speaker 1: on LinkedIn or any of those socials, this ven diagram
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  Speaker 1: comes up. And if that's the case, one I'm about
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  Speaker 1: to tell you may surprise you because the true, authentic
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: Japanese concept of ikey guy is actually not that then diagram.
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  Speaker 1: It's not a single life's purpose that we have to
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  Speaker 1: seek out, and it doesn't solely come from okin Nawa
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  Speaker 1: in Japan. The ven diagram is actually a Western interpretation
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  Speaker 1: of ikey guy. And if you haven't seen the ven diagram,
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  Speaker 1: the areas on it that they say make up ikey
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  Speaker 1: guy to do something you love, do something you're good at,
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  Speaker 1: do something that the world needs, and do something that
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  Speaker 1: you can get paid for. And I was pleasantly surprised
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: to find out that this is not the Japanese concept
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: of ikey guy, because I always felt that meeting every
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  Speaker 1: aspect of this then diagram, especially the part about getting paid,
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  Speaker 1: was something that was kind of just a bit out
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  Speaker 1: of reach. So how did this Van diagram come to
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  Speaker 1: represent ikey Guy. Well, in twenty fourteen, an Englishman named
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  Speaker 1: Mark Winn and I think he was like an entrepreneur
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  Speaker 1: and a blogger, and he was watching Dan Brutner's Ted
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  Speaker 1: talk on the Blue zones. So if you haven't heard
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: of Dan Brutner, he has done a lot of studies
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  Speaker 1: on the areas which they call the blue zones where
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  Speaker 1: people live the longest. And what Dan Brutner talked about
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  Speaker 1: was these concepts of Ikey Guy in Okinawa and Mark
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: was fascinated by it, and he took another van diagram
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  Speaker 1: which was created by Andreas Zununaga gosh I hope I
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: pronounced that right, z U z u Naga. And what
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  Speaker 1: he did was he replaced the original word which was
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: in the middle of the venn diagram, which was purpose
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  Speaker 1: with ikey Guy. And the blog post went viral and
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  Speaker 1: this ven diagram, which has been the subject of many
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  Speaker 1: books and used by business coaches and entrepreneurs, has become
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: this it's a misconception in the West that this is
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: what Ikey Guy is. And while the ven diagram has
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  Speaker 1: been incredibly helpful for many people, especially in business, it's
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  Speaker 1: actually it's important to know that it isn't Ikey Guy. Now.
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: Nicholas Kemp, who Paul had on the podcast probably about
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: a year ago, has been working hard to get the
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: true Ikey Guy message out to the West. He's got
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: a coaching course and courses that he does called Ikey
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  Speaker 1: Guy Tribe, and which I did one of them over Lockdown,
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  Speaker 1: which is where I discovered the true meaning and Vicky
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: Guy and ikey Guy's now a huge part of my
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  Speaker 1: daily life and I wanted to share this with you
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  Speaker 1: so perhaps you can start feeling ikey guy in your
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  Speaker 1: daily life. So what is the true authentic ikey guy. Well,
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  Speaker 1: ike guy is a feeling that you get. So Iki
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  Speaker 1: means living and guy means value of or worth, so
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  Speaker 1: it translates to a life worth living. And to my surprise,
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  Speaker 1: it's actually not a special word in Japan. It's very
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  Speaker 1: much used in general conversation to describe how someone is feeling.
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  Speaker 1: And ikey guy is an approach to life that gives
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  Speaker 1: your life meaning and it can be a number of things.
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  Speaker 1: It can be small joys that you can experience every day.
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  Speaker 1: And I'll give you an example from my own daily
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  Speaker 1: life to kind of illustrate what that means. So I
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: love ceramics, particularly those ceramic pieces that are not perfect.
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  Speaker 1: They have that real kind of organic and earthy quality.
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  Speaker 1: And I've collected handmade boads, the small coffee mugs that
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: I've bought from local markets when I travel, and most
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: of them are without handles and shaped to almost mold
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  Speaker 1: in my hand as I'm drinking. And every morning I
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: choose a cup and I make myself a cup of
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  Speaker 1: coffee and I enjoy it while everyone else is still
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  Speaker 1: in bed, and I really savor the moment, and I
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  Speaker 1: don't do anything else but sip my coffee. So no texting,
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  Speaker 1: no checking socials. All the news is just me, my coffee,
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  Speaker 1: the dogs, and the morning bird song. And this little
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  Speaker 1: ritual is my ikey guy and it brings me this
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  Speaker 1: feeling of calmness, It brings me joy, a feeling of
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  Speaker 1: presence and gratitude. This is what we call my ikey guy. Kh't.
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  Speaker 1: So ikey guy is your source of iky guy, and
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  Speaker 1: then ikey guy can't is the feeling that you get
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  Speaker 1: from your ikey guy. And you notice in this example
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  Speaker 1: that I've given you that in order to feel ikey Guy,
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  Speaker 1: I have to be fully present, So if you're distracted,
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  Speaker 1: you won't tap into ikey guy. So you really need
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  Speaker 1: to have the intention to enjoy the moment of whatever
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  Speaker 1: your source of iky guy is. And this could be
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  Speaker 1: anything that you feel has meaning and value to you,
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  Speaker 1: so like a hobby, having a meaningful conversation with a friend,
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  Speaker 1: surfing nature, going for a run, whatever it is. Immersing
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  Speaker 1: yourself in it, even for a few seconds, and you
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  Speaker 1: will start to feel ikey Guy. And I'm actually finding
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  Speaker 1: the older I get, the more I tap into my
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  Speaker 1: Ikey Guy Khn't, which is that feeling is through nature.
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  Speaker 1: I really love being in nature. I feel present, I
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  Speaker 1: feel calm, and I would say that nature is one
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  Speaker 1: of my sources of Ikey Guy. So ike Guy can
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  Speaker 1: also be It can be a number of things. It
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: can be an object that has meaning to you. For example,
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  Speaker 1: I have a chair that my late mother used to
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  Speaker 1: sit in, and each time I now sit in that chair,
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  Speaker 1: I remember her and it gives me a moment of joy,
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  Speaker 1: and it's almost like I can feel her presence sort
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: of through the chair. There's been a fair amount of
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: research behind ikey Guy, and Nicholas camp has taken a
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: deep dive of this in his book Ikey Guy Khn't,
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: which I highly recommend if you are interested in Ikey Guy.
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: He talks ostensibly about mire Co Cama, who he refers
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: to as the mother of Ikey Guy, and she was
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  Speaker 1: one of the first researchers to study ikey Guy and
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: included an aspect of one of the things that it
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  Speaker 1: was included in her research was ikey guy being looking
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  Speaker 1: forward to a bright future. And so this is something
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  Speaker 1: that when we look forward to, So it could be
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  Speaker 1: a holiday, you know, a birth day gathering, or some
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: sort of celebration or event that holds meaning for you.
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  Speaker 1: So when you think about what's to come and that
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  Speaker 1: gives you that sense of sort of joy or that
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  Speaker 1: anticipation of joy, you can tap into that ekey guy.
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  Speaker 1: And I love this as I actually think it ties
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  Speaker 1: in really nicely with what Paul and I talked about
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  Speaker 1: a couple of weeks ago, which is looking to your
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  Speaker 1: future self in a positive light. So if you visualize
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  Speaker 1: yourself living a good life, it can bring a feeling
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  Speaker 1: of joy to the presence and motivate you to make
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: decisions now that will benefit your future self. And just
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  Speaker 1: like all feelings, ikey Guy comes and goes. And when
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  Speaker 1: things are challenging, it's easy to focus on those challenges
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  Speaker 1: and those difficulties that you're going through, but you can
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  Speaker 1: find ikey guy and moments of joy even during hard times,
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  Speaker 1: and this can really help us get through the tough times.
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  Speaker 1: And mere Co camea found that discovering meaning and value
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: in the challenges that we face in a way is
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  Speaker 1: a way to experience Siki Guy, and I can really
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  Speaker 1: relate to this. So some of you may know that
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  Speaker 1: my son was diagnosed with a very rare disease about
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: eighteen months ago and it was probably the most challenging
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: time of my life. But there was also meaning and
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  Speaker 1: value in that experience. So Oscar, my son and I
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  Speaker 1: shared a deep bond that I don't think I would
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  Speaker 1: have experienced if he hadn't been sick. I also tapped
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  Speaker 1: into this relentless determination to do everything that I could
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  Speaker 1: to get through it. And this aligns with another aspect
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  Speaker 1: that came have found, which is you can find ikey
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  Speaker 1: guy in growth and sense of purpose. So you can
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  Speaker 1: see there's many aspects of ikey Guy, and the main
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  Speaker 1: message here is that ikey Guy is not one thing
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: that you have to seek out, and it's certainly not
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  Speaker 1: something that you need to get paid for. You can
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  Speaker 1: find meaning in all areas of your life. You just
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: need to take the time to connect on a deeper
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  Speaker 1: level with the things that you value, the things that
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  Speaker 1: are important to you. So you could start with your family,
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  Speaker 1: so especially if everyone is so busy that all your
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: conversations revolve around logistics, like you know who needs to
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: go where and whether something needs to be washed, or
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  Speaker 1: I mean, that's my family. But take a moment to
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  Speaker 1: pause and put intentionally put the logistics aside and spend
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  Speaker 1: some quality time with the loved one and have a
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  Speaker 1: meaningful conversation, or go outside and look up. I do
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  Speaker 1: this a lot. I soak in the sounds and the
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  Speaker 1: sights and the aromas, and feel the air on my
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  Speaker 1: skin and connect with the fact that you're alive in
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  Speaker 1: this amazing world. And that can bring you a source
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  Speaker 1: of Vicky Guy. And the more you find sources of
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  Speaker 1: Viky Guy, the more Iky Guy becomes a daily approaching
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  Speaker 1: your life. So as we wrap up today's episode, I
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  Speaker 1: just want to leave you with a few thoughts. So
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  Speaker 1: Ikey Guy is about finding joy and purpose in everyday
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  Speaker 1: moments of our lives. And it's certainly not a destination.
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  Speaker 1: It's not a goal. It's more part of our life's journey.
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  Speaker 1: It's about recognizing and appreciating the small things that bring
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  Speaker 1: us happiness and fulfillment, whether it's a meaningful conversation with
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  Speaker 1: a loved one or the simple pleasures of your morning
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  Speaker 1: coffee or finding peace in nature. So Ikey Guy can
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  Speaker 1: be found all around us. So take a moment each
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  Speaker 1: day to reflect on what brings you joy and purpose,
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  Speaker 1: pay attention to those moments and really embrace them. And remember,
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  Speaker 1: Ikey Guy is not about meeting every criteria in a
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  Speaker 1: then diagram. It's about living a life that feels worthwhile
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  Speaker 1: to you in whatever form that takes. So I'm going
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  Speaker 1: to recommend some resources for you to find out more
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  Speaker 1: about the true authentic Ikey Guy. So a couple of books,
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: The Little Book of Ikey Guy which is by Ken
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  Speaker 1: Mogi which is m o g. I and Paul had
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  Speaker 1: him on the podcast a couple of years ago as well.
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: Nicholas camp As, I said, wrote a fantastic book called
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: Iggy Guy Khan and go to Ikey Guytribe dot com
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  Speaker 1: because he has he has some courses that you can
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  Speaker 1: do as well, and he's also got a podcast called
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  Speaker 1: Ikey Guy Tribe, so have a look at those. So
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: thank you so much for joining me. I hope you've
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  Speaker 1: found some inspiration to seek out and savor the moments
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: that make your life worth living, and wishing you a
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: week full of moments of iggy guy, have a great
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  Speaker 1: week and see you next Monday.