Pick A Book Sri Lanka recently held the latest edition of their Flip Side webinar series consulting with Inspire X Digital Head of Human Resources Jayani Perera and Pick A Book Web Developer Rajive Lochchan, discussing their learnings from the books “The Secret” by Rhinda Byrne and “Ikigai” by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia.
Pick A Book encourages reading as a habit by getting all participants to select a book, read and research it thoroughly, and present a summary, which also helps to hone his or her public speaking, communication, and presentation skills.
Unlocking ‘The Secret’
Perera spoke about “The Secret”, explaining that the book covers and deals with the law of attraction, explaining that over the course of her life, she has been an unwitting yet firm follower of the law of attraction because of the complete focus she has always placed on pursuing her goals.
On discovering “The Secret” and learning more about the law of attraction, Perera explained that many people rarely properly exercise the law of attraction, despite reading the book and learning about the principles governing it.
Put simply, the law of attraction is about controlling what you as an individual think and harnessing positive thinking to attract the positive energy you need to meet your goals. Perera said that “The Secret” explains that the universe reacts to each and every thought you have and manifests that thought whether positive or negative, similar to karma, and spreading bad energy and negativity will bring that same negative energy back to you.
“The Secret” is all about training the mind for positivity and using the law of attraction, Perera explained, adding that the process begins with gratitude each morning for everything around you and everything that you have.
The most powerful takeaway of “The Secret”, Perera explained, is the understanding that the law of attraction is one of the most powerful and unchanging laws of the universe, and like gravity, is always in motion, and the secret the book speaks of is being able to train your subconscious to think and manifest positively.
Discovering ‘Ikigai’
Lochchan spoke about “Ikigai”, explaining that the essence of “Ikigai” is how to live a long and happy lifestyle, giving many solutions to the problems we face in our daily lives, from eating habits to working habits to managing stress.
Explaining what “Ikigai” means, he likened it to a reason for being or a reason for living, breaking this down into four key areas: what you love, what you are good at, what you can be valued and paid for, and what the world needs; and finding ways to meet these four components in your life is what leads to finding Ikigai, or purpose.
Lochchan also spoke about how the book “Ikigai” helps readers discover their purpose and use this sense of purpose to make it through bad days. “Ikigai” also speaks about longevity, examining the lifestyles like those in Okinawa, Japan, where people regularly live to over 100 years old, explaining the lifestyles and philosophies that have helped these people live long, healthy lives, and illustrating principles that can include longevity like enough restful sleep, the power of meditation and exercise, healthy eating, and taking on the right amount of stress.
“Ikigai” provides practical steps to achieve Ikigai, Lochchan said, and the power of positive thinking plays an important role in Ikigai as it does with “The Secret”. With both speakers discussing their different viewpoints and experiences in reading these two books, it was apparent that the secret to success, as always, lies within us and our ability to experience the world positively.
