NEW eBook – How to be Wise and Happy

  I’ve just released a little eBook called How to be Wise & Happy Happiness strategies inspired by history’s wisest philosophers How to be Wise & Happy looks at the happiness philosophies of 5 great philosophers and uses that wisdom to suggest modern-day strategies for happiness. Plus there’s a bonus section containing happiness insights from… Continue reading NEW eBook – How to be Wise and Happy

On Happiness – Let success follow happiness

Albert Schweitzer – humanitarian, prolific author and Nobel Peace Prize winner – said: Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. If you find that hard to believe, you might like to take a(nother) look at 101 Happiness Strategies:… Continue reading On Happiness – Let success follow happiness

On Happiness: Give what you most want for yourself

Eve Ensler created Vagina Monologues after interviewing more than 200 women about their bodies. Its worldwide success helped her establish V-Day, a movement fighting violence against females that has raised more than $35 million for campaigns and direct action. Here’s what Ensler has to say about happiness: Happiness exists in action. It exists in telling… Continue reading On Happiness: Give what you most want for yourself

On Happiness – Nietzsche

Nietzsche* wasn’t exactly a model of lightheartedness. He eventually succumbed to incapacitating mental illness, which some believe to have been part-inspired by his radical philosophies and relentless questioning of ‘truth’. Even so, he had some profound things to say about being happy. – He famously proclaimed ‘the death of God’. But rather than face a… Continue reading On Happiness – Nietzsche

If you want to be happy, think outside the self

In this 12-minute TED talk, Buddhist scholar Bob Thurman shares simple yet profound insights about happiness. If you don’t want to watch the video (don’t worry – you won’t miss any how-to-be-happy demonstrations), then here’s a summary: Self-obsession is boring Thinking of ourselves as alone in the world puts us into a delusion. The more… Continue reading If you want to be happy, think outside the self

On Happiness – Epicurus

In stark contrast to the contemporaneous Stoics – for whom a virtuous soul was the key to happiness – Epicurus* believed ‘pleasure is the beginning and the goal of a happy life’. Now before you get carried away picturing hedonistic orgies, I should clarify what he meant by pleasure. Although Epicurus and his followers were… Continue reading On Happiness – Epicurus

On Happiness – Aristotle

Aristotle* believed the aim of life is to be happy. But there’s a catch – to be happy, you have to be good. Fortunately, Aristotle wasn’t asking for perfect virtue. Instead he recommended a happy medium between opposites, believing neither extreme to be ideal. So for instance, we should aim for: -Neither shame nor hubris, but… Continue reading On Happiness – Aristotle