The secret to happiness lies within us

His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama once said, “Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions.”

Exploring the same is Dr Yusuf Mechant’s new book Happyness: Life Lessons from a Creative Addict, where the author tries to offer forty-two different ways to live a peaceful and fulfilling life to the readers. Talking about the genesis of the book, Dr Yusuf says, “The story began with my sufferings. I have gone through a lot in my life and have chased happiness for around 40 years. I was in a boarding school in Pune. I thought if I come to Mumbai (Bombay back then), I would be happy but when I came here I wasn’t happy. Then I thought that maybe having friends would make me happy, but even that didn’t work. I kept doing all the conventional things to make myself happy, until I understood that happiness is a choice and has to be found within.”

He further adds, “There are many like me who search for happiness outside. I hope this book will be helpful for at least a few of them.”

The doctor, who is also a leading anti-drug crusader and the founder-president of the Drug Abuse Information Rehabilitation and Research Centre (DAIRRC), also brings together scientific theories on the functioning of the brain and how it alters under stress, depression and addiction. However, ask the author what happiness means to him and he quips, “It makes me very happy to help my patients.” A chapter on the book is solely dedicated to good parenting and how that can help a child be happy.

Talking about that, the author says, “Happiness is the by-product of good value systems. We condition our kids a lot. I don’t like bhindi, but to make me eat that my mother would use many tricks.  Parents force their kids, however when the kid doesn’t clear the examinations he/she might end up feeling incapable. I really feel  conditioning a child is the worst thing parents can do.”