What is Happiness? Is there any Secret to happiness? Is there any logical and step-by-step approach to Understanding happiness? Is there a Problem in being happy? Do we need to Solve that problem? 

I must say, that the answers to all these questions, are finally in one book – ‘Solve for Happy’ by Mo Gawdat. The author is  the Chief Business Officer at Google [X]. While writing this book, he applied his skills of structural and logical thinking and he truly believes that being happy is the default state of one’s life, but we have forgotten to remain in that state.

Mo has not suggested any specific method to follow to feel happy. He focuses on 6 Grand Illusions (Thought, Self, Knowledge, Time, Control and Fear), 7 Blind Spots (Filters, Assumptions, Predictions, Memories, Labels, Emotions and Exaggeration) and 5 Ultimate Truths (Now, Change, Love, Death and Design). If we make ourselves aware of these Illusions, Blind Spots and Ultimate Truths; we we can go back to our default setting of being happy.

The book is written in conversational style, and gives the reader the feeling of speaking with the author. Mo has given some simple exercises in the book, and has suggested the reader take the time to understand what is really being said.

Even if the reader is unaware of the fact that the author has an engineering background, it is quite clear that it has been written by a person who has a structured and algorithmic way of thinking. The problem has been addressed ‘slice by slice’ which helps the reader find his/her own solution. The book is not one among many self-help books, but gives a logical approach towards finding the solution.

The cover of the book is different – a smiley with various mathematical equations, and it makes one wonder about its contents.

Mo wrote this book after he lost his son Ali in 2014, an untimely death caused by medical negligence. Ali was always a happy and kind person, and was his father’s best friend, gaming buddy and also his guide. It was Ali’s positive energy that motivated Mo to write this book.

I highly recommend it.

Readers may visit http://www.solveforhappy.com/  to read more about the author.