Solve for Happy: Engineer Your Path to Joy
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- Create Date：2021-09-20 05:52:38
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Mo Gawdat
- ISBN：1501157582
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Summary
In this “powerful personal story woven with a rich analysis of what we all seek” （Sergey Brin， cofounder of Google）， Mo Gawdat， Chief Business Officer at Google’s [X]， applies his superior logic and problem solving skills to understand how the brain processes joy and sadness—and then he solves for happy。
In 2001 Mo Gawdat realized that despite his incredible success， he was desperately unhappy。 A lifelong learner， he attacked the problem as an engineer would: examining all the provable facts and scrupulously applying logic。 Eventually， his countless hours of research and science proved successful， and he discovered the equation for permanent happiness。
Thirteen years later， Mo’s algorithm would be put to the ultimate test。 After the sudden death of his son， Ali， Mo and his family turned to his equation—and it saved them from despair。 In dealing with the horrible loss， Mo found his mission: he would pull off the type of “moonshot” goal that he and his colleagues were always aiming for—he would share his equation with the world and help as many people as possible become happier。
In Solve for Happy Mo questions some of the most fundamental aspects of our existence， shares the underlying reasons for suffering， and plots out a step-by-step process for achieving lifelong happiness and enduring contentment。 He shows us how to view life through a clear lens， teaching us how to dispel the illusions that cloud our thinking; overcome the brain’s blind spots; and embrace five ultimate truths。
No matter what obstacles we face， what burdens we bear， what trials we’ve experienced， we can all be content with our present situation and optimistic about the future。
In 2001 Mo Gawdat realized that despite his incredible success， he was desperately unhappy。 A lifelong learner， he attacked the problem as an engineer would: examining all the provable facts and scrupulously applying logic。 Eventually， his countless hours of research and science proved successful， and he discovered the equation for permanent happiness。
Thirteen years later， Mo’s algorithm would be put to the ultimate test。 After the sudden death of his son， Ali， Mo and his family turned to his equation—and it saved them from despair。 In dealing with the horrible loss， Mo found his mission: he would pull off the type of “moonshot” goal that he and his colleagues were always aiming for—he would share his equation with the world and help as many people as possible become happier。
In Solve for Happy Mo questions some of the most fundamental aspects of our existence， shares the underlying reasons for suffering， and plots out a step-by-step process for achieving lifelong happiness and enduring contentment。 He shows us how to view life through a clear lens， teaching us how to dispel the illusions that cloud our thinking; overcome the brain’s blind spots; and embrace five ultimate truths。
No matter what obstacles we face， what burdens we bear， what trials we’ve experienced， we can all be content with our present situation and optimistic about the future。
Reviews
Mitya
，
Думаю， книжечка должна подойти подросткам 8-12 лет。
Shaked Zychlinski
，
I've been debating with myself whether I should rate this book as a 2-stars or 3-stars book。 I'll begin with why I thought 2-stars: While the author divides the book into 3 main section， Illusions， Blind Spots and Truths， it's all pretty much the same thing but different words。 I believe you can read only the Truths and still get 85%-90% of the book。 And that means the book is tedious。 There are too many sub-chapters that repeat the previous ones， only with different words。 I found myself skippi I've been debating with myself whether I should rate this book as a 2-stars or 3-stars book。 I'll begin with why I thought 2-stars: While the author divides the book into 3 main section， Illusions， Blind Spots and Truths， it's all pretty much the same thing but different words。 I believe you can read only the Truths and still get 85%-90% of the book。 And that means the book is tedious。 There are too many sub-chapters that repeat the previous ones， only with different words。 I found myself skipping paragraphs too often。 Also， the worst part of the book - in my opinion - is the last truth， the Grand Design， where the author proves that the universe is not random， but a creation of some superior being。 The way he proves it sounded to me almost like a Flat-Earthers trying to convince themselves the Earth is flat - by over-simplifying the science he is obviously not too familiar with， and up to the point of being too close to self-contradiction。 So why 3 stars？ Among the repeating words， the author does make some interesting and worth-pondering ideas， especially when he himself is the "success model" we're all after， yet claiming this isn't making him happy。 Some of his statements and ideas stuck with me， and so 3 stars instead of 2。 。。。more
Diego
，
I have to divide this evaluation in two parts: the whole book except the last chapter and the last chapter。The first part would definitely get a solid 4 stars。 The author has been trough a major loss in his life and talk about how he managed to cope with it。 I liked what I heard – it’s not the default “think positive and the universe will provide” bs you normally see around， its actually some sound advice， I was genuinely enjoying the book…。 Then it came the last chapter。 The last chapter deserv I have to divide this evaluation in two parts: the whole book except the last chapter and the last chapter。The first part would definitely get a solid 4 stars。 The author has been trough a major loss in his life and talk about how he managed to cope with it。 I liked what I heard – it’s not the default “think positive and the universe will provide” bs you normally see around， its actually some sound advice， I was genuinely enjoying the book…。 Then it came the last chapter。 The last chapter deserves 1 star （because is the minimum possible）， so you may thing that the “average” would be 2。5 – but no， I’m sorry I can give it that。 The last chapter is so bad， it drags the evaluation as lower as it can possibly go。I wish I could find the words to explain how disappointing and， I’m sorry， idiotic the last chapter is。In summary （spoiler alert）， in the last chapter， the author decided to talk about God， more specifically， whether or not there is an “intelligent” creator behind life and everything else。And he concluded， with a high level of authority， that there is one， following this line of thinking: 1） either there is or there isn’t a God2） if there isn’t one， everything is the result of random change3） everything being the result of random change is extremely improbable， therefore there must be a GodI mean， read a fu**** Richard Dawkins book for havens sake。This is so silly， that it makes it hard even to argue against it – it is “common knowledge” to anyone that has ever read a physics book that this is not a valid argument。All his “proof” is based on the statistical improbability of events…Apart from a Donald Trump speech， I don’t think I’ve ever head the words “billions” and “trillions” that many times （like the chance of X happening is 1 in 10 billion， billion， trillion…。 And so on）Of course， he uses the “Infinite monkey theorem” to exemplify everything and focus on the fact that the probability that the universe as we known today came into existence trough random chance is so tiny that the chance of it occurring – even in a period of time hundreds of thousands of orders of magnitude longer than its existence - is extremely low。 Therefore， God did it。The math is valid， but the argument is so weak that arguing against it is almost like trying to talk to a flat-earther…。 PointlessI think he hits the lower ground was when he concludes that we cannot have evoked from simple beings because IPhones cannot have evolved from a box of sand – yes， he actually said that。He also QUESTIONS THE EVOLUTION FROM HOMO HABILIS TO HOMO SAPIENS saying that， by random chance， many many trillions of “attempts” would be necessary to produce one species （sapiens） whose brain is 3 times larger than the previous （habilis） and questions: where are all the fossils of those attempts？Man， even if I was Durga （the Indian deity with 10 arms）， I wouldn’t have had sufficient hands to facepalm me enough while reading the last chapter。 。。。more
Jessica Lu
，
This is a book with a title that didn’t get me excited at all。 （Shouldn’t it be “Solve for Happiness”？） However， reading the monthly assigned books with an open mind is the basic courtesy being a bookclub member。 So I plowed through and finished its 500+ pages within a week。As I said， it is not an exciting book， but its structure， easy language in explanation and clear highlighted points of views make this book a good and quick read。 The author， a business executive of Google （X）， after his 21-y This is a book with a title that didn’t get me excited at all。 （Shouldn’t it be “Solve for Happiness”？） However， reading the monthly assigned books with an open mind is the basic courtesy being a bookclub member。 So I plowed through and finished its 500+ pages within a week。As I said， it is not an exciting book， but its structure， easy language in explanation and clear highlighted points of views make this book a good and quick read。 The author， a business executive of Google （X）， after his 21-years old son died in a mistreated medical accident， devoted his time and energy in writing this book。 The work served him well and helped his healing from the grief of a heart-broken father。 Some parts of the book touch me very much。As the topics of the book are very commonly discussed （even inundate）， I found most his chapters agreeable and reenforcing。 A few chapters with several ideas are not to my liking。 Especially the last chapter about “the designer”。 Being an agnostic， if not an atheist， I am not impressed about his loud rhetoric making up for fallacious arguments。 （He did say， “I could be wrong， so take what fits you and drop the rest。”） However， the reading of this book， to me， was like panning for gold nuggets。 And I did find some， fresh， shinning and valuable。 His engineer-style analysis and video game players’ metaphors are brilliant！ I collect what resonate with me below in my note as well as in the photos。Note:Happiness:> We don’t need a reason to be happy; happiness is the absence of unhappiness。 The easiest way to become happy is to just be happy。 Remove the unhappy thought， replace it with a happy one and let the rest take care of itself。> It’s not the event that makes us unhappy; it’s the way we think about it that does。 Your happiness depends not on the conditions of the world around you， but on the thoughts you create about them。> Happiness depends entirely on how we control every thought。 Happiness is all in a thought - the right thought - one that aligns with reality and solves the “happiness equation” positively。> Happiness starts with a conscious choice; do the best we can， take the pain， but drop the suffering。 > Feeling of gratitude makes us happy; gratitude is a sure path to happiness。Thoughts:> You are not your thoughts。 Those thoughts exist to serve you。 Not “I think， therefore I am。”， but “I am， therefore my brain thinks。” > Tell your brain what to do， not the other way around。 Go get me a happier thought！ Usually things aren’t all bad。 Train your brain to find the good and make it the focus of your thought， like “what is good about this situation？”， “what do I like about it？”， and “what’s in the full half of the glass？”> Reframing the thought reframes the emotion。 The simple act of trying to trace the emotion to the thought that caused it gives you the breather you need in order to cool down。> Watch your thoughts， knowing that the only power they can gain over you is the power you grant them。Mindfulness:> Meditation isn’t a lifestyle。 It’s a practice that prepares you for a lifestyle。 The ultimate aim is to live in a state of greater awareness outside the meditation room， so it becomes your lifestyle throughout the day。> Free up the brain cycles it needs to obsess over its own thoughts。 Choose the one thing it can process at a time to be something other than thought。> Stay still and calmly observe the world inside and outside。 Keep removing those filters again and again until the silence returns。> We don’t need thoughts to be aware， just presence。 The black belt of presence is to notice when you’re not aware。> It doesn’t matter what you set out to notice， just give yourself a reason to be alert。 The simple act of noticing will snap you back into present。> The more emphasis you put on your intention to be aware， the more you pay attention and the more you perceive。 Awareness starts to emerge when you pay attention。> Most of us do more than be。 If you just stop doing， you will default to being。 And being is the only state in which you are fully aware。> There’s no reason to lose your presence and awareness when you do。 You can remain aware by focusing your attention on the process of doing， not the end results。 The trick is in trying to do everything to the best of your ability。 Give every little step all you’ve got and perform as if it’s the very first thing you’ve ever done it。 Give it your undivided attention。Self> You are not your body; you are not your emotions; you are not your beliefs; you are not your name; you are not your achievements; you are not your possessions。 You are the observer。> How much we put on every day to serve nothing but our ego？ Get real， you are not the star of the movie。> Dedicate yourself to doing your very best and aiming for the best results regardless of how others perceive you。Knowledge:> Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance。> Eliminate arrogance; remove your obsession with being right。 Make your eagerness to learn overpower your ego’s desire to be right。> When nothing is certain and nothing ever is - choose to be happy。 When you choose between two thoughts and can prove neither with total certainty， choose the one that makes you happy。Time:> Be the master of the task， instead of being the slave of the clock。> When we’re focused on the past or the future， we’re living in our thoughts and not in reality。 Live your life in the here and now， not inside your head。> When you tune in to the present moment， you accept it as it is。 You don’t compare it or judge it。 You’re 100% in harmony with the “happiness equation”。 Events totally match your expectations when you observe the world as it is。 Then you are in peace and happy。> As far as the future goes， be optimistic， but live now。> While eternity is commonly understood to be a very long time， it really is the absence of time。 It is timelessness。 Give yourself the luxury of a timeless experience at least once a week。 Make sure you have no connection to time。Control:> Take the responsible action first， then release the need to control。 Your actions remain committed， but let your attachment to outcomes vanish completely。> Do the best you can in every situation and trust that all will work out fine。 It is all going to be fine in the end; if it is not yet fine， then it is not yet the end。> When things change， you should look at the current situation with an open fresh perspective and attempt to use the new events in your favor despite their having taken place beyond your control。> Choose your attitude。Fear:> We are unhappy not because life is unfair， but because our expectations are totally blurred by the illusion of fear。> The more you build things up， the more threatened you feel and the more weak spots you expose。> It’s normal to be afraid。 What’s wrong is to behave as if you’re not because that leads to wrong decisions。 We tend to come up with reasons to explain why the choices we make aren’t driven by fear。> There are so many hidden fears。 We live with them as they eat us up from the inside。 If you find it hard to admit your fears， then you may have the fear of facing your fears。> Every negative emotion you will ever feel will have traces of fear all over it。 When you find it difficult to admit your fears， ask yourself a different question: are you free？> You are not a perfectionist; it is a lie。 You are just afraid of failure。 Fear of failure doesn’t drive our best performance。 All it does is add anxiety。 What truly drives us to success is our hard work and you don’t need to be afraid to work hard。 > The only thing life wants is to be experienced。 Life keeps presenting you with experiences， some to enjoy and some to learn from as you develop and grow。 Keep thinking “what is the best-case scenario？”> Right now， you’re okay。 Turn your fear into action。 When you act in spite of your fear， you will realize that there is nothing to fear。> there isn’t a single day in life worth living in fear。 What will happen will happen， regardless of your fear。 And in the end， we will all be fine。 There’s really nothing to fear。Blind spots:> Your brain has a tendency to spot what’s wrong and what can represent a threat。> We tend to think negative， self critical， pessimistic and fearful thoughts more often than positive thoughts。 We tend to remember negative traits more easily。 We tend to recall negative memories more often。 > Not necessarily the reality that shapes you， but the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality。> In the absence of context， labels very often cover up the truth。> Keep asking the question “Is it true？” as many times as you need until you end up with a description of the event that’s a factual narrative， a story that attaches nothing more to it than the truth。Love:> Unconditional love genuinely built upon “I love” and nothing more - no reasons or pre-conditions， no expectations or demands， and consequently no disappointments。 No thoughts！ This is the only form of true love。> The true joy of true love is in giving it。 The more love you give， the more you get back。 Like a saving account， the more love you deposit， the more it grows and multiples so that when it’s time for you to withdraw， even more will be there for you。> In physics， the law of conservation of energy means that energy never goes away。 Love follows the same law: true love can’t be destroyed; it just changes from one form to another。 The love that you inject into a system morphs and then comes back to you from where you least expect it。> Give love， acceptance and understanding with no judgment。 Help if you can。 Make them feel that someone cares， Treat everyone as you would like to be treated。 That’s the golden rule of love。> The ultimate forms of giving is forgiving。 Choose to be kind instead of right。Life:> Live a life worth living。 Living another day becomes a precious gift only when the life is worth extending。 The path to joy is to see life for what it’s worth。> Focus on the goal of becoming a better person。 Work hard， grow and make a difference in the world， and feel good about yourself。 Love yourself for doing your best。> Instead of grieving about what we have lost， be grateful of what we had have。> Life is a rental。 Why do we hold on so tight when sooner or later it will all be gone。 Why do we accumulate material possessions knowing everything we are ever given has to someday be taken away。> Rent a full and happy life！ All of life becomes ours to enjoy， but not to keep。 We find a life that’s rich with variety and free of fear。> If nothing is mine， then nothing can be lost。> Whenever something moves out of my life， space is created for new experience to move in。> Focus on now。 Do the best you can。 Live life one day at a time。Death:> Death is not an event - it’s a process。 We die a little every day。> Death is the end of our physical form， but it is not the opposite of life。 Death is the opposite of birth。 Birth and death are the portals through which we come in and go out of this physical form， but life is independence of all that’s physical。 Life observes the physical。> How different is your life on this earth from a video game？ If your physical form - the avatar you use to navigate the physical world - is not the real you， then what difference does it make if you face a few challenges on the way？ Regardless of how immersed we get in the game of life， we get through it。 We live through ups and downs， some gifts and some losses， but none of it matters because when we focus on the gameplay every experience feels new and it’s all fun。> When the video game gets harder do we engage， learn and develop new skills。 So， take the hard parts of life with a smile。 It’s just the way the game is designed。> We come to this level of life from a previous level we know nothing about， through a portal called birth， and we leave it for a level we don’t yet know， through a portal we called death。 When you leave this level you take nothing with you， although your good deeds in this level may position you better for the next。 If you fail to acquire the skills you needed to as you rushed through the game， you go back and replay the level through reincarnation。> Could it be that this life is just one level in our larger game？> Make living the focus。 Live in peace， instead of rest in peace。 。。。more
Frank Paul
，
Oh dear。 This book started strong。 He seemed to have some interesting insights about life and a knack for simplified writing about heady subjects。 He had a nice blend of an engineer's eye for detail and a teacher's ability to explain。But then he spends the last 30 pages arguing for Intelligent Design。 Yes， really。And the arguments he employs are so simplistic that they have to be dishonest。 The examples he uses could not withstand the scrutiny of a single night discussion in a freshman dorm。Gawd Oh dear。 This book started strong。 He seemed to have some interesting insights about life and a knack for simplified writing about heady subjects。 He had a nice blend of an engineer's eye for detail and a teacher's ability to explain。But then he spends the last 30 pages arguing for Intelligent Design。 Yes， really。And the arguments he employs are so simplistic that they have to be dishonest。 The examples he uses could not withstand the scrutiny of a single night discussion in a freshman dorm。Gawdat seems to believe he has cracked the code to being happy。 And I am sure he is a good engineer。 But that does not a philosopher make。I came back to add one important point about this book。 Mo writes extensively about the sudden death of his young son Ali。 He write about him with real grace and obvious love。 This book is clearly a product of the author's intention to keep his son's memory alive and to make his passing have a positive impact on the world。But the sincerity of his emotions and purity of his motives cannot overcome the glaring gaps in his thinking。 He actually argues that while evolution is a scientific fact， that the process of natural selection only influences how a species differentiates over time。 In other words， moths might become lighter or darker over time but moths can never evolve into something that is not a moth。 This claim simply ignores the overwhelming evidence for evolution of all living species from common ancestors。 The fossil record is replete with that evidence。 Our discovery and subsequent unlocking of DNA affirms that evidence beyond doubt。 Mo Gawdat is free to not believe that evidence。 But if he wants to write about this subject again， he should understand that a good portion of his audience knows this evidence exists。 Ignoring it is intellectually insulting。 。。。more
Oscar De Ita
，
No podemos ganar nada que no perdamos al final。Puedes leer esto con tristeza o dejar que la verdad te libere。 Toda mi vida y todo lo que he llamado mío es， fundamentalmente， un alquiler。 Lo disfruto plenamente mientras soy el arrendatario， pero tarde o temprano lo entregaré felizmente a otros。 Si nada es mío， entonces no puedo perder nada。 Así pues， dejo que las cosas vayan y vengan y las experimento mientras duran。 Las amo sin reservas， las disfruto y les hago sentir cuánto las aprecio hasta qu No podemos ganar nada que no perdamos al final。Puedes leer esto con tristeza o dejar que la verdad te libere。 Toda mi vida y todo lo que he llamado mío es， fundamentalmente， un alquiler。 Lo disfruto plenamente mientras soy el arrendatario， pero tarde o temprano lo entregaré felizmente a otros。 Si nada es mío， entonces no puedo perder nada。 Así pues， dejo que las cosas vayan y vengan y las experimento mientras duran。 Las amo sin reservas， las disfruto y les hago sentir cuánto las aprecio hasta que llega la hora de seguir y dejo que continúen su propia vida。Cuando por último aprendí a soltarme y dejarlo fluir todo， tuve la impresión de que recibía más: un hecho contradictorio que presenta una elegante geometría。 Cuando algo sale de mi vida se crea un nuevo espacio para nuevas experiencias。 Aprender a desprenderme ha enriquecido mi vida。 Es como la economía colaborativa: puedes conducir los mejores coches sin poseerlos。 Así que… 。。。more
George Araman
，
Very well organized， with great graphics。 I really enjoyed the remember tips as well。
Michael Moseley
，
An excellent book to take you on a journey through the battles to remain happy in a challenging world where too much of the noise and distractions is making us unhappy。 It does not need to be that way Mo gives you a way to craft your life into the one you are dreaming of。 I have been following Mo's pod casts for sometime and the overall philosophy has greatly helped me achieve a better balance in my life。 I highly recommend this to anyone although I cannot share Mo's views around intelligent des An excellent book to take you on a journey through the battles to remain happy in a challenging world where too much of the noise and distractions is making us unhappy。 It does not need to be that way Mo gives you a way to craft your life into the one you are dreaming of。 I have been following Mo's pod casts for sometime and the overall philosophy has greatly helped me achieve a better balance in my life。 I highly recommend this to anyone although I cannot share Mo's views around intelligent design。 。。。more
Edith
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Do you want to get happy？ Don't read this book！ Sneaky creationism。 Do you want to get happy？ Don't read this book！ Sneaky creationism。 。。。more
Mary Carmen
，
The first part， about life's illusions is incredibly insightful and right up my alley of questioning。。。 Well， EVERYTHING。 The last part about the truths did lose me a bit， but overall I find its approach to happiness very inspiring and liberating。 The first part， about life's illusions is incredibly insightful and right up my alley of questioning。。。 Well， EVERYTHING。 The last part about the truths did lose me a bit， but overall I find its approach to happiness very inspiring and liberating。 。。。more
Booklover
，
This audiobook had me in tears so many times。 I loved listening to Mo's voice which reminded me so much of my late Egyptian father。 I loved his heartfelt mentions of his beloved son Ali who passed away。 Similar to the author， I am trying to be happy and live my new life after the recent loss of a loved one。 I have bookmarked so many sections of the book to be read over and over again as reminders for me。 My favourite quotes so far （and there are many） and the approximate time markers in the audi This audiobook had me in tears so many times。 I loved listening to Mo's voice which reminded me so much of my late Egyptian father。 I loved his heartfelt mentions of his beloved son Ali who passed away。 Similar to the author， I am trying to be happy and live my new life after the recent loss of a loved one。 I have bookmarked so many sections of the book to be read over and over again as reminders for me。 My favourite quotes so far （and there are many） and the approximate time markers in the audiobook:- 48:00 If the triggers for happy moments are so ordinary and so accessible， why does finding happiness remain such a big challenge for so many people and why when we find it， does it so easily slip away？ - 49:00 Happiness happens when life seems to be going your way。 You feel happy when life behaves the way you want it to。 Not surprisingly， the opposite is also true。 Unhappiness happens when your reality does not match your hopes and expectations。 。。。 Your unhappiness at that betrayal might linger forever waiting to be re-lived anytime you feel blue or hostile。。。- 50:00 Happiness equation: Happiness equal to or greater than your perception of the events of your life minus your expectations of how life should behave。 It's not the event that makes us unhappy， it's the way we think about it that does。 - 1:02:00 The day my wonderful son left everything went dark。 I felt I had earned the right to suffer for the rest of my life。 That I was given no choice but to close my door and decay。 I was in reality given two choices: A。 I could choose to suffer for the rest of my life and it would not be bring Ali back。 Or B: I could choose to feel the pain but stop the miserable thoughts， do all I could to honour his memory and it would still not bring Ali back。 Though it would make the world a bit easier to endure。 - 1:28。 If there is one thing that will change your life forever is that the voice talking to you is not you。 To observe something you need to be outside of it。 1:31。 Naughty thoughts are simply presented to you for your consideration。 That's what the brain does。 What you do with those thoughts is up to you。 You don't have to obey。 1:42。 You're the boss。 You get to choose。 This means you tell your brain what to do， not the other way around。 。。。。 2:00 Your unconscious brain can't process a negative。 In your conscious brain， you can simply negate a concept as in no suffering， but your unconscious mind would take that concept and think only of the word it understands， the very word you want to negate。 Instead of negating a concept， you have to replace it with the opposite of that concept。 。。。 happiness。 。。。。 Instead of not being at a job you dislike， think about being at another job altogether。 That's the way to shift your thinking into happy thoughts。 2:03 Learn to prime your brain with happy thoughts related to the topic it has been thinking negatively about。 。。。 There must be something I like about this job， what is it？ 2:27 You are none of what you just observed。 You are the observer。2:32 If a thief took off with some of your hard won earnings， it may affect your physical form and your thoughts might make you suffer， but the real you would lose nothing。 You would be observing those changes while you remain unchanged。 The illusion driving you to protect all of the possessions in your life is an attempt by your physical form to control the physical world around it。 。。。 With no fear of loss then and with no worries about the future， you would understand that nothing could really hurt you。 2:53 Ali was never mine。 Ali was his。 He led a life that took him places。 Sometimes I was a part of his story and sometimes I wasn't。 。。。 While I will always miss him， I know it was his path。 He was never mine。 2:57 See how much we put on every day to serve nothing but our ego。 See how little is left to carry around if you strip off the images that you constantly work to maintain。 See how light you feel without them。 。。。 Whether your body is toned or overweight， ask yourself does that make you fit in one role or another。 Have you been exercising to stay healthy or to look athletic and attractive？ If it was just to stay healthy， would you have exercised differently？ Is that body even you？ 。。。 Even if you gained or lost 100 pounds， the pure one inside is [you]。 3:51 Every moment in your life is neither all good or all bad。 When you clear your thoughts and see beyond the illusion of knowledge， you will realize that 。。。。 nothing is good or bad， but thinking makes it so。 4:11 That voice is often the messenger of thoughts that lead to pain and sorrow。 When you scrutinize the thoughts themselves， you will notice that very few of them have to do with the present moment。 They're almost always entangled in the past or busy predicting the future。 That's particularly true of unhappy thoughts。 Almost all emotions anchored in the present though moment are happy。 4:15 。。。 when your thoughts and feelings are caught up in the future， you're just imagining things。 Moreover， you have absolutely no way to guarantee that out of all the endless possibilities of how things could turn out， the one you're imagining will be the one that actually takes place。 。。。 Unfortunately for happiness， your brain is sold on the idea that the next moment is more important than the one you're in。 On the other hand， the moment that already passed by is already more familiar and therefore perhaps more comfortable than the one right now。 These biases of the brain are what move us all too easily into a state of confusion。 Ruminating on the past or bracing for an imagined future while neglecting to pause and live in the present moment。 Even though the present is all there really is。4:16 When we're focussed on the past or the future， we're living in our own thoughts and not in reality。 And the impact of living in thoughts is beyond profound。 。。。 If you're not in the here and now， then you're simply in your head。 There's nowhere else to be。 。。。 There are wonderful memories based on times when you were in the now。 The moments I'm talking about are the ones when you were in your head worrying about the past or the future。 You don't remember those thoughts because they were not memorable。 They're wasted because they could have been in the now making real memories。 4:29 In your thoughts， you will notice that whatever you're upset about is rooted in a past you cannot change or a future that may turn out to be completely different from what you expect。 You may as well as let the past or the future go and do your best at whatever you're doing right now。 This is the moment。 The only one you can count on。 Live in it fully and the rest will take care of itself。 4:31 Right now you're alive。 So savour every sweet second that you're on this planet。。。 This is truly all you can control。 As far as the future goes， be optimistic， but live。 Now。 Take away that thought of what might happen in the future and it won't make you suffer。 You're alive now。 In this very moment， there is absolutely nothing wrong at all。 Live here and now。 4:58 Ali left。 All I can control now is my actions and my attitude。 I choose to be positive and grateful for the years he blessed us with his presence。 I choose to honour his life with my actions。 That's within my control。 5:04 Whatever it is， there's always something that frightens each of us or at least worries us enough to keep us locked inside a routine losing out on experiencing all the different flavours of life。 5:06 I convinced myself for years that I'm just a perfectionist， but that's a lie。 I'm afraid of failure。 。。。 If there is something you want to do but aren't able to then you're not free even though you're not in a physical prison。 Think about the invisible walls of your captivity。 。。。 Every fear originates from a conditioned response。 Most of the time， our conditioning delivers a subtle but sufficient dose of fear that keeps us from being totally free even if the original reason for the fear no longer exists and even if the underlying reality of the threat becomes insignificant。 5:16 If asked why you have that fear， your initial response might just be "because"。 But if you dig deeper past the brain's defense mechanism， you'll discover where that fear really stems from。 What is it that you're really afraid of？ 5:23 What keeps us alive and propels us forward are our actions， not our fears。 Fear， if anything， paralyses us。 It blurs our judgement and blocks us from making the best possible decisions。 7:32 。。。 we just feel exhausted and wonder why life seems to be a constant struggle。 We don't realize that we are the ones who make life harder than it needs to be。 7:41 We often throw ourselves into a fight against life。 But in any fight， more is lost than won。 We're then inclined to complain that life is tough。 Life can be easy; it's the path we choose that's tough。 。。。 Seek the path of least resistance。 9:07 Every day a version of you and everyone you love dies。 They leave and never return。 Please don't let any of them pass unappreciated。 We rush through life and delay living it。 We keep adding to our bucket list and we forget that the time to live that list may never come。 Life is one long bucket list。 Live it while you still can。 Live before you die。 。。。 Life is a rental。 Understand that when the time finally comes， you will leave everything behind。 Material wealth， the people you love， and everything you hold so dear。 This raises the most important question of all。 Why do we hold on so tight when sooner or later it will all be gone。 。。。 Why do we accumulate material possessions that we don't need today when tomorrow may never come？ 。。。。 Life is a zero sum game: we come in with nothing and we leave with nothing。 。。。 Everything we are ever given has to be someday taken away。 Nothing can be gained that will eventually be lost。 You can read this with sadness or you can let the truth set you free。 My whole life and all that I ever called mine is essentially a rental。 I enjoy it fully while I'm the tenant。。。 I find freedom in that。 If nothing's mine， then nothing can be lost。 So I let things come and go and I experience them while they last。 。。。 9:10 Whenever something moves out of my life， space is created for new experiences to move in。 Letting go makes my life richer。。。。 Rent a full and happy life。 Nothing is here to stay。 9:11 To die is to leave everything behind。 。。。 I'm not afraid to die because I choose to die on my own terms。 I choose to let go of my attachment to all physical positions before they are forced away from me。 I choose to rent every experience that comes my way， enjoy it fully， but nothing owns me。 When we let go， we learn to die before we die。 All of life becomes ours to enjoy but not to keep。 We then find a life that's rich with variety and free of fear。 Life becomes our focus。 We stop thinking of the time we will rest in peace and only then do we learn to live in peace。 。。。more
Meljennedy
，
This is an interesting concept but it is quite a basic premise e。g。 if life meets expectations you'll be happy but if you have too high/unrealistic expectations then this will make you unhappy。 I think the majority of what is in the book is in the realms of common sense but sometimes it can be useful to have these highlighted but then I don't think Mo Gawdat can really advertise this as a new idea which I kind of thought it was sold as。 The references to his deceased son Ali brought some emotion This is an interesting concept but it is quite a basic premise e。g。 if life meets expectations you'll be happy but if you have too high/unrealistic expectations then this will make you unhappy。 I think the majority of what is in the book is in the realms of common sense but sometimes it can be useful to have these highlighted but then I don't think Mo Gawdat can really advertise this as a new idea which I kind of thought it was sold as。 The references to his deceased son Ali brought some emotion to the story but it does seem rather cynical to say but it seemed that Ali was viewed with incredibly rose-tinted glasses。 If it brings him comfort then that's lovely but I don't know it actually made any real impact to the ideas in the book。 A lot of the ideas and concepts were similar to in 'Think Like A Monk' but were dressed up as if they are really complex， new technical ideas which they are not。 I picked up a couple of useful ideas （or they were reinforced） but found little new or impressive within the book。 Perhaps if this was the first of this kind of book then I would have been more impressed。 。。。more
AlShaima Taleb
，
Very insightful， emotional and beautiful book。 I enjoyed every word of it。 Thank you Mo and son Ali。 Its true that people who leave a mark in this world never die。
Nechama
，
This review is based on the audiobook。 Narrated by the author himself， Mo's accent and soft voice is very soothing to listen to。 His passion really comes through and it felt calming， comforting， and even hypnotizing。 As per the content itself， there isn't anything new in it per se。 Yes， it was still enjoyable to hear an （ex exec） engineer's approach to hacking happiness after suddenly and tragically losing his 21 year old son during a routine appendectomy。"Everyday a version of you and everyone This review is based on the audiobook。 Narrated by the author himself， Mo's accent and soft voice is very soothing to listen to。 His passion really comes through and it felt calming， comforting， and even hypnotizing。 As per the content itself， there isn't anything new in it per se。 Yes， it was still enjoyable to hear an （ex exec） engineer's approach to hacking happiness after suddenly and tragically losing his 21 year old son during a routine appendectomy。"Everyday a version of you and everyone you love， dies。 They leave and never return。 Please don't let any of them pass unappreciated。" 。。。more
Amber
，
They say books find us when we need them。 Definitely the case here。 I’ve had this on my TBR forever。 Decided to download the audio for an upcoming trip。 The day we left for our trip we got very bad news。 This book had the perfect message to bring me some peace and be present in the moment to enjoy the trip with the family。
Elizabeth
，
Surely this is everything anyone could want in a self help book: personal stories; summaries of advice from other sources; and permissible to ignore any advice that doesn't resonate！I found it profoundly uplifting and hopeful that learn that someone who unexpectedly lost an adult child was able to find joy again。 His personal stories of grief were very moving。 His synopses and explanations of his readings on happiness and resilience were accessible and simply put - simple language， though not co Surely this is everything anyone could want in a self help book: personal stories; summaries of advice from other sources; and permissible to ignore any advice that doesn't resonate！I found it profoundly uplifting and hopeful that learn that someone who unexpectedly lost an adult child was able to find joy again。 His personal stories of grief were very moving。 His synopses and explanations of his readings on happiness and resilience were accessible and simply put - simple language， though not concise。 His encouragement to take what works and leave the rest was helpful。 。。。more
Catalina Mesa Sciarrotta
，
Amazing！！！ Brilliant and enlightened， this book share from the author experience his point of view in how to engineer your path to joy！ I just love it。
Brenda
，
As a person of both science and faith， I enjoyed most of Mo's insights。 I appreciated his organized approach to finding truth。 There was some flawed logic in his argument for intelligent design。 I share his belief in God， but his analogy of rolling all sixes on ten dice is a little off。 Sure， if it's just one person， the odds are astronomically high。 But if you're in a room with millions or billions of people for， say， ten billion years， the chances of at least one person eventually rolling 10 s As a person of both science and faith， I enjoyed most of Mo's insights。 I appreciated his organized approach to finding truth。 There was some flawed logic in his argument for intelligent design。 I share his belief in God， but his analogy of rolling all sixes on ten dice is a little off。 Sure， if it's just one person， the odds are astronomically high。 But if you're in a room with millions or billions of people for， say， ten billion years， the chances of at least one person eventually rolling 10 sixes become almost 100%。 Similarly， Earth is not the only planet in the universe。 There are quintillions。 In 14 billion years， it's almost certain mathematically that life would evolve on at least one of them， probably more。 If we're going to use math and logic to argue in favor of the existence of a creator， we need to make sure it's sound。 My contention is that there's no solid scientific evidence either way， so faith is a choice。 That's why it's faith。 😆 。。。more
Mafer Barron
，
“Si quieres ser feliz， vive en el aquí y en el ahora。”“La vida puede ser fácil。 Tan solo es duro el camino que elegimos。”“La gratitud es un camino seguro hacia la felicidad。”“Cuanto más damos， más abundancia creamos。”#bookquotesSe podría haber dicho que Mo Gawdat tenía todo lo necesario para ser feliz en la vida: buenas experiencias， linda familia， gran trabajo y posición económica。 Sin embargo， vivía dentro de un círculo vicioso que no le permitía disfrutar todo lo que tenía a su alrededor y es “Si quieres ser feliz， vive en el aquí y en el ahora。”“La vida puede ser fácil。 Tan solo es duro el camino que elegimos。”“La gratitud es un camino seguro hacia la felicidad。”“Cuanto más damos， más abundancia creamos。”#bookquotesSe podría haber dicho que Mo Gawdat tenía todo lo necesario para ser feliz en la vida: buenas experiencias， linda familia， gran trabajo y posición económica。 Sin embargo， vivía dentro de un círculo vicioso que no le permitía disfrutar todo lo que tenía a su alrededor y estaba totalmente enfocado en seguir produciendo y acumulando cosas， más allá que en el placer de disfrutarlas。 Tras el desafortunado suceso de perder a uno de sus hijos， eventualmente se da cuenta que quiere vivir la vida de otra forma y concluye que tiene como propósito tener una existencia feliz y ayudar tanta gente como sea posible， a tenerla。Los libros tienen momentos correctos para llegar a la vida de las personas， este quizás no haya sido el caso。 Si bien el autor plantea un par de argumentos interesantes， algunas ideas se antojan un tanto recicladas y podría decirse que le resulta una constante caer en lugares comunes。 Sin embargo， siempre hay premisas de valor y sobre todo que se pueden llevar a la práctica: Entender que sólo se pueden controlar las acciones y actitudes。 Asimilar la idea de felicidad como dinámica， intermitente y personal。 Conocer la diferencia entre expectativas y resultados， ya que es uno de los mayores motivos de incomodidad。 Identificar qué genera felicidad， hacer una lista y practicarla。 。。。more
Adam Ashton
，
Introduction was powerful， opening explanation of Mo’s happiness equation we’re fantastic。 Some of the later chapters were a little long， but I quite liked the writing style and it kept me engaged the whole way。
Scott Davis
，
Life Changing！I love， love， Love this book and what it has done for me！ Once I started reading it， it was so hard to stop！ Mo is an amazing and talented engineer， philosopher， storyteller and author … who delineates a brilliantly clear， mathematical equation to solve the quest for happiness in life … throughout every adversity， heartache and failure。 There is so much wisdom in this book！ And I highly recommend it to you—whoever you are and whatever your circumstance。 Thank you Mo！ And， thank you Life Changing！I love， love， Love this book and what it has done for me！ Once I started reading it， it was so hard to stop！ Mo is an amazing and talented engineer， philosopher， storyteller and author … who delineates a brilliantly clear， mathematical equation to solve the quest for happiness in life … throughout every adversity， heartache and failure。 There is so much wisdom in this book！ And I highly recommend it to you—whoever you are and whatever your circumstance。 Thank you Mo！ And， thank you Ali！ 。。。more
Heleen
，
ik raad deze Absoluut aan。 Vooral wanneer je jezelf als persoon verder wil ontwikkelen
Ketzy
，
Este libro fue mi primer acercamiento a lo que es el pensamiento positivo， afortunadamente este libro llego a mis manos cuando mas lo necesitaba， nos enseña a tomar un camino hacia la felicidad plena y que aunque haya problemas y no sea posible ser feliz siempre， hay maneras de canalizar esos malos momentos para que esto no nos impida ser felices。
Labeba Salameh
，
حقا ！！。。 لقد كنت اعتقد أني دونت مراجعة لهذا الكتاب الكاتب مصري أصدر نسخته مباشرة بالإنجليزية يمر محمد بتجربة مريرة اذ يفقد ابنه بشكل مفاجئ كل هذه الأمور التي تحدث في خضم بحثه عن السعادة تعيد توجيه رؤيته يشاركنا أياها عل شكل نصائح وأفكار تقييم الكتاب ثلاث نجوم ونصف تجدون هنا مراجعة مرئية شاملة عن أفكار الكتاب الرئيسية https://youtu。be/7uq81kFbXxMزيارتكم للقناة تعني لي الكثير ملاحظة: استمعت للكتاب على ستوري تل ولم أستطع الوصول للملف المرفق الذي أشار له الكاتب أكثر من مرة。 حقا ！！。。 لقد كنت اعتقد أني دونت مراجعة لهذا الكتاب الكاتب مصري أصدر نسخته مباشرة بالإنجليزية يمر محمد بتجربة مريرة اذ يفقد ابنه بشكل مفاجئ كل هذه الأمور التي تحدث في خضم بحثه عن السعادة تعيد توجيه رؤيته يشاركنا أياها عل شكل نصائح وأفكار تقييم الكتاب ثلاث نجوم ونصف تجدون هنا مراجعة مرئية شاملة عن أفكار الكتاب الرئيسية https://youtu。be/7uq81kFbXxMزيارتكم للقناة تعني لي الكثير ملاحظة: استمعت للكتاب على ستوري تل ولم أستطع الوصول للملف المرفق الذي أشار له الكاتب أكثر من مرة。 。。。more
Michiel Van Kampen
，
Oppervlakkig， herkauwd en willekeurige samenstelling van verschillende grote wereldreligies en filosofieën。 Niet praktisch， belerend en vol Amerikaans optimisme-denken。
Vasilhs Tsiklos
，
It has some useful views and a handful of good ideas but they're only a few。 The one thing that bothered me the most about this book is that every reference to it gives the impression that it's a book based on logic， psychology and a well structured train of thought; until you start reading。 Turns out it's based more on spiritual believes and the author is majorly impacted by religion which didn't work for me in many chapters。 It has some useful views and a handful of good ideas but they're only a few。 The one thing that bothered me the most about this book is that every reference to it gives the impression that it's a book based on logic， psychology and a well structured train of thought; until you start reading。 Turns out it's based more on spiritual believes and the author is majorly impacted by religion which didn't work for me in many chapters。 。。。more
Rajat
，
Life changing。。 Brilliant。I like the science based approach taken by Mo。 Mo provides reason for everything he states in the book。 This is the ultimate truth。 As is the case with truth， anyone who explores seriously and with an open mind， will arrive at the same conclusion。
Lotte Vos
，
this book opens your eyes to see what happiness really is and how to find it。
Siti
，
Couldn't put the book down。 Heartfelt sharing of practical tipps through unconditional love for the author's beloved son， Ali Couldn't put the book down。 Heartfelt sharing of practical tipps through unconditional love for the author's beloved son， Ali 。。。more
Evelien
，