The Ultimate Happiness Prescription
By Deepak Chopra
Book Review
Deepak Chopra was named a member of Time Magazine’s ‘One Hundred Heroes of the Twentieth Century’. Heady praise for the Indian born physician who moved to the United States to become an endocrinologist and Chief of Staff of the New England Memorial Hospital. Who, not long into a successful career, took the giant leap of faith, and left everything to explore alternative healing and spirtuality. A decision that made him one of the world’s most successful authors. He has published more than fifty books in more than thirty-five languages. He has both fiction and non-fiction titles with topics ranging from golf to spirtual enlightenment. He has romantic novels and poetry books as well as biogrophies on Mohammed and Jesus. Having a conversation with Deepak on any subject would be intimidating. I’m sure he knows more about dentistry than I do.
Some of Dr. Chopra’s books are very short, including this one, ‘The Ultimate Happiness Prescription’ (2009 Harmony Books) but it is also incredibly powerful. There is no fluffy filler in this book just good stuff you can use right away. If you know and enjoyed ‘Seven Spritual Laws of Success’ or ‘Creating Abundance’ you know how wonderful his small books can be.
Dr. Chopra believes there is something spirtual about the number seven. Many of his books, including this one, are divided into seven sections. Another one of his ‘seven’ book is my personal favorite ‘How to Know God’ I highly recommend it.
Each of the seven sections requires us to focus attention on an area of our lives. Dr. Chopra combines modern medical research with the ancient wisdom of the Tao to show us the true path. Many Buddist practises are highlighted as well, but this is not a Buddist book. Each of the seven sections ends with exercises to be completed daily.
Some of the keys to happiness such as ‘detoxify your life’ or ‘give up being right’ may seem cliché to most readers, but like any good coach Deepak shows us a new way of looking at a familar idea. He also reminds us that the application of simple solutions are often the best way to tackle complex problems. These simple ideas remain popular because they have a sound basis in truth.
The biggest take-away from this book is that happiness requires a lot of effort. Happiness is active while bliss is passive. Happiness does not come naturally to most of us, it is a learned skill that requires practice and thoughtful training.
So whenever you catch yourself saying, ‘why can’t I be happy?’, remember it is not something you have, it is something you work toward. To use another cliché, happiness is the journey not the destination.
Have a great trip!