You can decide your own happiness

“Life can be beautiful if you make it beautiful.”

― “The Happiest Man on Earth” by Eddie Jaku

I am a business professor who studies the happiness of sustainable consumption. During my 15 years of experience researching and lecturing, I learned that there are clear rules in happiness management. I spend a lot of time thinking about strategies to maximize the happiness of corporations and consumers and to create a virtuous cycle.

Eddie Jaku, who wrote “The Happiest Man on Earth, which was ranked No. 1 best seller on Amazon, experienced situations that are probably the furthest away from happiness in history. He was imprisoned in Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. His parents were killed in gas chambers, and he experienced inhumane torture. May Jews committed suicide because their suffering was too much. However, Jaku built a happy family and achieved business success after the end of the war. What is the secret of Jaku, who calls himself the ‘happiest man on earth’?

The secret of happiness lies in perception – a clear perception that it is indeed lucky and a gift that I am living and breathing, as well as reminding oneself of the value of family and friends and enjoying relationships with them. Gratitude for ‘today’ and deep friendship with his friend, Krut, kept his life going in the hell of the concentration camp.

Do you wish your life was more beautiful? Close your eye and take 10 deep breaths, right at this moment. Feel the energy of life inhaled through your nose along with your breaths. Share deep love and friendship with your family and friends. The answer to happiness is certainly not more money and material things.