“Your Life is ultimately made up of the choices you made at different times. When you choose based on economic criteria you may end up being both challenged and unhappy. When you choose based on Happiness, you may still have challenges to deal with, but you will be happy. So, choose wisely. Going with the flow is to be able to choose to be happy over choosing to be economically secure. Because economic security is a human invention, it is an illusion. What is true is Happiness. You have been given this human form to be happy. With Happiness, you can never be unhappy. Simple!” HappinessLife LessonsAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalThe HappynesswalaGo With The FlowAvis On Happiness Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Instead of obsessing over getting them married, what parents must really wish for is that their young adult children find great soulmates. A soulmate is someone who you can relate to and are best friends with; someone that you want to grow old with – and live with all your Life! Some people find their soulmates early and some others find them over time. So, parents’ worrying sick that their children must be married here, now, by a certain age, to a certain ‘category or class’ of people…all this is clearly avoidable stress and effort. A marriage is only a social contract, an irrelevant label. Pushing your children to get married so your duty is done, so you may have grandchildren, is acting selfishly, irresponsibly. Instead encourage your children to do what they love doing, to find love and be loving! Living-in with a BFF trumps being unhappily married – any day!” HappinessLife LessonsMarriageCompanionshipAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaBff Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“There is nothing wrong in getting married. The problem arises when you expect a marriage to deliver companionship or when you start believing that a marriage makes love happen. If you look at it objectively, marriage is just a social license for people to live together and, well, have sex, and, in most cases, procreate. Beyond being that license, it serves no purpose. The loving between people, the act of sexual intercourse and the biological process of having children – all of these can surely happen even outside of a marriage. Which is why marriage is neither necessary nor relevant. So, marry only if you really want to, but don’t expect the marriage to make you happy. Companionship is what delivers happiness. And companionship is not about gender or age; it is about finding love, being loving – in the present continuous – no matter what and celebrating each other!” HappinessLife LessonsMarriageCompanionshipAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“When all your efforts at trying to get what you want are exhausted, if you choose to walk away calmly, without grief and frustration, then what you want will flow to you, on its own, if it is meant for you. There is great power in letting go and moving on. It is only when you have let go, of desire itself, that you can receive what is truly meant for you! No one – and nothing – can take away what is meant for you and no one – and nothing – can get you what is not meant for you! Understand this truth about Life – and you will live happily ever after.” HappinessLife LessonsSpiritualityAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaLet GoMove On Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Don’t intellectualize Life. Not everything has a scientific, rational, logical reason to it. Beyond a point, Life is largely inscrutable. 2+2 does not often add up to 4 in Life and you can’t find the answer to some questions – particularly to the why and why me questions! It is always what it is. Life does not happen because you planned it in a certain way. It so happens that sometimes your plans are in sync with Life’s plans for you. So you end up thinking – given your education and your economic power – that you are controlling your Life. But the moment Life throws you a googly, you are stumped! You are left clueless, numb and debilitated. That’s when you realize that surrendering to Life, humbly accepting what is and going with the flow is what intelligent living is all about! This realization is the key to Happiness.” HappinessLife LessonsAcceptanceAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaLife CoachLife Coaching Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“If you reflect on Life, it has no meaning. You came with nothing. And you will go with nothing. In this time, you will acquire knowledge and experience…you may get fame and wealth…you will build relationships…and blah and blah and blah…but nothing – and no one – is going with you, when it is time for you to leave. So, is Life meaningless? Perhaps, yes. But there’s another view too. The only option each of us has, since we don’t choose to be born, is to bring meaning to the Life that we have been given. Simply, what you do is more important than what you acquire and own in your lifetime. Therefore, make what you do – to make this world a better place for the generations to follow – the singular focus of your journey while enjoying every moment of it. This is how you bring meaning to an apparently meaningless Life!” HappinessLife LessonsSpiritualityAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaLife CoachLife Coaching Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Don’t grieve that your child has a problem. Don’t wish for the problem to go away either. And certainly don’t imagine that ‘bad times’ have befallen your child owing to ‘bad karma’! The truth is that no matter what you do or wish for, your child has to go through what they have to go through. Just as Life happened to you in its own unique way, it will happen to your child too. You can’t change that reality. Nor can you live your child’s Life. So, be practical. Be available for your child surely and invest in prayer. A crisis is Life’s way of coaching your child. So, pray that your child learns to face Life, not fight it or run away from it! Pray that your child evolves spiritually from the experience – often growing stronger, wiser and happy from it.” Life LessonsPrayerCrisisParentingAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaLet Go Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Oh! But training the mind isn’t easy…” Surely, Life is not easy. Getting through this lifetime is never easy. So, training the mind is not going to be achieved without dedication and diligence. But just as the body can be trained, the mind too can be taught how to live in the present moment. You see, the mind thrives only when it is stuck in the dead past or when it races into the unborn future. In those two states it is constantly spewing thoughts of anger, grief, guilt, anxiety, worry, fear and stress. But when trained to live in the now, the mind is powerless. That is how you learn to be non-worrying, non-frustrated, non-suffering, to be happy! You can either train your mind, and employ equanimity and happiness to deal with Life’s upheavals, or you can continue to cite the ‘it-is-not-easy’ excuse and be unhappy! Your call!” HappinessLife LessonsSpiritualityMeditationAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaEquanimity Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Life’s very nature is that it is fraught with uncertainty in every moment. Anything, absolutely anything, can happen at any time. Simply, Life hai, kuch bhi ho sakta hai! So, learn to trust the process of Life. This act of trusting the process of Life is what Faith is all about. When you have Faith, Fear cannot debilitate you. Now, Faith and Fear cannot co-exist. So, if you are feeling fearful, it clearly means you lack the Faith! Re-examine how you are approaching your Life. Are you anchored in Faith or are you cowering in Fear? Intelligent living means embracing the uncertainty with Faith and going with the flow; it means knowing that wherever Life takes you is where you were always meant to arrive!” HappinessLife LessonsFaithFearAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Faith must always thrive in the absence of any physical evidence. Let’s say you are negotiating a dark tunnel with a torch in your hand. As long as the torch is lit and you can see, you imagine you are in control, that you will soon figure your way out. But what if the battery drains and the torch dies? And it is pitch dark, scary; you are clueless and don’t know what to do? Faith, then, is your only resort. If you deploy your Faith – in the absence of even a shred of evidence that you will survive – and believe that you will come out of the tunnel unscathed, you surely will! That is why Faith is not just a coping mechanism, it is a game-changer! Harness the power of your Faith, understand the futility of fear, and see doors open miraculously where there once stood impregnable walls!” HappinessLife LessonsFaithFearAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Every story is precious. Each one of us is making our own myth with our choices. And our stories evolve over time, with the following of our Bliss. As long as we are not obsessed with how others' stories are unfolding, of how their lives are shaping up, and are instead offering ourselves to be led in the direction of our joy, we will always be happy no matter hard the going really gets!” HappinessLife LessonsBlissAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaFollow Your BlissBliss Catchers Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Are you living an unhappy Life while trying to make everyone around you happy? You want to make an unconventional personal – career or relationship – choice but you refuse to, because you are considering how your family will feel about it. Or you are keeping a job only to earn-a-living so you can meet the wants of those around you. Or you are not expressing yourself honestly in a relationship because you don’t want to hurt the other person. Whatever be your context, if you are choosing to be unhappy, only so that someone else is happy, well, then, you have lost the plot! How you are feeling alone impacts your happiness. Your feeling unhappy and being a martyr means you are squandering the Life that you have been given. Life is not a popularity contest. Being unhappy while wanting to be ‘nice’ is a poor choice you make.” HappinessLife LessonsSpiritualityUnhappinessAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“When you are driven by Purpose, focus on living that Purpose every single day. Why are doing what you are doing is more important than what you have achieved, where you have reached. Yes, the human mind will play games with you. It will make you feel inadequate. It will make you imagine that the progress you make is not enough given the enormity of what you have set out to do. But believe in the Power of One…in your individual ability to impact the Life of another individual…one day at a time. How have I lived my day today? Have I lived by the why of what I do? Have I taken my vehicle forward in the direction in which I am headed? These are the only questions that need to be asked and the only ones that matter! Keep the focus, keep it basic, keep it purposeful…when you have Integrity of Purpose, all else will always follow!” HappinessLife LessonsPurposeSpiritualityAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaIntegrity Of Purpose Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Your mind’s first response to a problem situation is to deny its very existence. But being in denial mode simply means that you don’t see the problem although it exists; which means the problem is hurting you, but you don’t recognize it. When you finally acknowledge the presence of the problem, you hate it. You want it to go away. And when it doesn’t, you are over-anxious to solve it. But some problems defy human intelligence and logical solutions. They stay on, they frustrate you and leave you feeling miserable. The simple, intelligent approach to dealing with problems is to first accept them, rather than deny their existence, and then go to work on solving them. Realize that denying the presence of a problem does not mean the problem does not exist. Every problem has arrived with a specific Purpose – to teach you invaluable Life lessons, to make you stronger, wiser and happy!” HappinessLife LessonsSpiritualityAcceptanceResilienceAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Take it as it comes. Always. The beauty of Life lies in its unpredictability. Its starkness may be difficult to stomach at times but it is what it is. The only way to deal with reality is to embrace it and to go with the flow. You may plan, envision and strategize but ultimately Life alone has its way, its say. You must merely submit to that way and go with the flow. When you hate what is, it causes grief, anger, stress and suffering. But when you take it as it comes, Life is simpler even if it is not any easier!” HappinessLife LessonsSpiritualityAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaGo With The Flow Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“This, I have consistently experienced in Life – that no matter how grave the circumstances are, it is not over, to use a cricketing term, until the last ball is bowled! So, even if it seems like a dead-end, a no-go situation, celebrate being alive. It may be dark all around you, there may be no light visible at the far end, everyone, and everything, may appear to be going against you…but do not give up yet. The only evidence that things will turnaround is that you are still alive. And that is a huge, huge, blessing! For, if you still have the gift of this lifetime, then anything is possible! So, bow your head down in complete surrender, in eternal gratitude and give in to Life, just flow with it! This is how you last through a numbing crisis!” HappinessLife LessonsCrisisAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaGo With The Flow Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Nothing belongs to us. Everything and everyone will be gone someday – including you and me! Clinging on to people, material possessions, stances and opinions is a total waste of energy and precious time. If we review our lives closely, deeply, we will find that all our insecurities, our strife, our suffering, comes from whatever we are clinging on to. The moment you let go of whatever is possessing you, consuming you – a habit or a position or an object or a person or a relationship – you are liberated. You are free. It is only when you are free that you can experience Life – and its magic and beauty – fully…and live happily!” HappinessLife LessonsSpiritualityAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaImpermanence Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Be focused on your Happiness. Deciding what not to do, because doing it doesn’t make you happy, is as important as knowing what to do. You often arrive at doing what you love doing by choosing not to do stuff that makes you unhappy!” HappinessLife LessonsBlissAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Just as you would build and use stamina to be a champion sportsperson, you need to deploy Resilience to face challenging Life situations. Resilience is like the Bluetooth feature on your smartphone. You need to activate it to use it. And you activate, you deploy, the Resilience from within you by anchoring in Faith – by trusting the process of Life. So, no matter what you are dealing with, don’t run away from Life; turn around and face your fears. Know that you have the staying power in you to get through Life. Know that if you have a problem, you will also have the means, the mechanism, to deal with the problem even if you can’t always solve it immediately!” HappinessLife LessonsSpiritualityResilienceAvis ViswanathanAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“If you are not coming alive each day when you wake up, if you are dragging yourself to work every day just to earn a living, you are perhaps then intensely, seriously, unhappy with whatever you are doing. Instead of subjecting yourself to all this misery, on the altar of a deceptive sense of economic security, pause, reflect and re-examine your priorities. Ask yourself what will make you deliriously happy? And simply go do it! Then, as you will discover, doors will open…always!” HappinessLife LessonsBlissAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“There are three parts to your Life at any given moment. 1. The part where a complex problem situation is either totally or immediately unsolvable; so, over time, you intuitively learn to isolate this part while still dealing with it. 2. The part where all the existential drama happens – everyday grief, anxieties, stresses, suffering, worries, frustrations…stuff, often linked to the first part, that continuously keeps puncturing your happy state. 3. The center – your center. This is where you are in sync with the Universe’s, divine, energy; this center is your deeply personal oasis of happiness. Just as there’s complete calm at the epicentre of a cyclone, there is absolute stillness within you. You must find that stillness, that silence, you must find your center. Only then will you be unmoved by the other two parts of your Life. It’s from your center that your art flows and that’s where your Happiness lies!” HappinessLife LessonsMeditationBlissAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaEquanimity Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“We are all Life’s children because, to borrow from Khalil Gibran, we are a manifestation of Life’s longing for itself; we are only delivered through our parents into this Universe! So, Life’s reason for creating you presents itself again and again and again, in myriad forms, until you have identified, awakened to and embraced that reason. That’s why, there is almost always, inevitably, a connection between your earliest influences and aspirations and your Bliss, with what you eventually end up wanting to do in, and with, your Life!” HappinessLife LessonsBlissAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“In today’s hyperactive social media-led environment, it is likely that a lot of pressure builds up within you to also want to be “seen”, to be “counted” among the others. It is possible that you feel distressed when people don’t talk about you or your work. You may also perhaps be agonizing over the fact that people who you think are creating far less value are more popular than you. Relax. The Purpose of your Life is not to be famous. Your fame is worthwhile only when it is relevant to posterity – when your work, and your Life’s message, lives on long after you are gone. So, just chill. Put your head down and focus on creating unputdownable value, doing meaningful work, than brooding over why you are not garnering attention and followership on social media! You will then see how happy you really are with what is!” HappinessLife LessonsAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Bliss has a funny, inexplicable, often bizarre, magnetic pull. To draw you into its fold, it will conspire to create opportunities and circumstances that will make you sit up, take notice, make choices, change direction and destination. You will be often left with a this-is-the-only-choice situation. Why? Because yehi hai right choice baby! Because Life wants you to arrive at the point where a new Life is waiting for you!” HappinessLife LessonsBlissAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Things are never as bad as you think they are when they first hit you. So, when a situation blows up in your face, don’t resist it, go with its flow. Chances are the ground beneath your feet may appear to cave in, or it may look like the roof over your head has blown away…you will imagine that there is no way you can survive this situation…you will fear that your Life, your world, is going to end. But don’t panic. Don’t worry. Just go with the flow, doing what you can – and what you possibly must – in the given circumstances. Slowly, with reflection, reason, prayer, letting go and acceptance, you realize that everything can – and must – be faced. And that the situation doesn’t seem so formidable after all! This is how you find strength and inner peace in a storm!” HappinessLife LessonsCrisisAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaGo With The Flow Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Acceptance does not make a problem go away. Accepting that a problem exists is the first step to dealing with it. When you stop denying its existence and accept that you have a problem, your ability to deal with it increases manifold. You become calm and you start exploring avenues for solving the problem. In denial mode, you are running away from the problem. And what you run away from, will chase you, will haunt you. But when you turn around and face the problem, accepting it, taking it head-on – you discover your inherent resilience and feel a strange ability to withstand any amount of pain! You may be in the throes of a huge crisis, but you are anchored and are at peace. This is why Life gave you the problem in the first place – for you to know who you truly are and what you are capable of!” HappinessLife LessonsAcceptanceCrisisAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“A true, continuous, celebration of Life is the ability to always be happy and content no matter what is happening in your Life, no matter what you have or don’t have. Simply, Happiness is a decision. You are happy the moment you are content with what you have, when you accept what is. You are happy when you serve another, when you are making our world a better place.” HappinessLife LessonsContentmentAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Life’s magic and beauty does not lie in your ability to get all that you want, whenever you want it. Life’s truest, miraculous, nature reveals itself when you are given all that you need, exactly at a precise moment in time, when you need it the most. To recognize this magical quality about Life, you must be in a total let-go, in complete surrender, trusting the process of Life implicitly. This is what Faith is all about. When you are this way, you will discover that there is no logic to – and in – Life ever…it is all magic, magic, pure magic!” HappinessLife LessonsBeautyMagicAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“The essence of Life is to be able to live with uncertainty, accepting it for what it is, embracing its inscrutability, without trying to dissect it, analyze it or justify it. Life’s beauty lies in facing it as a series of adventures. The endgame is always clear: your Life will end some day. But what will happen in the meantime, what kind of twists and turns will you encounter, what challenges will you be faced with? It is these myriad, often unpredictable, possibilities that make Life interesting. So, don’t resist Life, don’t run away from it either; turn around, face it and go with its flow…doing this does not make your problems disappear, nor will it make your passage easier, but surely, Life’s complexity gives way to a simple awakening, a realization. It is what it is. And accepting and living with what is, is Happiness!” HappinessLife LessonsAcceptanceAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaGo With The Flow Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“When you are feeling restless, confused, lost…when you are searching…don’t panic…it is a great sign. It means status quo does not appeal to you anymore. It means being economically secure does not quench your thirst anymore. It is only when you are lost that you can find yourself. The moment you look up from your earning-a-living circle, when you begin to search for meaning, for Purpose, when you begin asking why am I here and what am I doing/supposed to be doing with my Life, your Life’s Purpose, your Bliss will find you!” HappinessLife LessonsPurposeBlissAvis ViswanathanAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaThe Bliss Catchers Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“As long as you are in the game, anything is possible. So, stay engaged with Life. No matter what you are faced with, no matter how dark it gets, no matter how impossible a situation appears to be, just go with the flow. You see, everything is happening for a reason. Just because you don’t see the reason, it does not mean there is no reason. And what has to happen, will happen, no matter how hard you pray – for it to happen or not to happen! So, just keep going, keep walking, taking one day at a time. There is no specific method or mantra for intelligent living – staying in the game, going with the flow, is the way!” HappinessLife LessonsAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaGo With The Flow Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“You can work for joy and you can work for money. Ideally, in the real world, if you can do work which you love doing, which also earns you money to pay your bills, then you are doing great. But if you are doing work that you loathe, and are doing it only for the money, then chances are you will be very, very unhappy. And if you are doing stuff that you love doing but are not earning any money from what you do, then while the going may be tough in a material sense, you will still be, interestingly, very, very happy! So, instead of complaining about your Life, ask yourself which category do you belong to. And learn to make an informed choice or be content with what you are doing – and having!” HappinessLife LessonsBlissAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“When you come home, after a hard day’s work, don’t you feel you belong there…when you are on your way home…isn’t there a longing to get home, lounge, goof off, just be, just chill…so it is when your Bliss finds you or when you find your Bliss…you feel you have finally come home, to a place that you always longed for, where you truly belong.” HappinessLife LessonsBlissAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaBliss Catchers Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“When something – or someone – that you are clinging on to starts controlling you, the joy of doing that something or being with that person evaporates. You feel miserable. To uncling, you must feel and hate that misery deep within you. Ask yourself if you really want so much suffering in your Life – for instance, if you smoke, are you smoking for yourself anymore or is your habit controlling you, driving you crazy; or if you are in an abusive marriage, are you in it because you are loving it or are you being held hostage in it by the person’s power or by social norms? Only brutally honest conversations with yourself on what – or who – is possessing you leads you to uncling. You finally uncling only when you realize that you have to make that choice to let go, to move on, to end the suffering!” HappinessLife LessonsAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaDetachmentLet GoMove On Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“When facing a Life-changing crisis, don’t expect your situation to turn around instantaneously. It won’t. So, prepare for the long haul. Nourish yourself. Meditate. Pray. Eat your meals on time and please eat healthy stuff. Exercise. Go for long walks. Goof off once in a while. Your being morose, or your worrying stiff, is not going to solve your problems. The situation will resolve only when the time arrives. Until that happens, you have to last, you have to survive. So, take care of yourself. Every moment. Every day.” HappinessLife LessonsMeditationCrisisAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalThe HappynesswalaEquanimityLife Coaching Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Adulting is serious stuff. Yes, it is cool to be independent and getting to do your own thing. But with freedom comes responsibility. Where you are not just responsible for taking care of yourself or earning enough to pay your bills, but you are also responsible for facing Life and dealing with its upheavals and surprises. There are no right or wrong ways to face Life. Everyone has to do what they believe they have to do at a particular moment and keep going. Eventually, you will figure out why what happened to you was part of your own myth unfolding. So, if you are a young adult and are up against a wall, keep the faith and keep walking. Doors will always open, the path will always appear...” HappinessLife LessonsAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaLife CoachingAdulting Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“True enlightenment arrives the moment you understand the difference between your wants and your needs. When you awaken to this understanding, you will realize that Life has always been providing for you, caring for you, giving you all that you need. This is how you stop wanting anything, anymore and start living with what you have, with what is. This is how you learn to be happy despite your circumstances.” HappinessLife LessonsEnlightenmentAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaLife Coaching Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“When someone chooses not to understand you, despite your best efforts, you may want to examine whether they are not getting what you are saying or if they simply don’t want to understand you. If it is the latter, Life is so much simpler for both of you – there is no need to invest any more time and energy in striving for that understanding. The brutal truth that you often fail to confront is the fact that someone who is keen not to understand you, perhaps never will, no matter how hard you try!” HappinessLife LessonsMisunderstandingAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaEquanimity Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Permanence is an illusion. Nothing lasts. When this awareness arrives in your Life, you awaken to Happiness – to embracing what is, to finding meaning and Purpose in what is and to be content with what is.” HappinessLife LessonsPurposeAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaImpermanence Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Being happy professionally is really the ability to do what you love doing the way you want to do it. Which is, if you have a natural talent and you have honed it to a world-class standard, you want the creative and professional space to express this talent your way. However, because your customers – both paying customers and society at large – want to control what they want from you, there may be times when you feel suffocated and unhappy. Ask yourself: is it worth doing something for money or social acclaim/validation at the cost of your inner peace or Happiness? If the answer to this question is ‘no’ – choose to be ‘humbly ruthless’. Be unflinching and non-negotiable on your professional and creative standards. Yet take that position with all humility, knowing fully well that someone else may fulfil that need for your customer should you opt out. Surprisingly though, 9 times out of 10, people may come back and work with you. The one deal that breaks off may have never made you happy; so, really, no sweat there! This is the key to Happiness – being ‘humbly ruthless’!” HappinessLife LessonsAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“When you are confronted with many problems at the same time, don’t be overwhelmed or emotional and attempt to solve all of them at the same time. You simply can’t. Approach your problems with basic project management skills. Sort your problems into different buckets: A. which ones cannot be solved ever B. which ones cannot be solved by you C. which ones can be solved by you over time and D. which ones can be solved by you immediately? Obviously, go to work today on bucket D, while planning to schedule time and collaborations to address buckets C and B. Of course, learn to accept those in bucket A with humility and equanimity and move on. This is the only way you can focus sharply, be calm and find strength in a storm and be happy!” HappinessLife LessonsCrisisProblemsAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalThe HappynesswalaLife Coaching Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Religion is a human invention. It is a device with which a few people control the masses, employing fear and divisiveness. Allowing ourselves to be divided on the lines of religion is being outright stupid. Because judging and alienating – hating – another human being causes, above all, your own suffering.” GodHappinessLife LessonsReligionSpiritualityFearAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Violent thought affects your inner peace and Happiness more than you can ever imagine. When you are on the street and you use an expletive to yell at an errant road user, that is violent thought. This tendency to think ill of someone, even if you have been provoked or wronged, has to cease. This is the ahimsa that Gandhi talked about. It wasn’t just about violent action being given up, it was also about violent thought ceasing. When you train your mind to be non-violent in thought, and of course action, that is when you will discover that you are the Happiness that you seek!” HappinessLife LessonsAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalThe HappynesswalaNon ViolenceAhimsa Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“You have to be clear that, often times, in fact almost always, despite your best efforts, perfection and success may elude you. So, the only way to stay anchored, and at peace with yourself and with your world, is to embrace what is. If you tried hard, if you put in your best, just celebrate the process of trying, of doing your best…leave the results and outcomes to Life. You can never get a perfect 10! And what you have is what it is. When you embrace this idea and live your Life, you will never be keyed up over the outcomes. You will enjoy the process, above all. And that is the key to your Happiness!” HappinessLife LessonsPerfectionAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalThe HappynesswalaEquanimity Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“When you start viewing another person’s Life and wonder “how’s it that they are having a good time when I am not?”, well then, you have invited suffering into your own Life! Be sure…1. You don’t know their story and don’t quite know if they are really having a ‘good’ time and 2. It’s their Life and another person’s Life is none of your business! Seriously. So, to be happy, stop comparing yourself with others. Period.” HappinessLife LessonsComparisonAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Dealing with toxic people is an art that can be learnt. Whether it is in a family, among friends or at the workplace, exercise a choice to establish and maintain clear contours of your relationship with such people. Define very clearly in your mind what about this person irks you. And draw the line there. The point is not whether others can get along with such people, the point is that you cannot suffer them. So, when others ask you to be “adjusting”, you must tell them why you can’t do this – that it affects your inner peace. Once you define and draw the boundaries clearly, barring the initial settling in issues, pretty soon, everyone will see value in your approach. Clearly, there’s no point sacrificing your Happiness for another’s behavior or your reluctance to call them out!” HappinessLife LessonsNegativityAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Life is eventually about things, people, relationships, projects, opportunities money, health and even memories - all of them being taken away from you! Life is about constantly embracing new normals, it is about finding meaning, Purpose, beauty and Happiness in what is!” HappinessLife LessonsPurposeAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalThe HappynesswalaLife Coaching Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Once you understand the power of meditation, you don’t even need to engage in it as a practice. You don’t need to then set aside a particular time of the day for meditation as an activity. In that state, you are that; you are meditative in everything that you do. There is a mindful, immersive quality to your Life then. Surely, debilitating emotions and disturbing thoughts will come calling, but your awareness, your mindfulness, helps you to not pick them up. You see them, you feel them, but you let them pass. This discerning ability to choose wisely is the biggest gift that meditation delivers. This is what helps you to be happy despite your circumstances.” HappinessLife LessonsMeditationAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalThe HappynesswalaLife Coaching Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“What others think of you, or what they say or do to you, is their business; not yours! They have a right to their opinions. And you must just let them be. It is when you try to change their opinion of you that you grieve – and often suffer. Instead, be unmoved by their choices, their utterances, and just be true to yourself. You will then be fearless and unaffected by all that is happening around you.” HappinessLife LessonsAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaOpinionsLife Coaching Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Life, at the end of the day, is a simple mindgame. This means, essentially, that you learn to control your thoughts, that you learn to be non-worrying, non-frustrated and non-suffering. Then, no matter what you are going through, you live a better, fuller, happy Life.” HappinessLife LessonsSpiritualityAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaLife Coaching Author:AVIS Viswanathan