| | Ok, since no one else has yet done so - I’ll review my own book!
The Happiness Paragraph is a concise and somewhat philosophical guide to help people become happier. The author begins with the notion that all people (implicitly) are seeking happiness, and the trouble is simply in their methods. He re-defines happiness as an overarching evaluation of the success of your life - contrasting this with the shorter-term concept of joy. The heart of his single, summary paragraph is an emphasis on personal achievement, which he regards as the key to happiness. Other ideas reviewed include value harmony, the need for continued achievement to remain as happy as possible, stretching as part of goal-setting, how money relates to happiness, rewards & celebrations, friendship & romance, and the long-term benefits of virtues.
One of the main positives of the book is that it focuses on the essentials of happiness. This can help the novice or professional philosopher alike. It is also reasonably comprehensive in at least mentioning all of the relevant issues, although it does not delve deeply into any of them.
This book would likely be fun and beneficial reading for those very familiar with Ayn Rand’s ideas on happiness. These same readers, though, wouldn’t find a lot that was new or surprising within. It would most benefit those who are not familiar with Ayn Rand’s ideas. For them it would represent a careful, easily digested introduction to a better approach to living. Those wanting a more spiritual approach to happiness, or a greater focus on relationships, may be disappointed by this book.
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