For centuries, philosophers, writers and scholars have all debated the nature of happiness. Yet most of us still struggle with what it even means to be happy in the modern age, let alone how to achieve it. Is it our natural state of being? A feeling of satisfaction with your life situation? Simply feeling good? An illusion?
Reframing centuries of study and debate, author, speaker and entrepreneur Deirdre Maloney cracks the code – and turns the tables – on how to achieve this elusive state of being in her new mini-book, Tough Truths: The Ten Happiness Lessons We Don’t Talk About.
In it, Maloney tackles an age-old conundrum: “Despite us all working so hard to find it, the reality is that many of us aren’t happy. Or we’re not as happy as we could be,” she writes. “And far too often and without even knowing it, the thing standing smack dab in its way is us.”
Packing a big happiness punch, this provocative, wisdom-packed, pragmatic, easy-to-digest mini-book pokes holes in all those excuses we make to stay stuck in our own unhappiness…and offers a clear and simple prescription to get out of our own way. It provides specific tips, examples, and even one simple ratio to help readers achieve a happier life…for everyone’s sake.
Maloney’s Ten Truths include:
- Lesson 2: The Truth About Your Power. For most of us, our happiness— especially when considered over a lifetime—isn’t about luck or fortune. It’s about choices. Happy people know that you have more choices than you think you do.
- Lesson 3: The Truth About Your Beliefs. Happy people understand that their beliefs are not facts. …and they have the courage to release ideas and beliefs that might not serve them any longer. Happy people don’t should on themselves.
- Lesson 5: The Truth About Your Guts. Having guts isn’t only about what we hold onto, but what we allow to fall away. It means letting go of things we know and bravely confronting the things we don’t. Happy people are brave as hell.
- Lesson 9: The Truth About the Other Guy. So, about the other guy. Happy people get the fact that that guy…the one who seems to be doing everything perfectly, without fear or doubt…is actually feeling these exact emotions from time to time. Because that’s a normal part of his life, too. Happy people don’t compare their insides to other people’s outsides.
“I wrote this book because, simply put, I want to help people get happier,” says Maloney. “I spent a whole lot of time not being happy enough, and it’s a terrible way to go through this very short life. So now, after years of research and just plain talking to happy and not-so-happy folks, it’s time to cut through the clutter and get real about how to how to make life better for ourselves.”
Maloney believes speaking the truth in a provocative and relatable way is critical to getting real about happiness. It’s a natural extension of her official brand, mild audacity. “This means I get to say the things that others won’t say…but I do it nicely,” she says.
Tough Truths will be available in paperback, eBook and audiobook wherever books are sold.
DEIRDRE MALONEY is a truth teller and international speaker who uses her brand of “mild audacity” to help people live happier, more successful lives. Previous books include The Mission Myth, Bogus Balance, and her previous Tough Truths mini-book, which focuses on leadership. Deirdre currently resides in San Diego with her beloved husband (and slightly-contrarian-but-still-
