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People are unhappy, frustrated, unfulfilled. They want more from life. Most don’t know what to do about it, and many of the solutions they try only make their situations worse. Not only does their unhappiness ruin their lives, but it can spill over and infect their friends, families and their communities. Their feelings set a tone that can drain their vitality and dominate their lives. It is not surprising that most feel trapped, discouraged, and depressed.

The original meaning of the word “happiness” is the Greek word “Eudaimonia,” which means literally, being well in spirit. I find this a beautiful way of understanding happiness. Happiness is more than howyou feel, how much money you have, or what people think of you. Happiness has more to do with an overall sense of well-being. The truth of happiness is that it is independent from your circumstances. Happiness is not what you experience, but how you experience life – although this is not what most of your education teaches you and the media wants you to believe.

To be well in spirit, you first have to know who you truly are. I believe that the reason people are unhappy is because they have forgotten who they truly are. Making the commitment to be happy, no matter what the circumstances of your life are, brings you in touch with your true nature. It gives you a perspective from which to consider your problems, rather than trying to find a solution from your problems.

Our Solutions Are often Our Problems

As a physician, I constantly see people grasping for solutions. They try to solve their problems in many ways, including changing their lives, acquiring things, throwing themselves into their careers, or stockpiling material possessions.  Or they may think that if they get rid of people or things in their lives, it will give them peace. Others try to suppress their feelings and pretend that they don’t exist. Usually, none of these solutions work. Paradoxically, the solutions we bring to our challenges often are our problems.

An Ontological Approach to Happiness

I believe that the answer is in making a commitment to be happy, fulfilled, and content, no matter what the circumstances of your life are. This commitment allows you to radically alter how you relate to your occurring world, which leads you to express yourself and experience life in a new way. “Ontos” is the Greek word for “being.” The two thought experiments in this book – The Choice and The Insight – approach your life questions at the level of being, not psychology. They are an ontological approach to life. The Choice and The Insight are interventions at the level of being that enhance your overall sense of well-being. They increase your vitality, raise your optimism and help you bounce back from stressful challenges.

The Choice and The Insightmove you away from being in a constant state of reacting to your occurring world, towards being in a state of allowing and letting be. The Choice and The Insight in essence bring you in a space, where you acknowledge the existence of what is occurring in your life. You will become more aware of what is happening in your life from a place of your true nature. It connects you from a place of authenticity and enriches how you relate to others. You will discover your unique power and surrender to the unfolding, rather than resisting what life throws at you. It also brings you solutions that do not alienate and separate you from life.

In My book Happiness Is a Choice, you will discover how making a commitment to being happy, no matter what, will help you recognize the truth of who you are, which lets you be true to yourself and conquer life’s challenges. It allows you to reclaim the true joy of being and raise your life to a higher level of awareness.