Happy

Happy, book coverMy first self-help book is Happy.

Suffering from mild depression, having worked at over 20+ jobs during the last 30 years, having recently been made redundant in a jobs-void south Wales and now trying to survive on my wits I thought now was the perfect time to write a book I’ve been meaning to write for many years.

If I can manage to be ‘happy’, given my current precarious condition, then this book might be just the ticket for other stressed-out, frazzled, mid-life crisis Britons wondering why the world is turning so fast and will I ever get back on the ride. As a particularly eloquent friend of mine (in a similar situation) once put it – ‘What the fuck is going on with my life?’

“This short, concise manual will be a revelation to all those who struggle to find time to live a more meaningful life. This book will lift your spirits and force you to look at life in a much more free and considered way. The world does move too fast and this book helps us slow down, smell the roses and listen to the beating heart within us all. It delivers a simple message in a funny and conversational style manner. Full of practical ideas to help improve mood, de-stress, get healthy and live a more worthwhile existence. The author has packed a lifetime of knowledge, wry observations and sensible advice into this volume and gives us hope for the future no matter what age, culture or background we are from.”


Available in paperback and kindle versions.


Sample:

Introduction

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”
– John Lennon

I love this quote! So simple, so perfect, so true! Just a crying shame that some idiot (who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons) shot the great man. Anyway, if you agree and also want to be happy, read on, and hopefully I can help you move a little closer to the book’s title. Am I happy? Mmm? Tricky one. Hard to say. All I can say for sure is I’ve been up and I’ve been down and I definitely prefer up.

Can I make you happy? I don’t bloody know! But I can certainly try. So, by sharing the lessons I’ve learnt in my fairly colourful life so far, offering real, practical advice, throwing in a couple of my favourite, inspirational quotes from some very articulate individuals plus adding a splash of scientific fact, I can, at the very least, point you in the general direction of true happiness. Am I a Zen monk, a hypnotist, a psychologist, a life coach, a talentless TV presenter or a quack? Am I hell. I’m an ordinary bloke who writes a bit and likes walking his dog.

Am I qualified to write this book? Too right I am! I’m not at all famous, I’m not a millionaire entrepreneur, I’m not a vacuous, overpaid ‘celebrity’, I’m not a member of the royal family, a failed actor, a middle-class journalist, unfunny comedian or an over-the-hill sports star. I’m ‘ordinary’ just like you. Although, actually, that should really read extraordinary!


More from ‘Happy’…

 

Reasons To Dump Social Media

• Massive waste of time
• Encourages superficial relationships
• It’s expected – but shouldn’t be!
• Dangerous – bullying, privacy issues, addictive
• Government / advertisers track you
• Can damage your reputation (your employer sees you drunk)
• Can make you more negative
• Teaches you very little
• Healthier to be offline
• Stay up too late
• Lowers self esteem
• Spend more time coming up with a 140-character tweet rather than sending a message to a loved one
• You care more about followers than true friends
• Unrealistic expectations
• Compare your life to people who are really more boring than you ☺
• You have trouble concentrating on important stuff
• You don’t read books anymore
• Can’t relax / log off in case you miss something that actually doesn’t matter
• You share your ‘happy’ moments but care little for others lives
• Feel pressured to be living this fantastic life
• You make friends with people you don’t know or would avoid in the street
• You’re not actually benefitting from anything
• You post things to get reassurance that you’re wonderful or attractive
• You compare everything you do to those who don’t matter
• You’re sat alone in the house, even when you have 500 ‘friends’
• Nobody cares what you write anyway
• You’re best friends don’t even use social media
• You argue more
• You don’t go out anymore


Reviews:

‘Love this book. Found myself laughing out loud before I had even finished the introduction! The information provided on strategies of how to be happy are consistent with the most up to date neuroscientific research, which was pleasantly surprising to me, as I have been studying these very techniques in a course I am currently on. The info is laid out in an easy to digest format throughout and contains lots of practical advice as well as plenty of humour thrown in to keep the learning a joyful experience. The author takes you through the journey by relating the advice to his own experiences, giving this book a very human feel, rather than a book of learning. Therefore, it is easy to relate to. A big thumbs up from me.’ – Claire

‘This little book is such a breath of fresh air. Lewis just says it as it is and it’s as if he’s there chatting with us. He’s probably telling us what we all really know deep inside our heads but we might never realise what it means. Live life, love life. I shall read this time and time again to keep reminding myself what it is to be here, and enjoy what I have. Thank you Dave Lewis and well done for sharing this with us.’ – alhaze

‘If you’ve met the man, he writes as if he’s having a personal conversation with you. There isn’t anything new here but I would recommend the book for its no nonsense, ‘get down the pub with your mates in Ponty’ approach to feeling happy. A good read.’ – Janet Daniel

‘Galloped through this honest and down-to-earth book and reached the finishing post feeling uplifted and looking forward instead of backwards at all the cr-p and avoidable mistakes which have stalked me for too long. Thank you! Can’t this be serialised in say, The Western Mail etc? Worth a go… Well done.’ – Sally Spedding

‘Thoroughly enjoyed reading Happy, it was a down-to-earth honest book that you can relate too. It also had some really honest, good tips which I’m going to try.’ – Andrea

‘Very well written from start to finish. I would highly recommend this to all my friends.’ – Helena Hammett

‘Once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down, well written, very thought provoking and an interesting read.’ – Amazon Customer


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