It means that:

– you become fully incharge of your happiness;

– your happiness is no longer at the mercy of circumstance or that of others.

It also means that happiness is no longer a mystery, because you are fully aware of the big picture of happiness, that is, you are fully aware of what true happiness is, how it gets affected and how to create an environment in which your happiness flourishes to its full potential.

Now this environment that you want to create is both – your inner and outer environment.

The inner environment is what is essentially your ‘state of being’ and the right state of being is the key to long-lasting happiness – because it’s in this right state of being that your creative powers are at their optimum. It is in this state that you are able to see crystal clear reality, lay the groundwork for true success and execute your plans with ease.

Also, it is in this right state that confusion, overwhelm, anxiety, helplessness, hyperactivity, or any kind of negativity is unable to rock the boat of your happiness – and you are able to intuitively shape the outer environment in the right way. In other words, it’s in this right state of being that your choices are right by default!

So, in essence self-enabled happiness is about knowing how to live in your ‘best state’ – the state in which you are your original self and confidently make the right choices – choices that surely result in long-lasting happiness.

Yes and No. What I mean to say is that self-knowledge is indeed the path to happiness but it is half the path, or a half truth, because the whole truth is that we exist in an outer world which has its peculiar ways of working, just like we have ours. So, the knowledge that I am talking about, and the knowledge that is required for truly wholesome and long-lasting happiness, is both self-knowledge and outer-knowledge. Saying that, the complete solution to happiness doesn’t quite end there – it also requires ingenious application of knowledge to harmonise our inner and outer worlds.

The total solution to happiness therefore comprises three types of knowledge – inner, outer and advanced knowledge. Unfortunately, most solutions we come across specialise and therefore go too deep in either inner or outer aspects of life – which gives us a feeling of happiness to start with but doesn’t quite reach its full potential. And in the long run, a feeling of ‘something is missing’ lingers around. Whereas, an integrated approach consisting of the three types of knowledge – inner, outer and advanced – produces wholesome, fulfilling and long-lasting results.

Both.

The Kaalmly Approach to happiness is a practically focussed blend of the ‘essence’ of ancient wisdom (primarily Ayurveda, Yoga, Tao and Tantra) and modern science (biology and psychology). Saying that, on my journey I also came across and have been inspired and influenced by the wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita, Samkhya Karika, Buddhism, Zen, Hermeticism (Kybalion) and great works from eminent psychologists like Abraham Maslow, Carl Jung and Robert Plutchik.

When I say my approach consists of the ‘essence’ of the above, I mean it’s not a translation or a quotation of any of these works, rather, it draws upon their core wisdom and principles and presents a fresh perspective in simple modern language. Infact, in the spirit of simplifying certain complex concepts (which in my opinion are often mis-interpreted), I have taken the liberty to redefine convention (and create new terminology) so that the confusion is dealt with effectively.

This is not a quick-fix (or any other kind of illusion to give you a temporary high). Rather, it is a sure-fix – in which happiness is created with patience and care.

Saying that, although the approach is divided into three essential stages or parts, up to two-thirds of happiness (if not more) can be reclaimed, or enhanced, after the first stage (which is about calmly absorbing the insights from the first book and applying a simple method provided by it).

The logo, which mainly comprises vibrations in three coloured rings, is representative of the three ‘states of being’ we reside in from time to time. Saying that, according to our conditioning and our life circumstances (and the way we manage ourselves in them) we tend to reside in a particular state of being most of the time. And it is the state we exist in that determines the choices we make and, therefore, the life we create for ourselves. Fortunately, we can influence and manage our state of being, such that we exist in our best state – but only if we have the knowledge and understanding to do so.

The dark ring on the outside represents the most disturbed state of being – it is what I call the hyperactive state (primarily because of our mind being overwhelmed with thoughts).

The orange ring is a relatively disturbed state of being – I call this the heightened state of being. This is where we are neither happy nor very unhappy, or we could say this is where we find general life somewhat dull and try to find momentary pleasures to feel ‘happy’. In this state ‘big’ joys of life become the primary goal. The little joys of life don’t seem to matter, we become somewhat numb to them in this in-between state.

And at the centre is a blue circle illuminated by a white light (of our innate wisdom) – this circle at the centre represents a ‘centred’ state of being. This is our best state of being. In other words, this is our wisest and happiest state of being – mentally, physically and spiritually. The aim is to reside in this state of being, have fun while experiencing the little joys of life and make wise choices for the bigger matters in life.

As per statistics, 1 in 4 of us suffers from mental health issues at some point in life, and, in my opinion, the majority of the remainder (3 in 4 of us) predominantly reside in the in-between state – neither happy nor very unhappy – while trying to pursue happiness in our own ways. Unfortunately, because of the design of our mind, over a period of time this in-between state starts feeling normal. And by subconsciously accepting this in-between state as normal we end up limiting – if not eliminating – the possibility of true happiness in our lives. The logo is a reminder of the fact that a centred state of being is where our infinite potential resides. It encourages us to be aware of our state of being and, if need be, restore it to our best state of being, so that we can be the happiest we can; so that we can make the wisest choices – choices that result in long-lasting happiness.

The logo is the basis for a way of life and forms a key part of my happiness approach. It will be elaborated upon in the second part of my upcoming book series (after the groundwork – a rock-solid foundation – has been laid in the first part).