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Unboxing: The ART of Happiness
Re-shape your thinking, transform your life!
Simple, practical, and positive, The Art of Happiness combines life experience, logic, and basic psychology to show how we can feel happier and more resilient in everyday life.
At times, many of us have our struggles with health, money, work, relationships, self-acceptance, and so on. Becoming happier is not about ignoring our problems and limitations, nor about pursuing the fantasy world of our dreams. It’s about making everyday choices that are right for us.
As youngsters, we discover instinctively how to solve simple puzzles. At school, we are taught to unpack questions to clarify our understanding, and to identify any constraints before working towards the solutions. Unboxing takes the same approach to issues we face in everyday life.
We discover clarity when we UNBOX our issues. We find direction when we ACCEPT what we cannot change, when we are REALISTIC with our expectations, and when we remain TRUE to ourselves. The path towards happiness is indeed an ART.
Unboxing i s for anyone seeking to re-boot their positivity. It’s about ordinary life and everyday issues. The ART of Happiness is the tool of a positive mind, and Unboxing reveals how to use it.
Simple, practical, and positive, The Art of Happiness combines life experience, logic, and basic psychology to show how we can feel happier and more resilient in everyday life.
At times, many of us have our struggles with health, money, work, relationships, self-acceptance, and so on. Becoming happier is not about ignoring our problems and limitations, nor about pursuing the fantasy world of our dreams. It’s about making everyday choices that are right for us.
As youngsters, we discover instinctively how to solve simple puzzles. At school, we are taught to unpack questions to clarify our understanding, and to identify any constraints before working towards the solutions. Unboxing takes the same approach to issues we face in everyday life.
We discover clarity when we UNBOX our issues. We find direction when we ACCEPT what we cannot change, when we are REALISTIC with our expectations, and when we remain TRUE to ourselves. The path towards happiness is indeed an ART.
Unboxing i s for anyone seeking to re-boot their positivity. It’s about ordinary life and everyday issues. The ART of Happiness is the tool of a positive mind, and Unboxing reveals how to use it.
263 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 30, 2023
2 people are currently reading
About the author
Bruce Spydar
11 books39 followersBruce Spydar used to wear a suit, work in an office, and get paid to lead teams of staff working for international nature conservation. Today he possesses no suit that fits, has no office nor staff, and he doesn’t get paid … although he still volunteers in support of nature.
For the last few years, Bruce has thrown himself into writing. Perhaps it’s a last-ditch attempt to harness his creativity, before his brain turns to mush. On many an afternoon he can be spotted gazing out of an upstairs window of his house near Cambridge, searching for inspiration.
Bruce describes himself as writing with a kind heart and a naughty mind. Personal experience has taught him that everyday life is rather full of struggles, and that happiness and laughter are too often in short supply. It’s why he now chooses to focus his creativity towards sharing his humour and positivity.
Humorous fiction:
Educating BJ
Educating BJ is a rose-tinted (or tainted) portrait of undergraduate life; a commoner’s experience of fun, friendships, and frustration. Spun from real-life events, and as factual as any government record, Educating BJ is my story … and I hope you enjoy it.
The Shy Backpacker series
Diary of a Shy Backpacker is a naughty travel romcom; a series of the adventures of a young man trying to make some sense of his life during his gap year travels. It is life-based fiction expanding from some of the author’s own adventures decades ago. Part 1: Awakening Down Under is set in Australia, Part 2: Eye on the Prize moves to New Zealand, and in Part 3: No Looking Back, BJ, the main character is crossing Canada.
Refining My Dining is a deliciously s3xy romcom, in which the world is seen through the eyes of Megan Turner. It’s a standalone tale, but if you’ve read Diary of a Shy Backpacker, you’ll have met her before.
Caution: Adults only - contains tasty language and scenes of a sexual nature.
Non-Fiction: Self-help
Unboxing: The ART of Happiness ... is for anyone seeking to re-boot their positivity. Simple, practical, and positive, the book combines life experience, logic, and basic psychology to show how we can feel happier and more resilient in everyday life. The ART of Happiness is the tool of a positive mind, and Unboxing reveals how to use it.
Spydar’s Web: How to Capture Happiness ... is aimed towards encouragement of positive thinking and improvement of our happiness and well-being. The SPIDER model is a simple visual tool that can be an effective prompt for promoting many of the things we know enhance our own happiness, and discouraging us from falling into bad habits.
Bruce continues to write … and you can follow him on Instagram (@brucespydar).
For the last few years, Bruce has thrown himself into writing. Perhaps it’s a last-ditch attempt to harness his creativity, before his brain turns to mush. On many an afternoon he can be spotted gazing out of an upstairs window of his house near Cambridge, searching for inspiration.
Bruce describes himself as writing with a kind heart and a naughty mind. Personal experience has taught him that everyday life is rather full of struggles, and that happiness and laughter are too often in short supply. It’s why he now chooses to focus his creativity towards sharing his humour and positivity.
Humorous fiction:
Educating BJ
Educating BJ is a rose-tinted (or tainted) portrait of undergraduate life; a commoner’s experience of fun, friendships, and frustration. Spun from real-life events, and as factual as any government record, Educating BJ is my story … and I hope you enjoy it.
The Shy Backpacker series
Diary of a Shy Backpacker is a naughty travel romcom; a series of the adventures of a young man trying to make some sense of his life during his gap year travels. It is life-based fiction expanding from some of the author’s own adventures decades ago. Part 1: Awakening Down Under is set in Australia, Part 2: Eye on the Prize moves to New Zealand, and in Part 3: No Looking Back, BJ, the main character is crossing Canada.
Refining My Dining is a deliciously s3xy romcom, in which the world is seen through the eyes of Megan Turner. It’s a standalone tale, but if you’ve read Diary of a Shy Backpacker, you’ll have met her before.
Caution: Adults only - contains tasty language and scenes of a sexual nature.
Non-Fiction: Self-help
Unboxing: The ART of Happiness ... is for anyone seeking to re-boot their positivity. Simple, practical, and positive, the book combines life experience, logic, and basic psychology to show how we can feel happier and more resilient in everyday life. The ART of Happiness is the tool of a positive mind, and Unboxing reveals how to use it.
Spydar’s Web: How to Capture Happiness ... is aimed towards encouragement of positive thinking and improvement of our happiness and well-being. The SPIDER model is a simple visual tool that can be an effective prompt for promoting many of the things we know enhance our own happiness, and discouraging us from falling into bad habits.
Bruce continues to write … and you can follow him on Instagram (@brucespydar).
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 11, 2023
It seemed only fitting to read Unboxing: The ART of Happiness going into the holidays - a nostalgia-laden season when there is not only a lot to emotionally unpack, but where we place too much expectation on ourselves and on other people, places and things to feel happy, if not *perfectly* happy. I found this book hit home many, many times for me, and there are excellent takeaways from each chapter.
Author Bruce Spydar is never condescending or preachy as he conveys the ART principles of attaining happiness (or, as he points out, less unhappiness) in a realistic and relatable way through accessible examples and anecdotes from his personal journey along the way. This is a book I will definitely refer to time and again when I need a reminder to let go of negative self talk and get out from under the burden of expectations.
Author Bruce Spydar is never condescending or preachy as he conveys the ART principles of attaining happiness (or, as he points out, less unhappiness) in a realistic and relatable way through accessible examples and anecdotes from his personal journey along the way. This is a book I will definitely refer to time and again when I need a reminder to let go of negative self talk and get out from under the burden of expectations.
June 1, 2023
This book provides a non-condescending, non-preaching way of seeing and changing the thought process of happiness. Bruce focuses on 6 different verbs- change, believe, choose, be, have and do. These are looked at and explained in a way that makes the process easy to understand using personal experiences, diagrams and quotes.
I loved hearing little snippets of Bruce’s life and how each of the verbs above applied to him.
Happiness is rarely seen for what it is- we measure happiness on success or wealth. We rarely look at true happiness.
Bruce, you have a way of connecting with the reader that makes it seem like you’re talking directly to them. I got the same feeling when I read Stephen Hawking’s books- I felt like he opened a door to something I wouldn’t have understood before. That only happens when someone has a true passion and wants to share it.
I have so many similarities to you. We think very similarly. We also have certain experiences that seem to have shaped us.
Your mum seemed like a wonderful character.
It’s easy for me to see how proud she would’ve been of you, but I hope you see it to.
This was a really insightful read. Sometimes we all need to refocus ourselves and see how much of our life/thought process we control. Negative aspects of our life aren’t anyways the result of something cosmic and unexplainable. By changing certain factors in our thought process, we could ultimately change our level of happiness.
Another fantastic read, Mr Spydar!
I loved hearing little snippets of Bruce’s life and how each of the verbs above applied to him.
Happiness is rarely seen for what it is- we measure happiness on success or wealth. We rarely look at true happiness.
Bruce, you have a way of connecting with the reader that makes it seem like you’re talking directly to them. I got the same feeling when I read Stephen Hawking’s books- I felt like he opened a door to something I wouldn’t have understood before. That only happens when someone has a true passion and wants to share it.
I have so many similarities to you. We think very similarly. We also have certain experiences that seem to have shaped us.
Your mum seemed like a wonderful character.
It’s easy for me to see how proud she would’ve been of you, but I hope you see it to.
This was a really insightful read. Sometimes we all need to refocus ourselves and see how much of our life/thought process we control. Negative aspects of our life aren’t anyways the result of something cosmic and unexplainable. By changing certain factors in our thought process, we could ultimately change our level of happiness.
Another fantastic read, Mr Spydar!
August 2, 2024
Another winner!
I knew going in (based on Spydar’s previous book, Spydar's Web: How to Capture Happiness) that Unboxing: The ART of Happiness would be a valuable tool in my mental health arsenal. Like the book before it, he provides valuable information and insight, in addition to simple, logical, and practical ways to improve your state of mind. I’m already implementing some of these strategies to good effect!
I knew going in (based on Spydar’s previous book, Spydar's Web: How to Capture Happiness) that Unboxing: The ART of Happiness would be a valuable tool in my mental health arsenal. Like the book before it, he provides valuable information and insight, in addition to simple, logical, and practical ways to improve your state of mind. I’m already implementing some of these strategies to good effect!
February 5, 2024
Unbox happiness in 2024
My goal for 2024 is to focus on wellness in all of it’s forms. Physically, emotionally, and mentally. I started journaling, maintaining healthy eating habits, and adhering to a regular bedtime routine. My approach delves even further, including homeopathic remedies to help manage a degenerative autoimmune disease. I will start with a disclaimer and say: I am not a self-help kind of person. I have two types of internal struggles with those kinds of books. 1. I don’t like being told what to do ;) and 2. I often question the author’s credentials for writing such material. Having said that, reading Bruce Spydar’s Unboxing: The ART of Happiness was a great addition to my wellness goal. Spydar’s approach to unboxing happiness is realistic and told in an ‘In my experience,’ way that makes his model relatable and easy to understand. The book is void of the know-it-all, authoritarian preaching found in most self-help books. Well done, Mr. Spydar. Oh, do behave!
My goal for 2024 is to focus on wellness in all of it’s forms. Physically, emotionally, and mentally. I started journaling, maintaining healthy eating habits, and adhering to a regular bedtime routine. My approach delves even further, including homeopathic remedies to help manage a degenerative autoimmune disease. I will start with a disclaimer and say: I am not a self-help kind of person. I have two types of internal struggles with those kinds of books. 1. I don’t like being told what to do ;) and 2. I often question the author’s credentials for writing such material. Having said that, reading Bruce Spydar’s Unboxing: The ART of Happiness was a great addition to my wellness goal. Spydar’s approach to unboxing happiness is realistic and told in an ‘In my experience,’ way that makes his model relatable and easy to understand. The book is void of the know-it-all, authoritarian preaching found in most self-help books. Well done, Mr. Spydar. Oh, do behave!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews