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The Courage to Be Happy: True Contentment Is Within Your Power
The sequel to the mega-selling international phenomenon The Courage to Be Disliked.
This audiobook is a compass.
Navigate and discover
along your path
the courage to be happy.
The Courage to Be Happy presents profound insights into living life courageously and finding happiness along the way. It has already sold more than a million copies in Japan and is a sequel to The Courage to Be Disliked, which has changed lives across the globe as an international best-selling sensation.
As in The Courage to Be Disliked, we follow a Socratic dialogue between a philosopher and a young man. The philosopher believes that the key to a life of happiness and fulfilment is offered to us by the theories of Alfred Adler, a forgotten giant of 19th-century psychology who has long been overshadowed by his two contemporaries, Freud and Jung. The young man is full of doubt that life can be genuinely improved by simply changing his thinking. Patiently, the philosopher explains the essence of Adler's 'psychology of courage', taking the young man through the mental steps necessary to achieve it, and demonstrating to the young man and to us the changes this psychology will bring to the way we live our lives.
This is a work that is truly life-changing in its power and universally applicable in its scope.
This audiobook is a compass.
Navigate and discover
along your path
the courage to be happy.
The Courage to Be Happy presents profound insights into living life courageously and finding happiness along the way. It has already sold more than a million copies in Japan and is a sequel to The Courage to Be Disliked, which has changed lives across the globe as an international best-selling sensation.
As in The Courage to Be Disliked, we follow a Socratic dialogue between a philosopher and a young man. The philosopher believes that the key to a life of happiness and fulfilment is offered to us by the theories of Alfred Adler, a forgotten giant of 19th-century psychology who has long been overshadowed by his two contemporaries, Freud and Jung. The young man is full of doubt that life can be genuinely improved by simply changing his thinking. Patiently, the philosopher explains the essence of Adler's 'psychology of courage', taking the young man through the mental steps necessary to achieve it, and demonstrating to the young man and to us the changes this psychology will bring to the way we live our lives.
This is a work that is truly life-changing in its power and universally applicable in its scope.
Audible Audio
Published April 30, 2020
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8 people want to read
About the author
Ichiro Kishimi
79 books1,013 followersIchiro KISHIMI Philosopher, Adlerian psychologist and translator of English and German languages. Born in 1956.
M.A.in philosophy from Kyoto University. Director of the Japanese Society of Adlerian psychology. Former counselor at Maeda Clinic in Kyoto and has taught philosophy and ancient Greek at various institutions such as Kyoto University of Education and Nara Women's University.
He presently teaches educational psychology and clinical psychology at Meiji School of Oriental Medicine in Suita, Osaka. Kishimi now has his own private counseling office in Kameoka, Kyoto, and devotes his time to giving lectures on Adlerian Psychology and child education.
M.A.in philosophy from Kyoto University. Director of the Japanese Society of Adlerian psychology. Former counselor at Maeda Clinic in Kyoto and has taught philosophy and ancient Greek at various institutions such as Kyoto University of Education and Nara Women's University.
He presently teaches educational psychology and clinical psychology at Meiji School of Oriental Medicine in Suita, Osaka. Kishimi now has his own private counseling office in Kameoka, Kyoto, and devotes his time to giving lectures on Adlerian Psychology and child education.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 2, 2025
This is a bold follow-up to The Courage to Be Disliked. It builds on Adlerian psychology with deeper explorations of happiness, self-responsibility, and how we relate to others.
The tone is deceptively light, presented as a dialogue, but the ideas are challenging, especially around how we define love, freedom, and interpersonal relationships. Some chapters may push back against how we typically think about connection and purpose, which makes it a book worth returning to more than once.
While I didn’t agree with everything, I appreciated the philosophical depth. It’s not a self-help book in the traditional sense, it’s more like a mirror held up to your internal life.
Recommended if you're interested in psychology, philosophy, or books that make you stop and think, even if (especially if) they challenge your perspective.
The tone is deceptively light, presented as a dialogue, but the ideas are challenging, especially around how we define love, freedom, and interpersonal relationships. Some chapters may push back against how we typically think about connection and purpose, which makes it a book worth returning to more than once.
While I didn’t agree with everything, I appreciated the philosophical depth. It’s not a self-help book in the traditional sense, it’s more like a mirror held up to your internal life.
Recommended if you're interested in psychology, philosophy, or books that make you stop and think, even if (especially if) they challenge your perspective.
December 29, 2025
Similar to "The courage to be disliked", the theories blew my mind. Although the logic in this book was harder to grasp, it made a lot of sense once you understood it. I feel that this one is also harder to carry out in life. But hey, life's a journey isn't it. The first book is definitely better but still, will recommend if you loved the first book!
April 14, 2025
definitely a must read for those who want to achieve a breakthrough and help themselves by learning letting go of things that are holding you back such as negative aspects in your lives.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews