The Happynesswalas Quotes

“No matter what you are going through, spend a few minutes each day to be grateful for who you still have, and for what you still have, in your Life.”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“You are bound to lose any game if you play only for fame – and money. This includes the game of Life. Whatever you do, do it for love, out of love. Play following your bliss, enjoying the process, celebrating your spiritual talent, and you will always feel content and happy. Your Happiness is your true reward. It is priceless! Employ your Happiness to get better and better at the game you play, to be among the best in your field. Success and money – and often fame too – will then flow to you!”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“Surrendering to Life does not mean inaction. It means trusting Life’s cyclical process and going with the flow. It means making your best efforts every single day and remaining non-frustrated even when you don’t get the results that you expect.”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“Make time for yourself every day. To pause, reflect, review and, importantly, to celebrate yourself.”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“The process of Life is to make us, break us, and to remake us. From birth to death, this process endures ceaselessly. Our lived experiences then are integral to how we are shaped – to how we are remade each time that we are broken. We emerge stronger, calmer, content and happy from each upheaval that we go through. That’s how we awaken to the sublime realization that the journey is indeed the only reward.”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“Slowly, very slowly, that is how you learn to cope with trauma, grief and pain. It always seems to be a never-ending process. The coping doesn’t quite cease; it always appears to be in the present continuous. Then, over time, when you begin to accept the pain and see the pointlessness of grieving endlessly, you slowly learn to move on. Your Life will never be the way it once was. But you will slowly learn to co-live with the pain while setting down the grief. You will slowly, eventually, learn to be happy despite what happened and despite the circumstances.”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“No matter how talented and successful you are, you have to go through what you have to go through. So learn to accept pain and be happy despite the circumstances. Be happy with what you have. Also, learn to appreciate the impermanence of everything: Of Life itself surely. Also, of name, fame, wealth, success and glory. And of failure too. Focus instead on what you love doing and do it very, very well. Simply, if you create great, unputdownable work, both you and your work will be remembered. Forever.”
― Vaani Anand and AVIS Viswanathan

“Let others think, say or do as they please. If you obsess over others, or over what they think of or say about you, remember, you may have no time to live your Life. And, of course, you will be terribly, terribly unhappy!”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“The free will versus destiny debate will rage on. But actually there need not be a debate. You see, there is certainly an inscrutable quality to Life. You may call it destiny. But despite Life’s inscrutable nature, you still have to make choices. And that is free will. So, the choices that you make, because of or despite the circumstances that are beyond your imagination and control, are undoubtedly important. Bottom line: There is a beautiful interplay between free will and destiny all the time. Together, they write the screenplay of your Life.”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“What do you do when you don’t know what to do? Well, you can try fighting Life: You can kick around, scream, wallow in self-pity, anger, grief and guilt or you can hide in a metaphorical cave, choosing to live in denial and darkness. But none of those choices will help you. Over time, you will hate your Life even more than you ever did. That’s when you will realize the power of letting go, of going with the flow. When you don’t know what to do, simply trust the process of Life. That trusting, in the present continuous tense, is faith. The willingness to go where you have never been before, the humility to let go and allowing yourself to be led by the unknown, is faith. Now, your problems don’t necessarily disappear when you have faith. Your ability to deal with them improves magically, miraculously, though. And that is what faith does – it acts as a beacon of light, as a blessing, to keep you going through the darkness, to help you last – one day at a time.”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“No matter how hard you try, or wish, or pray, you cannot change the Life that you have in the moment. So, first, accept what is. And then go to work on changing the parts about your Life that you don’t like. When you resist what is, you suffer. Being non-suffering is a choice. This is intelligent living. This holds the key to Happiness.”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“Follow your bliss. Do only what you love doing and do it diligently. All else always follows. This is intelligent living. It holds the key to contentment and Happiness.”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“There is no greater state to attain in Life than when you are able to recognize that you are merely an instrument for divinity to work through you, for your spiritual talent to flow through you.”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“When you train your mind to be non-worrying, non-frustrated and non-suffering, you can actually be Happy ALL Year!”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“There will be times in Life when you will not be understood. When no one will believe in you. People, circumstances and events will all appear to be going against you. That’s when you must soldier on, with faith . When there is no hope, when there is no light, when there appears to be no way forward, that’s when faith comes into play. Anchor in faith. Not through religion or ritual. But have faith in yourself, in a higher energy, and trust the process of Life. Your faith will never lead you astray. It will not show you the way either. Having faith is the way to live intelligently, happily.”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“Often, when you are feeling beaten and broken, you conclude that Life is cruel. You think that only you have an unsolvable, insurmountable, problem. You also begin to believe that most people around you don’t want to understand you. To find inner peace in such times of upheaval and turmoil, step back, and look at your own Life from a distance. Think of yourself like a fly on the wall – and be a witness of your own Life. You will then realize that there is no grand conspiracy to vanquish you. You will see that:
• There are many blessings in your Life that you can count.
• Your problems are not so severe after all.
• People are behaving the way they are because they are caught in their own web of emotions, circumstances, beliefs, opinions and problems. These people are beaten and broken too; they are searching for meaning themselves.
It is your craving, that you shouldn’t have any problems, and that you must be understood, which is causing you pain – and suffering. Drop that craving. And you will, at once, be peaceful – and happy.”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“When you let go of all that is causing you pain and distress, you let go of your unhappiness too. Sometimes, it may be people who make you unhappy. So move away from such people. At other times, it may be the choices that you have made that make you unhappy. So let go of the past – it is over, you can’t undo it. There may also be situations where you cannot fix the core issue that is causing all your pain and agony. When you can’t fix a problem yourself, let go of your desire to fix it. When you let go, when you uncling from whatever it is that is holding you hostage, you set yourself free. When you let go, you actually let Happiness in!”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“The path unfolds as we walk and shapes us as we move onward. Eventually we all arrive where we must, while turning out to be who we are meant to be!”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in India is currently seen as an establishment that is unleashing draconian measures to penalize people and companies. Resultantly, the very mention of the ED’s name appears to evoke fear in many. But when we look at Life in a spiritual context, we will realize that there is a more tyrannical ED that resides within each of us. Be wary of this inner ED. It is made up of twin oppressors – Ego and Desire! Importantly, ego and desire, as long as they are in control, hold us hostage. The ego cripples us by ceaselessly whipping up the deafening ‘I-me-mine’ frenzy. And desire suffocates us through stoking an endless wanting in us: for Life to be different from what it is. Both these forces constantly make us feel on edge. That’s why we often feel miserable, unfulfilled and very, very unhappy. There is a way to get out of the stranglehold of this inner ED. That way is to learn to dissolve our ego and our desires through diligently training the mind, through embracing a meditative practice. Only then can we be truly free. And happy!”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“The purpose of an enduring crisis is to teach you faith, patience and the art of surrender. Some crises last for short spells. And some really refuse to blow away. They stay on, testing you physically, emotionally and spiritually. There will be times when you will be brought to your knees. This is when everything you have tried to solve a problem has failed, and you feel weak, worthless and wasted. That’s when – and how – you begin to accept that some problems defy logic and don’t have a human-engineered solution. This is how faith blossoms in you. Faith, not necessarily in religion or a God, but faith as in trusting the process of Life. And slowly, but surely, you learn to be patient. As you patiently trust the process, you quietly, often unwittingly, surrender to the flow of Life. That’s when something magical happens: You discover that it is indeed possible to be calm and happy even when you are caught in the throes of a crisis. This realization is painful, paradoxical, cruel, beautiful and liberating – all at the same time!”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“The truth is that we humans cannot fight Life’s design. For instance, when someone’s time is up, they just have to go. When this understanding is complete, there will be a realization that carrying on grieving is futile. That’s when you exercise the choice to be non-suffering. However, being non-suffering does not mean that there will be no pain. You cannot negotiate with pain. You have to simply accept it. But when you are non-suffering your ability to accept pain and deal with it improves significantly.”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“In any situation in Life, even if it is a grave one, you always have the opportunity to be grateful. There will be someone or something out there that you will always feel grateful for. Go ahead and feel grateful. Gratitude can’t quite solve your problems. But it can make you feel a lot better in a lousy, dark and painful situation. When you feel better about yourself, your ability to face a tough situation improves dramatically.”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“Human choices, actions, opinions and analyses – all these are always inadequate in the context of the larger cosmic design. Ultimately time is a great leveler. Time is all-powerful. Whoever you are, when it is your time to rule, you will. When it is your time to fall, you will. When it is your time to rise, you will rise – again. And when it is your time to go, you will have to go. Simply, you cannot negotiate with Life – or death. Embracing what is, doing what you can possibly do in a given situation and going with the flow of Life is Happiness.”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“Companionship is truly about being loving – in the present continuous. It means being available, being present or just being a good listener. You may not really be able to solve your companion’s problems or be able to reduce their pain. But being there for them, being loving, is all that you need to do. Or, in some cases, if being left alone is what they want, respecting that need and staying away from them is also a way of being loving.”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“No matter what others say, be yourself! And always be happy – with what you have and with who you are.”
― AVIS Viswanathan

“Clearly, Life never appears to be easy. And everyone feels beaten and emotionally broken at some point or the other when trying to cope with the upheavals of everyday living. To last each tough day, and to wake up afresh to take on the next tough one, is a great act of heroism. So be kind to yourself. Be gentle with yourself. And celebrate yourself.”
― Vaani Anand and AVIS Viswanathan

“To stay loving is to rise in love. Loving does not need any societal approval like the stamp of a marriage. Importantly, marriage does not necessarily make a couple happy or loving. And to stay loving and happy a couple don’t need to be married. Look around you. Consider the stories of a few couples you know. And you will find this truth staring you in the face. On the other hand, it is companionship, and companionship alone, that inspires loving and Happiness.”
― Vaani Anand and AVIS Viswanathan

“Live meaningfully. Do what you love doing and makes you happy. Do it very, very well. Stay true to what you believe in. Don’t chase rewards, recognition or even worldly success. When they come, embrace them with humility. But don’t chase them. When you live Life this way, what you set out to do will most likely outlive you. It will touch people’s lives for a long, long time, in more ways than you can ever imagine. This is how you make your one Life count. This is how you live happily.”
― Vaani Anand and AVIS Viswanathan

“We must remember that, for each of us, our cosmic design is playing out continuously. Or, in other words, Life is constantly executing its mandate for us through us. We can be happy, content and peaceful while we witness our designs playing out by listening to our hearts, by relentlessly doing what we love very, very well. Our role on this planet is to just be led by Life.”
― Vaani Anand and AVIS Viswanathan

“People who live meaningfully have a strong sense of purpose. They are invested in the 'why' of their work. That matters more to them than what they will gain from doing that work.”
― Vaani Anand and AVIS Viswanathan