Are you unhappy? Really unhappy or just a little bit? Do you feel like you might need a little assistance in true unhappiness?
I highly recommend reading the book The Situation Is Hopeless But Not Serious (The Pursuit of Unhappiness) by Paul Watzlawick. And if you would rather be happy, all the more reason to read the book!
The original title of the book (Anleitung zum Unglücklichsein) roughly translates to “guide to unhappiness”, which in my opinion represents the content very well. This book, first published over 30 years ago, is the perfect antidote to modern self-help books. And more relevant today than ever. The author describes in a wonderfully humorous way how true unhappiness is something that you can (and should?) learn. It is not something that just “happens”. If you want to be truly unhappy, you should to learn how to!
The number of persons talented enough to create their own hell may seem relatively large. But many more are in need of help of and encouragement.
I wrote about my favorite anecdote from the book – the story of the hammer – in a previous blog post. Through this and many more stories, examples and tipps, the author guides us on our way to true unhappiness.
Reading this book, you will start to look at your own behavior and thoughts in a different way and realize that in fact, it is truly you who can shape your own (mis)fortune. And if you should decide to not follow the advice, who knows, you might find yourself a big step closer to happiness.
