Stories from Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar’s students

I have been in the self growth path for quite some time and I have read many books and attended many courses and Quest, which were really great, but I was feeling a sense of emptiness and was feeling sad almost all the time... I was blown by the first lecture, I thought to myself that yes yes Taj, this is the course I was looking for... I am feeling a great sense of self esteem and joy.

I joined as a curiosity and it exceeded all my expectations!... The studies and examples in the quests are really mind-blowing and they had the power to shift my awareness and motivation in an instant. Now I have a Happiness Toolbox that was so easy to apply and is with me daily!

What really stood out to me about this program was the SPIRE model itself. It's such a simple yet powerful framework for understanding what makes us happy, and I found myself nodding along with each element as Tal explained them... Whether it was practicing mindfulness meditation, cultivating gratitude, or engaging in acts of kindness, there were so many actionable steps that everyone could take to improve their own happiness.

I used to think that happiness is a bit like love - it comes and goes and we cannot do anything much about it. How happy I was to find out that happiness is actually a learnable skill and there are many wonderful pathways to increase happiness and experience it more in the day to day settings.

I realized that I had to take a new approach to situations that seemed normal to me but didn't bring happiness, peace, nor growth... Now, I am more aware of my spiritual, physical, intellectual, relational, and emotional self... I am learning that acceptance is allows me to feel free, and gratitude to really enjoy the wonderful life I am building for myself and my family.

I wasn't aware that it's better to have an indirect approach to happiness rather than a direct one... I learned that within small changes in some everyday activities regarding meditation, gym, etc, I could make much of a difference in my well-being.

I assumed I knew the tools to be happy, yet felt personally that I was "on teachable" and that it would not work for me... No longer do I feel that happiness is an elusive thing that comes and goes as it pleases. It is something we have to work out as humans, but it is not so difficult.

Doing the SPIRE check-in I'm feeling so much better 'within' myself and towards to others. Feeling lighter and happier then before.

I have many more tools available for myself and for being an even better coach and wingman for my clients... my life and the life of my present and future clients not only carries more potential for achieving happiness and sustaining happiness, it also shows to my social environment that I am obviously appearing (and being) happier, sharing my positive energy with my local tribe and family.

Before this quest I was a victim of happiness meaning that the out side world would either make me happy or not. I felt powerless... I am no longer a victim hoping to be happy I am an empowered creator of my own real happiness!