Chopra - TWO MOST IMPORTANT DAYS: a guide to unlock your purpose and experience lasting happiness

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The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.

MARK TWAIN

To Amita, a beautiful, brilliant, and spiritual person. You raised our children with pure love. Youre a paragon of virtue and wisdom. I am grateful to you for bringing so much happiness to our shared journey and helping me define and live my purpose in life.

To Gillian and Gareth, with so much gratitude for your huge good hearts. You enrich all who know you with your wisdom, wit and sparkle. Being your mother is my most joyful purpose.

This book reflects the tapestry of our lives. It conveys the philosophies we live by, the poetry that inspires us, and the lessons weve learned along the way and wish to pay forward.

We are deeply grateful for those who have cheered us along this path, offering insights, goodwill, and nuggets of inspiration. Their encouragement enriches this book and our lives.

Thomas Dunne, our publisher at St. Martins Press, for your believing in this book when it was merely a glimmer in our eye.

Amanda Annis, our literary agent at Trident Media Group, for your rich literary sensibility and for giving form to our endeavor.

Emily Angell and Lisa Bonvissuto, our editors at St. Martins Press, for your sage editing and gentle hands that guided our many suggestions back to your point of view and made us realize you were right all along.

Stephanie Shorter, for your brilliant research and your enduring enthusiasm.

Meta Wagner, for your valued friendship and for illuminating our path by sharing with us your own literary journey.

Louise Roslansky, for the gift of your friendship and for cheering us up and on with your luminous presence.

Brian Atchison, Adrian Wilkinson, Kathy Bickimer, John McNeil, Venkat Srinivasan, and Paul Rufo, for serving as a focus group of one whenever called upon, for your sage advice and your treasured friendship.

Dorothy and John Vild, for guiding me even in your absence, and for the memory of your deep love and unshakable belief that I could do anything.

Gillian Rulewski and Gareth Rulewski, for being the wellspring of my happinessmy two most important days were the days you were born.

Nigel Rulewski, for encouraging me from the get go to write this book and for your absolute certainty that I could do it.

Krishan and Pushpa Chopra, for your core values and philosophies, which are threaded throughout this book and infused in my life and Deepaks.

Deepak Chopra , my loving brother, for being a force of inspiration.

Amita Chopra, for feeding us your wisdom, love, and culinary delights too numerous to count.

Priya, Bharat and Donna, Kanika and Sarat, and my grandchildren Aanya and Mira , for being such luminous jewels in my life and inspiring me in countless ways.

Our treasured family and friends you know who you areour gratitude is deep and wide. Our shared journey is a magnificent gift.

The cosmos is filled with precious gems.

I want to offer a handful of them to you this morning.

Each moment you are alive is a gem,

shining through and containing earth and sky,

water and clouds.

It needs you to breathe gently

for the miracles to be displayed.

Suddenly you hear the birds singing,

the pines chanting,

see the flowers blooming,

the blue sky,

the white clouds,

the smile and the marvelous look

of your beloved.

You, the richest person on Earth,

who have been going around begging for a living,

stop being the destitute child.

Come back and claim your heritage.

We should enjoy our happiness

and offer it to everyone.

Cherish this very moment.

Let go of the stream of distress

and embrace life fully in your arms.

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why, Mark Twain famously wrote.

Time is a currency, and how you spend it and with whom you spend it are the most important decisions you will ever make. Time is precious and short, yet there is time enough to do something meaningful. There is time enough to find your singular life purpose, one that will both enrich your existence and improve the lot of those who travel along on this shared journey.

We wrote this book out of recognition that life without purpose is a shallow pool, an aimless meandering through the days and months from birth to death. While it is true that every life will have bursts of happy moments, we should have greater aspirations. We know that a life inspired by an awareness of the vast possibilities is a life that is truly vibrant and one that enables sustained happiness.

Today, everywhere you look, there are books, articles, interviews, presentations, and conversations about happiness. Researchers bombard us with data that promise to point the way. Chatter about happiness is inescapable. Its everywhere. And as scientists, philosophers, and experts pontificate, we clamor to understand. We seek any wisdom that will show us how to find it. A search on Amazon turns up nearly two hundred thousand books related to happiness. Yes, we all seem to be on a quest to be happy.

Yet the path to happiness is really quite simple. Look no further. Here is your map. Right here is everything you need to know.

Happiness is a by-product of being present to witness your life and ultimately identifying your lifes purpose. You will find happiness by listeningreally listeningto music, by reflecting on the musings of poets, by paying attention to the scenes and sounds of nature, by accessing the stillness within yourself through meditation, and by surrounding yourself with kindred spiritsand if they like to laugh, its a bonus. Happiness is a result of first looking inward and then gazing outward. Its about using your time to make the journey of others a little bit better. You can be of service merely by being present and paying attention to the needs of others. As the poet Julia Kasdorf wrote:

I learned that whatever we say means nothing,

what anyone will remember is that we came.

To every house you enter, you must offer

Healing: a chocolate cake you baked yourself,

the blessing of your voice, your chaste touch.

This is all you need to know: happiness is a choice. By finding your lifes purpose, you are choosing a happy life. This book will explore how you can live a life with purpose. Our promise to you is that you will be inspired, and best of all, you will have fun.

We will share with you the transformative power of gratitude, forgiveness, and serving others. We suggest films, TED Talks, books, apps, and songs to boost your HQyour happiness quotient. We offer exercises to prod your thinking and poetry to ignite your sense of wonder.

The concept for this book was sparked when Sanjiv was asked to give an academic talk on dharma, happiness, and living with purpose. To prepare, he sought input from friends and family. He asked Gina, a colleague at Harvard Medical School, to contribute her thoughts. She mused over the topic and reached out to her friends, who offered personal wisdom and reflection, some of it to be found within these pages. A partnership of kindred spirits coalesced, and our research continued, culminating in this book. It has been a happy journey filled with purpose.