hector & the search for happiness.

"A charming parable about modern life that has touched the hearts of more than two million readers worldwide"

This is a book which you can finish in one breathe because you just can't stop reading it. Let me share with you some bits of the parable:

...this made Hector think. Charles and he were sitting in the identical seats, and had been offered the same champagne, but Hector was much happier because he wasn't used to it. There was another difference: Charles had been expecting to fly business class, whereas for Hector it had been a pleasant surprise.

It was the first small pleasure of his trip so far, but looking at Charles, Hector began worrying. What if the next time he flew economy class he regretted not being in business class, like Charles no regretted not being in the first class? Hector told himself that he'd just learnt his first lesson. He took out the little notebook he'd bought especially and wrote:

Lesson #1: making comparisons can spoil your happiness.

He thought that this wasn't a very positive first lesson, so he tried to find another. He drank some more champagne and wrote:

Lesson #2:Happiness often comes when least expected.

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and Hector learned along his journey from Paris to China to Africa to the United States and here are the rest of his notes:

Lesson #3: Many people see happiness only in their future.

Lesson #4: Many people think that happiness comes from having more power and more money.

Lesson #5: Sometimes happiness is not knowing the whole story.

Lesson #6: Happiness is a long walk in beautiful, unfamiliar mountains.
                  (take time to observe the beauty of the world)

Lesson #7: It's mistake to think that happiness is the goal.

Lesson #8: Happiness is being with the people you love.

Lesson #9: Happiness is knowing your family lacks for nothing.

Lesson #10: Happiness is doing a job you love.

Lesson #11: Happiness is having a home and a garden of your own.

Lesson #12: It's harder to be happy in a country run by bad people.

Lesson #13: Happiness is feeling useful to others.

Lesson #14: Happiness is to be loved for exactly who you are.

Lesson #15: Happiness comes when you feel truly alive.

Lesson #16: Happiness is knowing how to celebrate.

Lesson #17: Happiness is caring about the happiness of those you love.

Lesson #18: Happiness is not attaching too much importance to what other people think.

Lesson #19: The sun and the sea make everybody happy.

Lesson #20: Happiness is a certain way of seeing things.

Lesson #21: Rivalry poisons happiness.

Lesson #22: Women care more than men about making others happy.

Lesson #23: Happiness means making sure that those around you are happy.