About

I began my professional career in market research in Mumbai, India, in 1978. I had recently completed my studies in economics at the University of Delhi, and this was my first job.

We interviewed people who used particular products and brands to understand why they chose them. We identified the key variables influencing their decisions, and those insights became the foundation of marketing campaigns.

The essential questions were:

• Who are our customers?
• What do they look like?
• Where do they come from?
• How can we find more people like them?

I came to the United States in 1984 and later studied decision support systems. As the internet began transforming business, I moved to Silicon Valley and worked for technology companies, including PeopleSoft and VMware.

The technology had changed, and the amount of available information had grown enormously, but the fundamental questions remained remarkably similar:

• Who are our customers?
• What do they look like?
• Where do they come from?
• How can we find more people like them?

Throughout my professional life, I was also thinking about a very different subject: happiness.

• What is happiness?
• Where does it come from?
• What are the key factors that influence it?

Most importantly, I wondered how we might strengthen the areas that influence happiness and make our lives a little bit happier.

After retiring from professional life in 2015, I began applying my analytical training to explore these questions. That exploration led me to four important areas:

• Physical Health
• Financial Well-Being
• Relationships
• The Mind

Much of the wisdom we seek begins with honest self-examination. When we explore our experiences, needs, hopes, and choices, we may discover a boundless ocean of wisdom within ourselves. This workbook is intended to help bring some of that wisdom to the surface.