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Non-Fiction Independent Reading Project

The Happiness Equation: Want Nothing + Do Anything = Have Everything
by Neil Pasricha

Neil Pasricha, a Harvard MBA, in his book ​The Happiness Equation: Want
Anything + Do Anything = Have Everything ​[2016] asserts that being happy is a
challenge people face everyday and being able to experience it as well. Pasricha
illustrates this belief by listing nine secrets that will guarantee happiness and, if applied,
will help them find success. His purpose is to make listeners aware on how to apply
these secrets to their lives in order for them to live a happier and more effective life,
also, on how to become more successful. He establishes an informal but also a personal
relationship with his audience of adults who are seeking a ways to be happy.
Ethos, logos, and pathos can be identified in this text. Ethos was presented
throughout the book. Pasricha ensured that applying the secrets to people’s lives will
enrich their happiness. Stating his experiences enhanced the use of ethos. Also, logos
was presented in the text. This was identified as statistics. Pasricha stated that
“​Harvard Business Review reports that happy people are are 31% more productive,
have 37% higher sales, and are three times more creative than their counterparts”
(Pasricha 6). This was many of his observations made during his research. He
incorporated charts that could influence the chance of achieving happiness. Pasricha
also stated how to achieve happiness and how it could improve his reader’s life. Finally,
pathos is presented in the text. He gives examples of himself and people in his life who
limit their happiness. Pasricha connects his secrets to his childhood as well as his
relationship with others. Furthermore, Pasricha asserts that being yourself, not taking
advice from others, and more will lead to a happier life. “Being you leads to happiness”
(Pasricha 244). This shows how rhetoric was presented throughout the text.
A secondary source related to the text is “Three rules for being happy and
productive all year long”, written by Rebecca Bosl. Bosl states three strategies to apply
to life in the same way Pasricha lists nine secrets to apply in your everyday life to
become happy. Also, the writer included the strategies into her life as well as Pasricha
did with his secrets. In this article, Bosl states three rules that can be applied to people’s
life in order to achieve a happier and more productive year. The three strategies include
practicing gratitude, letting go of things that can’t be controlled, and taking action over
things that can be controlled. Bosl guarantees that “​If you do these three things, you’ll
be well on your way to a joyful, prosperous and productive new year” (Bosl). The first
rule, practicing gratitude, depends on a person’s change of attitude and their matter of
perspective. The second rule, letting go of things that can’t be controlled, is based on
not being able to control what goes on around you. Lastly, the third rule, taking action
over things that can be controlled, is directed to different types of people, for example, a
person with ambition, business owners, or the unemployed. The third secret, Bosl states
that a person should set a goal, become committed, and take action.
In the text, Neil Pasricha bases his views on America. Pasricha demonstrates
how the majority of people in America limit themselves to happiness. Many people have
little experience of happiness throughout their daily lives. And the majority are unlikely
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to succeed without it. Pasricha shares how he noticed his friends, and himself, were not
happy and limited themselves to their goals. Pasricha shares personal fears he had
throughout his life, and how he overcame them, which later turned into one of his major
achievements. Some people wish they had lived their life differently. Nearly all of
people in America pass their time either at at home or working. It's a way many of us
can interact with others. Pasricha states that:

The number one reason why work is important is because it is social

interaction I get from work.
Carpooling, mentor sessions, open work settings, team charity drives,
conferences, listening groups, appreciation emails, Friday team breakfasts,
starting the meeting with recognition, business book clubs, lunchtime
running groups, networking dinners, going to the gym together, even
figuring out meeting politics.
We need to be social to be happy, work provides major social stimulation.
(Pasricha 115)

This is one of the ways people are close to being happy. The text further shows more
implications about happiness in America.
In the book ​The Happiness Equation​, Pasricha’s main idea was that being happy
is a challenge and achieving it is a challenge as well. His book established ethos, logos,
and pathos, that were presented throughout the text. The secondary source, written by
Rebecca Bosl, was highly related to the book, considering its ideas that would lead to
happiness. Finally, Pasricha implied a problem America struggles with, which is not
being able to be happy and being able to succeed. Applying the secrets to your daily life
will eventually lead to a happier life.

Works Cited

Pasricha, Neil. ​The Happiness Equation: want nothing + do anything = have

everything​.
Vermilion, 2017.

Bosl, Rebecca. “Three Rules For Being Happy And Productive All Year Long.” ​Forbes​,
Forbes Magazine, 22 Jan. 2018,
www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2018/01/22/three-rules-for-being-happy-
and-productive-all-year-long/#5d341a7e716d​.