Are you in pursuit of happiness? Doctor offers advice how to reach it faster

“Happiness is good, but is not enough. Peace is good, and is enough,” posits Dr. Iyabo Ojikutu, author of Permanent Happiness: The only way to find peace, joy and your life-given purpose. Being happy is typically a temporary state, she says, because we tie it to external influences. But permanent, authentic happiness is achievable if we learn how to cultivate inner peace.

“We do, of course, find happiness at different points and phases in our lives. The problem is, this situational happiness tends to be short-lived. We are happy for a few days and then fall back into anxiety, sadness and/or worry,” Dr. Iyabo explains.

Permanent Happiness is a practical guide that reads like a conversation with a close friend. Peppered with relatable anecdotes from Iyabo’s own experiences — including her divorce, workplace stress and reentering the dating scene — the lessons between the covers resonate with three-dimensional quality.

Dr. Iyabo outlines three key principles of pursuing permanent happiness through finding lasting, internal peace. First is consciously choosing to change our character. Second, we must continuously nourish our spiritual and physical lifelines. Third, we must use our gifts to elevate and inspire those around us as well as ourselves. Individual chapters explore the roles that relationships, spiritual lives and physical lives play in this quest for balance and sustainable happiness.

At its core, enduring happiness is about striking a balance between physical lives and spiritual lives and understanding that when one goes off course the other must follow. Permanent Happiness aims to inspire readers to achieve this balance for a more fulfilling future.

Dr. Iyabo Ojikutu is a board certified pediatrician, fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She received her medical degree at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria. She has been practicing medicine for 25 years and currently has her own practice in Atlanta where she lives with her two daughters. She has been teaching and mentoring medical students for 13 years and serves a disadvantaged community in Georgia. Dr. Iyabo also writes The Peace Place Blog, which can be found on her website, www.driyabo.com. You can also connect with her on Instagram at @driyabo; on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/iyabomd; on YouTube at Dr. Iyabo Ojikutu or on Twitter at @iyabomd.

Excerpts from Readers’ Favorite Reviews:

“Permanent Happiness: The Only Way to Find Peace, Joy, and Your Life-Given Purpose by Iyabo Ojikutu, MD, is an inspiring book that highlights the author’s observation that permanent happiness comes from inner peace. Without this peace, our happiness will only last temporarily, because of the many external influences that are constantly changing in our lives. Every human being is responsible for their own happiness, and they can achieve this goal by making sure that their spiritual and physical life lines are flowing in a straight line parallel to each other.”

“As the title suggests, Permanent Happiness differentiates between ‘happiness,’ which is momentary, and ‘permanent happiness,’ which means peace. … there is a lot of substance in the chapters that are filled with not only tips and techniques to find joy and peace in daily life, but also plenty of real life experiences … As a practical guide, I think this may come in handy for many people.”

“Unhappiness is something we all experience at one time or another, and knowing how to combat it and find happiness can be the first step towards a healthier, happier and more at peace you. It is with these thoughts in mind that Iyabo Ojikutu MD came to write Permanent Happiness: The Only Way to Find Peace, Joy, and Your Life-Given Purpose …”