A Method to Happiness | Prashant Issar | TEDxBITSoM

Quick Overview

Prashant Issar, Managing Director of Bellona Hospitality Services Limited and Founder of Ishara, shares his personal "Method to Happiness" which centers on consciously choosing to say "yes" to life's challenges, rather than defaulting to the negative response of "no" or dwelling on perceived shortcomings, emphasizing that happiness is an active, conscious choice that requires practice.

Key Points: Prashant Issar, Managing Director of Bellona Hospitality Services Limited and Founder of Ishara, advocates for a conscious 'Method to Happiness'. His method involves consciously choosing 'yes' instead of defaulting to 'no' when facing daily challenges, problems, or aspirations. He recounts his personal experience of being rejected from the defense forces despite being from a highly intelligent family, which reinforced the need to actively choose a positive path. Issar believes happiness is not short-lived or relative, but a conscious state one must practice daily, similar to learning a skill. He cites an anecdote where he read that it takes 21 to 23 times to form a new habit, suggesting consistent positive responses solidify happiness. He encourages the audience to find the nearest 'Phoenix Mall' and then practice saying 'yes' to challenges in their lives to build this habit.

Context: Prashant Issar, presented at a TEDxBITSoM event, shares personal anecdotes from his life, including his early academic experiences in a highly intelligent family and his career transition from hospitality to entrepreneurship with his restaurant Ishara, to illustrate his philosophy on achieving happiness through deliberate positive affirmation rather than passive acceptance of circumstances.

Detailed Analysis

Prashant Issar delivers his talk, "A Method to Happiness," by contrasting his upbringing in a highly intelligent family where the default response to difficulty was often intellectual analysis, with his own realization that happiness is an active choice. He contrasts the negative default of saying 'no' or focusing on problems (like being rejected from the defense forces or struggling academically) with his decision to adopt a deliberate 'yes' mindset, even when it felt difficult or unnatural. He explicitly states that happiness is not temporary or relative, but a conscious practice that requires repetition—citing a statistic that it takes 21 to 23 repetitions to form a habit. Issar shares how he applied this principle to his life, including succeeding in the competitive London restaurant market and later in India with his restaurant Ishara, which employs people with hearing and speech impairments as a matter of inclusive policy. The core message is that by consciously choosing to say 'yes' to challenges and practicing positive responses daily, one can cultivate genuine, lasting happiness, rather than waiting for external circumstances to align perfectly.