Sert: Sorgulayarak Mutlu Kalma Sanatı / The Other Way: Happiness Through Critical Thinking

This was my first book, published just before I was 30.  Originally written and published in my native language Turkish with the title Sert: Sorgulayarak Mutlu Kalma Sanatı, this was later translated to English with the title The Other Way: Happiness Through Critical Thinking.

Happiness is such a broad and risky topic to tackle. Especially coming from an “under 30” it had met with some skepticism when it was published.

I have studied psychology, sociology, consumer behavior and worked in fields that allowed me to interview thousands, get access to (and create) mass consumer behavior market research data and observe people from all walks of life. So in essence, this was my way of distilling what I had learned in life so far.

The basic premise of the book comes down to this: Ignorance is not bliss. Life can be very difficult, unfair and full of violence. Well-built characters do not ignore these for their slice of happiness, they do the opposite. They observe and understand the world with all that it offers, the good and the bad. They use this gained wisdom to remake themselves.