We are AVIS Viswanathan and Vaani Anand, the happynesswalas!
We lead a v initiatives, the Specialist Consulting Firm that inspires Workplace Happiness. We help people - individuals and teams - learn how they can be happy despite their circumstances, leading to a greater quality of Life for them. This means they can create more value with whatever they do, delivering higher profits for themselves and their organizations! |
Simply, we inspire Happiness that, in turn, delivers High-Performance!
The story of the happynesswalas - AVIS and Vaani
For over a decade now, AVIS and Vaani have been in the throes of a unique, Life-changing crisis. Their erstwhile consulting Firm went bankrupt in end-2007 plunging their Life into a deep, dark, seemingly endless abyss. Ever since, they have been dealing with several imponderables. On the material side, they have had to face several law suits and police complaints from irate creditors. This has also been a cathartic experience for them - when the realization that they were bankrupt dawned on them, they were initially pinned down by fear, insecurity, anger, grief, guilt, anxiety and incessant worry. Besides, despite trying very, very hard, they have been unable to turn around their financially devastated Life. So, many times, from early-2008 onward, they have had to live through long spells of worklessness and pennilessness.
Their crisis still endures - it is not over, it is ongoing.
Through this numbing phase of their Life though, AVIS and Vaani have learnt some unputdownable lessons. They discovered that Happiness is the art of being non-worrying, non-frustrated and non-suffering. Through the practice of mouna - observing daily silence periods - they taught themselves this art. That's how they realized that it was possible to be happy despite their excruciating circumstances. They reckoned that while being successful (of turning around financially and repaying their debt) was presently proving elusive, they could still be useful. They reasoned: Happiness is what everyone is seeking - caught in the their own problem situations in Life. Why not share our experiences and learnings with them? This awakening, of realizing that they can be useful even when they could not be successful, led them to their Life's Purpose, their raison d'etre, their ikigai, of Inspiring 'Happyness' among all those who care to pause and reflect.
So, wearing their Life on the sleeve, AVIS wrote his book 'Fall Like A Rose Petal' which was published in August 2014. Encouraged that the book's message of Happiness and contentment resonated with its readers, the couple began to share the lessons they have learnt from their unique journey with managers in the corporate sector.
Despite their crisis remaining unresolved, AVIS and Vaani live a meaningful, Purpose-driven, Life. In all the organizations that they are invited to work, they offer to lead culture transformation mandates, conduct customized inspirational Workshops, deliver reflective Talks & Signature Programs and curate world-class Conversations that invoke soul, provoke thought and inspire action! Each of their offerings reminds managers to look within themselves and tap into their key, inherent, strengths of reflection, resilience and resourcefulness. These three qualities, AVIS and Vaani believe, are embedded in each of us. They hold the key to personal leadership in crunch situations and when deployed they always, unfailingly, deliver High-Performance. The insights and learnings from the couple's lived experiences infuses managers with the belief that they too can be non-worrying, non-frustrated and non-suffering; they then unlock the secret to being happy despite their circumstances. When people learn to be anchored this way and align better with their organization's Purpose, Vision, Values and Goals, they consistently deliver breakthrough results.
So, essentially, AVIS and Vaani coach CEOs, A-Teams and business leaders in organizations to leverage the Happiness of their employees as a strategic asset, as a competitive advantage.
The world calls them Life Coaches and Organizational Transformation Consultants. But AVIS and Vaani believe they are, well, the happynesswalas!
Also see: www.thehappynesswalas.com and www.avisviswanathan.in
For over a decade now, AVIS and Vaani have been in the throes of a unique, Life-changing crisis. Their erstwhile consulting Firm went bankrupt in end-2007 plunging their Life into a deep, dark, seemingly endless abyss. Ever since, they have been dealing with several imponderables. On the material side, they have had to face several law suits and police complaints from irate creditors. This has also been a cathartic experience for them - when the realization that they were bankrupt dawned on them, they were initially pinned down by fear, insecurity, anger, grief, guilt, anxiety and incessant worry. Besides, despite trying very, very hard, they have been unable to turn around their financially devastated Life. So, many times, from early-2008 onward, they have had to live through long spells of worklessness and pennilessness.
Their crisis still endures - it is not over, it is ongoing.
Through this numbing phase of their Life though, AVIS and Vaani have learnt some unputdownable lessons. They discovered that Happiness is the art of being non-worrying, non-frustrated and non-suffering. Through the practice of mouna - observing daily silence periods - they taught themselves this art. That's how they realized that it was possible to be happy despite their excruciating circumstances. They reckoned that while being successful (of turning around financially and repaying their debt) was presently proving elusive, they could still be useful. They reasoned: Happiness is what everyone is seeking - caught in the their own problem situations in Life. Why not share our experiences and learnings with them? This awakening, of realizing that they can be useful even when they could not be successful, led them to their Life's Purpose, their raison d'etre, their ikigai, of Inspiring 'Happyness' among all those who care to pause and reflect.
So, wearing their Life on the sleeve, AVIS wrote his book 'Fall Like A Rose Petal' which was published in August 2014. Encouraged that the book's message of Happiness and contentment resonated with its readers, the couple began to share the lessons they have learnt from their unique journey with managers in the corporate sector.
Despite their crisis remaining unresolved, AVIS and Vaani live a meaningful, Purpose-driven, Life. In all the organizations that they are invited to work, they offer to lead culture transformation mandates, conduct customized inspirational Workshops, deliver reflective Talks & Signature Programs and curate world-class Conversations that invoke soul, provoke thought and inspire action! Each of their offerings reminds managers to look within themselves and tap into their key, inherent, strengths of reflection, resilience and resourcefulness. These three qualities, AVIS and Vaani believe, are embedded in each of us. They hold the key to personal leadership in crunch situations and when deployed they always, unfailingly, deliver High-Performance. The insights and learnings from the couple's lived experiences infuses managers with the belief that they too can be non-worrying, non-frustrated and non-suffering; they then unlock the secret to being happy despite their circumstances. When people learn to be anchored this way and align better with their organization's Purpose, Vision, Values and Goals, they consistently deliver breakthrough results.
So, essentially, AVIS and Vaani coach CEOs, A-Teams and business leaders in organizations to leverage the Happiness of their employees as a strategic asset, as a competitive advantage.
The world calls them Life Coaches and Organizational Transformation Consultants. But AVIS and Vaani believe they are, well, the happynesswalas!
Also see: www.thehappynesswalas.com and www.avisviswanathan.in