Exploring Happiness—Beyond the Quick Fixes
Happiness. It seems simple, right? Yet, it often feels elusive, especially when life looks good on paper, but inside you’re quietly asking yourself, “Why isn’t this enough?” Elijah De La Cruz gets this deeply, which is exactly why his upcoming book How to Be Happy hits home.
This book isn’t filled with quick hacks or hollow positivity. Instead, it’s a conversation with someone who genuinely understands the quiet struggles, frustrations, and uncertainties we all face. Elijah doesn’t claim to have a magic formula. Rather, he gently guides readers to reflect on the parts of life that truly matter—connection, purpose, honesty, and wonder.
Connecting Deeply with What Matters
Elijah emphasizes connections—family, friendship, and community—as foundational to genuine happiness. He brings attention to studies like the Roseto Effect, illustrating how close-knit communities dramatically boost overall well-being. This isn’t just theory; it’s about rediscovering the joy of authentic relationships and recognizing how easily modern life pulls us away from genuine connections.
His reflections resonate because they’re real. They’re familiar yet thought-provoking. When he discusses relationships, it’s not through rose-colored glasses. Elijah openly acknowledges the messiness, complexity, and vulnerability involved. He reminds readers that building real connections requires honesty and openness—traits we often overlook in our busy, autopilot lives.
The Messy Truth About Purpose and Passion
We often hear advice about “doing what you love,” but Elijah digs deeper, confronting the complicated relationship between passion, purpose, and money. He doesn’t sugarcoat it—finding meaningful work or passion is messy. Financial stability matters, and not everyone can easily monetize their passions. Yet, Elijah points out that fulfillment can still be found when purpose drives your choices, even in small ways.
This part of the book feels like an honest talk with a friend who genuinely gets it. Through this book, readers can see that happiness often involves courageous choices, imperfect outcomes, and finding balance rather than perfection.
Embracing Vulnerability and Letting Go
Another powerful insight Elijah offers is the freedom that comes from embracing vulnerability and releasing the need for perfection. Society constantly pushes perfection, creating stress and anxiety. Elijah gently reminds readers that happiness flourishes in vulnerability and imperfection—learning to give, accept, and simply be authentic.
He doesn’t preach. He simply invites readers to pause, reflect, and embrace their humanity with kindness and patience. It’s refreshing to read about happiness in a way that genuinely recognizes how challenging yet liberating it is to let go of impossible standards.
Reclaiming Your Life from Autopilot
One of the strongest messages in How to Be Happy is about reclaiming awareness. Elijah explores how modern life quietly nudges us into autopilot, where we move through our days without truly living them. He urges readers to slow down and re-engage with the present moment, reconnecting with a sense of wonder and curiosity that’s often lost amid daily routines.
His insights are particularly powerful because they’re relatable. Elijah’s not writing from an ivory tower—he shares openly from personal experiences, struggles, and reflections. It’s like having a conversation with someone who genuinely cares, who’s faced similar battles, and emerged wiser and happier.
A Friendly Guide, Not a Fix-It Manual
Ultimately, How to Be Happy isn’t a typical self-help book. It’s short, genuine, and deeply human. Elijah himself admits he wrote it quickly—because these were insights he’d carried within for years. The result feels raw and comforting at once. The book doesn’t promise easy answers; instead, it encourages meaningful questions.
If you’ve ever felt like something’s missing, but couldn’t quite pinpoint what, this might just be the book you return to time and again. Elijah De La Cruz offers an honest voice reminding readers they’re not alone. Happiness, after all, isn’t about achieving an idealized goal—it’s about seeing and living life more authentically.
We had the privilege of interviewing the author. Here are excerpts from the interview:
Thank you so much for joining us today! Please introduce yourself and tell us what you do.
Yeah, sure! Hi, I’m Elijah De La Cruz. I’m a teacher now — used to work in management consulting, which feels like a whole other life at this point. That work taught me a lot, especially about structure and people and how we function under pressure… but honestly? Most of what I write comes from stuff I’ve lived. Things I’ve felt too much, or wrestled with in quiet moments when no one was watching.
Umm, I’m 31. I think I’m… happy? Haha. No, I am. Not in the curated Instagram kind of way — more like, actually being content in the day to day, naturally, I’m still figuring things out, but it feels steady. Real. Of course, I still get stuck sometimes. Who doesn’t? I think that’s just… being human. But yeah — I’m here, I’m moving, and writing this book was part of that movement.
Please tell us about your book.
Right — so, the book’s called How to Be Happy… and I guess the first thing I always want to clarify is: it’s not a guidebook. Like, it’s not “here are five steps to change your life.” I wouldn’t trust me with that anyway, haha.
It’s more like a conversation. You know those late-night talks you have with someone who just gets it? It’s that — in book form. It’s a bunch of reflections, reminders, half-answers, and questions. Things I’ve thought about over years of trying to understand happiness — not in some big abstract way, but like, in the real day-to-day mess of it.
I wrote it really quickly — like, two weeks — but only because I’d been carrying the ideas around for years. It just sort of poured out. It’s short, yeah, but I hope it’s the kind of book people come back to. Not because I’ve got everything figured out — I don’t — but because sometimes, just asking the right question at the right time is enough.
Please tell us about your journey.
Ah, okay. So, I’ve always wanted to write. Like, forever. But for a long time I didn’t think I could — not because the ideas weren’t there, but because I just… didn’t think I was allowed? I’d keep thinking, “Who am I to write a book about happiness?” I’m not a therapist or a monk or some kind of expert. I’m just a person who’s tried, failed, tried again — like everyone else.
Eventually, though, that stuck feeling — that quiet restlessness — got too loud. Life felt like it was moving and I wasn’t. So one night I just opened a doc and started writing. I didn’t plan it. I just… began. And once I did, I didn’t stop. I wrote before work, after work, sometimes when I should’ve been working, haha. I think I was scared that if I paused, I’d lose it.
Writing that first draft was messy and kind of electric. Frustrating, too. I definitely hit walls. But there was this strange relief in doing the thing I’d wanted to do for so long. And I kept reading it back, editing, tweaking — and slowly, I started to believe in it. Not because it was perfect. But because it felt honest.
What are the strategies that helped you become successful in your journey?
Honestly? I wouldn’t call it a “strategy,” but — I stopped waiting for the perfect time. That’s probably the biggest shift. There’s never a perfect moment to start something like this. You just… start.
I didn’t worry about publishers or marketing or any of that in the beginning. I wasn’t trying to build a brand. I just needed to get this thing out of my head. My only goal was: write it, even if it sucks. Edit it later. That mindset saved me from spiraling.
Also, I’m a big daydreamer. I’ll space out for half an hour thinking about things that could be, ideas, opportunities, the past, the present, the future. Weirdly, that’s where a lot of the book came from. Just… drifting and reflecting.
And the truth is, not writing felt worse than failing. That’s what kept me going. Even if no one read it, at least I’d know I did it.
Any message for our readers?
Yeah. I guess just… I hope this book How to Be Happy helps you feel seen. I didn’t write it to give advice — I wrote it because I needed to hear some of this stuff myself, and I figured maybe someone else did too.
A lot of us aren’t missing anything — we’re just too close to our own lives to see clearly. We forget. We rush. We compare. And I think sometimes we need a quiet reminder that happiness isn’t some big goal. It’s often already here — just buried under everything else.
This book won’t fix you. But maybe it’ll make you pause. Breathe. Look at your life a little differently. And if it does that? That’s more than enough.
Thank you so much, Elijah, for giving us your precious time! We wish you all the best for your journey ahead!