Better than Happiness The True Antidote to Discontent

How do you rebuild a broken life? Where do you begin? These were the questions Gregory Smith asked himself after stumbling out of a NSW rainforest in 2000, close to death after living as a hermit in the wild. Determined to turn a wretched life into one worth living, Gregory stripped himself bare emotionally, psychologically and spiritually to undertake an extraordinary personal reconstruction. Today, with a PhD to his name and a loving family by his side, Gregory has overcome a life of homelessness and despair to become one of society’ s great teachers. He is a senior lecturer in the social sciences at university, a government policy advisor and an advocate for the dispossessed and downtrodden the world over. And yet he doesn’ t consider himself to be happy. ‘ It is far more attainable, satisfying and fulfilling,’ says Gregory, ‘ to simply be contented.’ In this insightful and empowering book, the author of Out of The Forest shares the mental strategies and practical steps he took to go from a friendless and futureless man to ‘ the most contented person I know’ , and how they can help you turn your life around, too.

Gregory Smith was homeless for much of his adult life. He now has a PhD in Sociology and teaches in the Social Sciences at Southern Cross University.