I wrote the book you see at the side, which is published by Findhorn Press. (But no, I don’t make razors or own any hardware stores. And sadly, I never was any good at rugby...) I was born and raised in the North of England, studied sciences and philosophy at Cambridge, spent a few years working for the government and then pursued a career in finance. In the last thirty years I’ve also studied meditation, psychology, religions and aikido, all of which influence the book. On this site you can find discussion about the ideas in the book, occasional bits on work in progress, books and events which have caught my eye, etc.

You can also leave messages about related issues that seem important to you, either on the Talk page for everyone to read or privately to the email address at the foot of this page. (You have to type the address into your own emailer - sorry, have to do it like that to prevent the site being spammed.)

The Lost Art of Being Happy

Here is the theme of the book. (Click "Book" for more, but better still read the book itself!) Living happily depends on your inner life, the conscious world of your thoughts, emotions, beliefs desires etc. But your inner life is largely based on habits. By training and changing these habits, in other words by acquiring inner skills, you can live with more serenity and peace of mind. This is an ancient idea, but somehow it repeatedly gets lost. The book shows how this idea is relevant, indeed vital, for our lives today.

Spirituality for Sceptics

The process of training the inner life by practising skills amounts to a form of spirituality. Just as religious spirituality has always been about training and shaping the inner life and habits for religious purposes, this spirituality is the same but with a more down to earth motivation, happiness. This is a spirituality sceptics  (or skeptics, if you are in the USA - sorry!) can be comfortable with because it doesn’t require faith. In that sense the book is a plea for, and an articulation of, a secular spirituality, adding something back which materialism misses out but not dependent on spirits or the supernatural. I think such a concept is essential, don't you?

Early comments on the book

• Professor Lord Layard FBA (Director, Well Being Programme, LSE) said: “This is a wonderfully wise book on how we can train our minds to be happy. It's beautifully written."
• Dr. Anthony Seldon (Master of Wellington College and pioneer of teaching happiness skills in schools) said: “I cannot think of a single human being who would not benefit from reading this highly intelligent, sympathetic book. Most of us are unhappy to some degree or other. Follow the way of life that this book recommends and happiness will be yours.”
• Malcolm Stern (psychotherapist, author, Channel 4 presenter and co-founder of “Alternatives”) said: "This is an important and original book. Tony Wilkinson brings a wealth of experience, a keen intelligence and an enquiring mind to the thorny and complex issue of contemporary spirituality. It is a must read for anyone interested in self-knowledge."

Press comment

• Helen Brown in "The Sunday Times": "surprisingly persuasive"
• Oliver Burkeman in "The Guardian": "..a convincing case that spiritual wisdom is easily detachable from myth and mysticism, not to mention organised religion. But nor [does it] fall for the trap of making wisdom purely instrumental - a tool for achieving achieving the perfect relationship or career. I hope it's the start of a trend: popular books about the inner life...that don't require religious belief or an obsession with self improvement."