About the Book: The Other Side of Happy

ABOUT THE BOOK

Climbing the career ladder and securing prestigious credentials seem like a sure-fire route to success in life. But what happens when you’ve reached the top rung, achieved your dreams, yet genuine happiness still feels elusive?

Plastic surgeon Dr. Vikisha Fripp had everything—an impressive career, the perfect family, and a résumé worth envying. Yet, she still couldn’t make herself feel happy. In this captivating memoir, Dr. Vikisha takes readers on a journey beyond achievement, unraveling the discontent experienced by professionals who tie their happiness solely to career. With refreshing transparency and vulnerability, she shares her struggles from relationships to practicing medicine and invites readers to reassess their ambitions and redefine their pursuit of happiness.

In this transformative journey, learn:
• The hidden trials faced by high-achieving career professionals consumed by the pressure of finding happiness through their work.
• The Art of Pivoting: how to redefine success and unearth joy in the present moment.
• How to assess your own satisfaction levels using a unique formula for contentment, unlocking the key to genuine fulfillment.
• Dr. Fripp’s evocative narrative of southern roots, cherished childhood memories, and introspections on her life’s journey as a female African American doctor.
• Why achievement does not always equate to fulfillment on your own selfdiscovery path.

The Other Side of Happy is a beacon of hope for people who have hit a wall in their success and find themselves asking “Why am I unhappy?” Dr. Vikisha Fripp’s compassionate guidance will empower readers to embark on a transformative journey toward a happier, more meaningful life.

Embrace the possibility of a truly fulfilled life and read The Other Side of Happy today.

INTRO

Why am I not Happy?

Why wasn’t I happy? My life had what people in the South called favor. I’m an established and respected plastic and reconstructive surgeon. I have three children I adore, a supportive extended family, and a bevy of friends who are amazing in their own right. I’m healthy, and while I may not be wealthy, I’m certainly comfortable paying my bills, taking vacations to domestic and international destinations, and have the means to save for retirement. I live in a vibrant community in Washington, D.C. where I am able to enjoy the advantages of city life, like attending a variety of theater and other performing arts shows and taking part in local running events.

But despite hitting everything on my bucket list and achieving what I believed would equal happiness, I wasn’t. All these accomplishments and opportunities did not feed my spirit or satisfy my soul to the level I expected at this stage in my life. They had not given me the satisfaction of completion, the excitement of a new day, or the delight in doing the work of a surgeon. Though I was grateful for the patients I served and the admiration of my peers, I felt unaccomplished—like I had just earned an honorable mention trophy, which to me was unacceptable. I’d put everything into winning first place because for me this was synonymous with being happy.

Before I launched off to college, I had a strong belief of what happiness was. I had excelled and been rewarded feeling safe and comfortable throughout my young life. I was therefore, baffled that I was in my 40’s and terribly unhappy. I had created a perfect plan but the pieces to my puzzle didn’t fit.

Six years ago, I began to question why I wasn’t happy, and the answer plagued me like a vicious virus replicating and growing each year. It wouldn’t go away. It was my constant companion, and it drained the zest of the beautiful life that I had.

Being unhappy was a strange and uncomfortable place to be. So, I set out to claim happiness for myself. I want to tell you my journey and whisper those secrets I’ve come to recognize that you too should watch out for. This book is a cautionary tale of what might be preventing you from experiencing true happiness.