The art of rule-breaking (for a happier life)

The book’s opening quote by Hollywood star Katherine Hepburn seems apt for the times: “If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” Part manifesto, part how-to guide, and part playful disruption, this book is an unapologetic invitation to ditch the weight of perfectionism, laugh in the face of stress, and reclaim the sheer absurdity of being alive.

Aurovilian Fif Fernandes – medical clown, co-founder of MeDiClown Academy, laughter coach, theatre professional and expert mischief-maker – understands that most of us are drowning in obligations, self-imposed expectations, and the unrelenting pressure to be “better.” Her antidote? Playfulness, irreverence, and the radical act of enjoying life before you hit burnout.

Chapters include breaking free from perfectionism, making self-care enjoyable instead of obligatory, and turning even the most mundane moments into playgrounds of possibility. The book is also peppered with personal stories, including professional disasters Fernandes transformed into triumphs through embracing humour, proving that joy isn’t about a perfect life, but about finding laughter in life’s imperfections.

This book is also about taking a stand. Against grind culture and the cult of busyness. Against joyless routines. Against the idea that laughter is a reward rather than a fundamental human right. Against the idea that fun is frivolous and that success comes at the cost of joy.

She argues that joy isn’t just something we stumble upon; it’s something we can cultivate with intention. So yes, there are practical exercises. But these are light-hearted alternatives to the common self-help prescriptions that feel like more work than relief. She encourages readers to create a “Laughter Bank Account”, to withdraw joy daily, and turn their to-do lists into to-play lists. The “Joyful Self-Care Buffet” underlines that happiness isn’t about grand transformations – it’s about small, defiant acts of lightness in a world that often feels weighed-down. There’s even a section on how to reclaim the lost art of play, not just for kids, but for the exhausted, over-caffeinated adults who forgot how fun life used to be. The author never claims to have all the answers, but she does offer readers permission to stop striving so hard and start enjoying life as it comes.