Book Review: Start Where You Are

Full disclosure, I'm a Pema Chodron groupie!! I swear if I met her on the street I would lose my mind. I love her. I want her to adopt me and I would be so happy just to sit at her feet and listen to her all day.
Anywho, last year I was going through a really tough time. I discovered this book and for about 4 months carried it with me everywhere. My copy is tattered and has chocolate stains all over it but when life gets tough I pick it up and remember what's most important.

 Start Where You Are is a wonderful book on how to cultivate compassion for yourself and make each and every life situation we enter into a learning opportunity. This book teaches the Lojong (mind training) slogans from the Buddhist tradition, however they're truly lessons anyone can appreciate. There are 59 Lojong slogans or teaching and the book goes over each one. Here are a few of my favorites.

• Be grateful to everyone- We can learn from anyone and every situation. I've encountered some nasty people this year. Even though those situations have been difficult I've been able to be grateful for each one because they've taught me something about myself and made me stronger. 
• Don't expect applause- I really like this one. I think we get into conflicts with our partners, colleagues, friends because we have a set expectation in our minds of how things should go and when it doesn't happen our way we get upset. Is it really the other person's fault? Probably not. Don't expect applause, just be . Open your heart, open the door to opportunity  and expect the unexpected. 
• When the world is filled with evil,/Transform all mishaps into the path of bodhi(enlightenment)- Think all  the messy, unwanted circumstances of life as ways to wake up! What can you learn? How can it make you better, stronger, faster? Well, maybe not faster but you get the point!!

Start Where You Are  is an amazing thought provoking book. Read it slowly as if you were sipping a fine wine. Savor every thought and read it with an open mind and an open heart. See where it takes you!!

Be Well Friends