52 Books (#1) Taking the LEAP
I happen to hear a couple of people talking about New Year’s Resolutions over the holidays. I bet you did too. Lose weight, exercise, eat better, eat less — I heard a lot of them.
I was reading Julien Smith’s blog (In Over Your Head) and came across this post “How To Read a Book a Week in 2010.” Julien’s article struck a cord with me; this was the third time I had heard that goal mentioned in the span of 24 hours. I love to read, so I “bit the hook.”
Taking the Leap by Pema Chodron
The first book on my list, Taking the Leap by Pema Chodron.
How did I find Pema Chodron? I came across her name on one of Seth Godin’s “Book roundup” Squidoo page. The page doesn’t mention Taking the Leap, but it did recommend another book by Pema. I wrote her name in interesting reads section of my notebook.
Why did I read Taking the Leap? Just before New Years I happen to have some time and no book to read. Don’t forget your Kindle. I went to Barnes and Noble on a book hunt. I pulled out my trusty notebook. Saw Pema’s name written there. I headed to the religion section — she writes about Buddhism — to find one of her books. Taking the leap was the only one they had, so I bought it.
The book is not long, 99 pages, but then again page counts don’t matter that much. What matters is this, “Can I use the ideas to make my life better?” The answer to that question is a resounding YES!
The book begins with a story about wolves.
A Native American grandfather and his grandson talk of two wolves fighting in our hearts, one is vengeful, hateful and angry, the other is kind, understanding and compassionate. The grandson asks “who will win the fight”? The grandfather answers, “the one that we feed.”
That is the essence of the book. We can choose to be compassionate. We can choose to be vengeful. The point is: WE choose.
The problem we face is that many times we choose poorly. She suggests that we learn to recognize when we are heading into a rathole of despair (my words) or biting the hook. Then pause. Take a breath or three. And, this is the important part, make a choice that will make us and the world around us better. In Pema’s world this is going to be the non-confrontational route. It’s a good idea in Jeff’s world as well. How we choose to react is huge. We need to have that always in the forefront of our mind.
She reinforces the ideas in the book with many stories. There is one about a Klansman that is especially interesting. I won’t spoil that for you. You should read the book.
How can the lessons learned from Taking the Leap be applied to presentations? Taking the time to think before you act, or speak, is a great habit to establish. But, it’s hard and unfortunately, during a presentation, a second of silence can feel like an eternity. The compulsion to fill dead air is great. Satisfying that compulsion can get you into lots of trouble. Learning to be calm, take your time, and enjoy the moment are habits that can help us. Mastering the concepts from the book will help make the experience we deliver to our audiences better. In short, it will make us better presenters.
I am happy that I discovered this book!
Thanks for sharing this book with us. I have two of her books in my unread library. One of them will move to the piles beside the bed and armchair once those piles have gone down a bit. And thanks for the link to Julien Smith’s blog — I wonder if I can catch up?
Julien’s blog is very interesting. I enjoy reading it. Speaking of blogs, thanks for reading mine.
I think that you will enjoy reading any of the Pema Chodron books. I am going to take a look at this sometime this year. 52 books is a lot. It’s a lot, but I bet you can catch up. Seth Godin’s books, The Dip and Tribes, are very good and very short. I particularly like The Dip. I read it a couple of times a year. I need to reread Tribes as well.
Good luck and thanks for the comment!