Welcome to Thursday, time for reviewing book! Today I will review book about spiritual health, and I was cry when I read this book. Why?
Last April when I go to the library, I saw some books that newcomers and we only can read it in the library. I was curious about this book since the title is catchy and makes me think about how this book could make my university life slow down. Let me introduce myself, I kind of active girl in my university life, not only join an international club as team leader of a training team, but I also join a lot of activity outside the international club and do some part-time job; yet still have to maintain my score in Finance Department. Sometimes, I feel stressed out and I don't know what should I do because they have the same deadline, I wish that time could stop and I can take a rest for a moment. So from the first time I read this book, I just fall in love with it and immediately ordered it for myself.
This book author is Haemin Sunim, he is a Zen monk and a former professor. So when you want to calm your mind and balance your feeling, this is the Mr. right for you. Not only motivate via books, but Haemin Sunim also gives some courage and reply to people who ask about life, the mindfulness towards him on social media.
This book has eight chapters and each chapter has two stories (sub-chapter) that related to the main topic of the chapter. Inside each sub-chapter, there is one story that related to the name of it and there are several quotes regarding it. I love it quotes because you can take a look at it every day based on what you had face that day. For example; one day you find out that you cannot forgive people, you can go to page 124 of this book and read it. Believe me, after you read that one you finally can release your burden of that day. This book simply works just like that.
Here my personal experience about my bad day and how I overcome it by read this book and balance my feelings;
I am a foreigner in this country and I am a student here. I cannot fluently speak in their language and it sucks when I have to do my part-time job since I have to talk to many people and try to understand what they are talking about. I work as an assistant of a dormitory administrator, so basically I have to speak and meet a lot of people when I work, also do not forget how scary it is to pick a phone call and they have a bad line or when they speak fast and kind of murmuring. There also a lot of foreigner inside the dorm too, sometimes I pray that all the visitor are a foreigner and I just have to speak in English (hehe since English is my second language), because I believe that my English is better than my Chinese (btw I am Indonesian who currently lives in Taiwan)
One day, the administrator asked me to do things that I have not done yet in my part-time half year experience when I try to figure out how to do it; someone calls the dormitory service use English and the admin answer the phone. Btw, his English is good but kind of murmuring when speaking so no foreigner knows what he is talking about and I have to repeat what he said so they understand what is going on. After I saw this case and he asks me to help him to speak with the foreigner, so I speak on the phone and try to figure out about someone on the phone's problem. After finished the call its already time for me to go home and the next shift comes, still remember I have things that he asks me to do? Yeah, he asks me to do it when I ask the next shift to help me because I have not done anything so I think it's ok to just give to the next shift. He said that you already work here for a half year and still don't know how to did that, not only your Chinese is sucked and if he could fire someone, he will fire me. After listening to what he said, I just keep silent and try to figure out how to do task he asked me and after that, I just go home. All the way home, I cry. Keep telling my self why I am so stupid, why I cannot do anything he asks me, and why my Chinese so bad. After calm down, I text someone who that time work there (someone who the next shift after mine) said that tells him that I am sorry because I cannot do what he asks and sorry for my bad Chinese.
The next day, I go to the library and just read that book. I cried because of the quotes touched my heart and asks me to just let it go and be the best version of myself and show him that I can be better than before. I was looking a chapter one, called "When life disappoints, rest a moment".
Here are my favorites quotes also some quotes that make me cry:
When you have an unpleasant feeling, don't grab hold of it and return it over and over. Instead, leave it alone so it can flow. The wave of emotion will naturally recede on its own as log as you don't feed it by dwelling on it.
This quote tells me that I don't have to protracted in my anger and blame everything on myself. It says that I have to let go of my anger and give time to myself to calm down.
When you stressed out, be aware of your stress. When you are irritated, be aware of your irritation. When you are angry, be aware of your anger. As soon as you become aware of these feelings you are no longer lost in them. Your awareness allows you to witness them fro outside. Awareness is inherently pure, like the open sky. Stress, irritation, and anger can temporarily cloud the sky, but they can never pollute it. Negative emotions come and go like clouds, but the wide-open sky remains.
The meaning of the sky in this passage is our mind. This quote told us to aware what the reason why we feel certain uncomfortable feelings or negative feelings after knowing the reason we can easily manage our mind and don't let those emotions control our world. If those emotions come, just observe them and let them go, don't let them ruin our day.
If something goes wrong, we often turn inward and blame ourselves. But is it really our fault? For example, if I were James Taylor and someone were looking for Pavarotti, then naturally I wouldn't be chosen. But this does not mean I lack musical talent. It means only that I am not the right match. So be more confident, and please stop beating yourself up.
After reading this quote I literally cry in the library. I cried because I was blaming myself for something that I shouldn't blame. I learn Chinese only three years and if you ask me to be as good as a native speaker, of course, I cannot. The reason why I hired is that I can speak in English and Indonesian, also I can explain the problem using Chinese. I remember that day when I bring my buddy to go to the dormitory and they ask to change roommates, after listening to my explanation my buddy know what to do and the dormitory center also knows what they want, after that the leader hires me as part-timer there. The other administrators (except that guy who dislikes me) think that I am a quick learner and someone who competent, even though I have a weak point, which is my Chinese is not that good. Starting from reading that quote I try to be more confident about myself.
Has something disappointed you? Has something made you sad? It's the school of life trying to teach you an important lesson. When you feel ready, take the time to understand the lesson.
I am ready for the time to understand the lesson. Everything happens for a reason when today we fail our test, or we don't get that our dream job, don't be discouraged. Maybe God has a better plan for you. What we think is the best for us, doesn't mean it really is. For example, if you get that dream job, it means that you have to spend your whole time at work and don't have enough time for your family. So maybe that the reason why you don't get that job, or maybe at your current job you can improve yourself and be the best version of you. We never know what will happen and its the mystery of life. After you can calm down yourself, try to understand what is the message of that incident.
And the last but not least quote from this book
If you genuinely care for others and look for ways to help others succeed, you won't need to look for ways to boost your mood. A selfless and kind act will lift your spirit and self-worth. If you are having a bad day, see if you can find a way to help someone else. Even a small gesture of help will make you feel better.
Okay, I am not trying to be proud of myself here, but after I help someone or simply help people to open lift door, I feel really satisfied and my mood is increasing to another level of happiness at that moment (even sometimes I triggered to badmouthing people who don't know how to say thank you appropriately). Believe me, even though you help other people with really small gestures, it will bring you happiness.
Those are my favorites quotes from this book, but there are more good quotes inside this book. I recommend you to buy one and read it for yourself. I would say that this book is suitable for people who want t be the best version of themselves, like to read quotes that help them with the everyday problems and someone who searching for courage for themselves.
That is my review, and if you have any question please comment or send me an email. If you have some request about something that I can review, please leave a comment too! Thank you~