Contents
Foreword by Robin Sharma xv
Foreword by Kristine Carlson xvii
Introduction 1
1. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff 5
2. Make Peace with Imperfection 7
3. Let Go 9f the Idea that Gentle, Relaxed People Can't Be Superachievers 9
4. Be Aware of the Snowball Effect of Your Thinking 11
5. Develop Your Compassion 13
6. Remind Yourself that When You Die, Your "In Basket" Won't Be Empty 15
7. Don't Interrupt Others or Finish Their Sentences 17
8. Do Something Nice for Someone Else-and Don't Tell Anyone About It 19
9. Let Others Have the Glory 21
10. Learn to Live in the Present Moment 23
11. Imagine that Everyone Is Enlightened Except You 25
12. Let Others Be "Right" Most of the Time27
13. Become More Patient 29
14. Create "Patience Practice Periods" 31
15. Be the First One to Act Loving or Reach Out 33
16. Ask Yourself the Question, "Will This Matter a Year from Now?" 35
17. Surrender to the Fact that Life Isn't Fair 37
18. Allow Yourself to Be Bored 39
19. Lower Your Tolerance to Stress 41
20. Once a Week, Write a Heartfelt Letter 43
21. Imagine Yourself at Your Own Funeral 45
22. Repeat to Yourself, "Life Isn't an Emergency" 47
23. Experiment with Your Back Burner 49
24. Spend a Moment Every Day Thinking of Someone to Thank 51
25. Smile at Strangers, Look into Their Eyes, and Say Hello 53
26. Set Aside Quiet Time, Every Day 55
27. Imagine the People in Your Life as Tiny Infants and as One-Hundred-Year-Old Adults 57
28. Seek First to Understand 59
29. Become a Better Listener 61
30. Choose Your Battles Wisely 63
31. Become Aware of Your Moods and Don't Allow Yourself to Be Fooled by the Low Ones 65
32. Life Is a Test. It Is Only a Test 67
33. Praise and Blame Are All the Same 69
34. Practice Random Acts of Kindness 71
35. Look Beyond Behavior 73
36. See the Innocence 75
37. Choose Being Kind over Being Right 77
38. Tell Three People (Today) How Much You Love Them 79
39. Practice Humility 81
40. When in Doubt about Whose Turn It Is to Take Out the Trash, Go Ahead and Take It Out 83
41. Avoid Weatherproofing 85
42. Spend a Moment, Every Day, Thinking of Someone to Love 87
43. Become an Anthropologist 89
44. Understand Separate Realities 91
45. Develop Your Own Helping Rituals 93
46. Every Day, Tell at Least On~ Person Something You Like, Admire, or Appreciate about Them 95
47. Argue for Your Limitations, and They're Yours 97
48. Remember that Everything Has God's Fingerprints on It 99
49. Resist the Urge to Criticize 101
50. Write Down Your Five Most Stubborn Positions and See if You Can Soften Them 103
51. Just for Fun, Agree with Criticism Directed Toward You (Then Watch It Go Away) 105
52. Search for the Grain of Truth in Other Opinions 107
53. See the Glass as Already Broken (and Everything Else Too) 109
54. Understand the Statement, "Wherever You Go, There You Are" 111
55. Breathe Before You Speak 113
56. Be Grateful when You're Feeling Good and Graceful when You're Feeling Bad 115
57. Become a Less Aggressive Driver 117
58. Relax 119
59. Adopt a Child Through the Mail 121
60. Turn Your Melodrama into a Mellow-Drama 123
61. Read Articles and Books with Entirely Different Points of View from Your Own and Try to Learn Something 125
62. Do One Thing at a Time 127
63. Count to Ten 129
64. Practice Being in the "Eye of the Storm" 131
65. Be Flexible with Changes in Your Plans 133
66. Think of What You Have Instead of What You Want 135
67. Practice Ignoring Your Negative Thoughts 137
68. Be Willing to Learn from Friends and Family 139
69. Be Happy Where You Are 141
70. Remember that You Become What You Practice Most 143
71. Quiet the Mind 145
72. Take Up Yoga 147
73. Make Service an Integral Part of Your Life 149
74. Do a Favor and Don't Ask For, or Expect, One in Return 151
75. Think of Your Problems as Potential Teachers 153
76. Get Comfortable Not Knowing 155
77. Acknowledge the Totality of Your Being 157
78. Cut Yourself Some Slack 159
79. Stop Blaming Others 161
80. Become an Early Riser 163
81. When Trying to Be Helpful, Focus on Little Things 165
82. Remember, One Hundred Years from Now, All New People 167
83. Lighten Up 169
84. Nurture a Plant 171
85. Transform Your Relationship to Your Problems 173
86. The Next Time You Find Yourself in an Argument, Rather-than Defend Your Position, See if You Can See the Other Point of View First 175
87. Redefine a "Meaningful Accomplishment" 177
88. Listen to Your Feelings (They Are Trying to Tell You Something) 179
89. If Someone Throws You the Ball, You Don't Have to Catch It 181
90. One More Passing Show 183
91. Fill Your Life with Love 185
92. Realize the Power of your Own Thoughts 187
93. Give Up on the Idea that "More Is Better" 189
94. Keep Asking Yourself, "What's Really Important?" 191
95. Trust Your Intuitive Heart 193
96. Be Open to "What Is" 195
97. Mind Your Own Business 197
98. Look for the Extraordinary in the Ordinary 199
99. Schedule Time for Your Inner Work 201
100. Live This Day as if It Were your Last. It Might Be! 203
Suggested Reading 205