tinybuddha.com

by Lori Deschene

Thank you to everyone who entered the book giveaway for You Cannot Be Serious – and 32 Rules That Sustain a (Mostly) Balanced Mom!

The two winners (chosen using Randomizer.org) are:

• Laurie from Cuddle Hugs
• Cyndi from So Much More Than a Mom

Congratulations! I will email you later today to get your mailing address.

If you didn’t win and you’d like to buy the book, you’re in luck. For a limited time, Elizabeth is offering discounted, autographed copies of You Cannot Be Serious through her website. In addition, she’s offering complimentary downloads (with purchase) of two of her most popular audio podcasts:

“The 33rd Rule”
Shortly after the manuscript went to print, Elizabeth realized a 33rd rule that helps her sustain balance as a mom of 5, author, and inspirational entrepreneur.

Find Your Inner Mom: Episode 10
In the 10th episode of her Find Your Inner Mom series, Elizabeth delves deeper into the benefits of categorizing friends and acquaintances into Group A, B or C. She then challenges you to honor your unique purpose by identifying just one extraordinary personal quality. It’s harder than you might think!

Also, Elizabeth is happy to honor personal inscription requests (great for gifts!). You only need to let her know via email how you’d like the inscription to read. You can read more details and purchase the book here.

by Lori Deschene

Update: The winners for this giveaway have already be announced. Don’t worry–I’m always receiving books to review!

“Don’t take life too seriously. You’ll never get out alive.” ~Elbert Hubbard

I have the utmost respect for mothers.

Their daily lives require an aptitude for all the qualities that make us good people: love, kindness, patience, generosity, and, perhaps most importantly, a sense of balance. If anyone knows chaos, it’s a mom.

With this in mind, I was thrilled to read Elizabeth Lyons’ book You Cannot Be Serious and 32 Other Rules That Sustain a (Mostly) Balanced Mom.

Make no mistake: I don’t have any children. Or friends with children. Or even access to children–there appear to be none in a 15-mile radius.

What I do have is a need for balance in a world that is never predictable and rarely calm.

Elizabeth’s book provides just the right anecdote–and it was so easy to relate to her reading it. She’s not the high-waisted jeans kind of mom who fills her days with baking and gardening (through she does both). She’s the mom who runs her own business, writes her own rules, and still manages to run a household without any hired help.

Elizabeth outlines a series of steps to manage chaos without sacrificing joy in a fun, witty tone that translates across generations–and, I believe, even gender.

Every section includes profound yet accessible wisdom, exemplified through stories from her every day life. Glimpses into the innocence and antics of her five children–yes five!–make the book both entertaining and joyful.

Though many of the tips speak directly to moms, the majority contain wisdom for everyone. Some of my favorite tips include:

• Fly your freak flag high
• Have a dedicated treat of the moment
• Go with your gut
• Have no expectations (but expect the unexpected)
• Know what inspires you

And then of course, there’s the titular rule: you cannot be serious. It’s not always easy to follow that suggestion when money is tight, relationships are tense, or times are tough; but never is it more important to focus on the good things.

Perhaps that’s what I loved most about You Cannot Be Serious: I smiled the entire time I read it. It’s a light, fun read that reminded me of what’s most important in life–spending quality time with family, being true to yourself, and finding joy in every day.

Book Details:

• Publisher: Finn-Phyllis Press
• Pages: 210
• List price: $13.95 on Amazon

Giveaway Details:

If you’d like to find a little balance in your life, enter to win a copy! Here’s what you need to do:

1. Leave a comment below. Be sure to include an email address (in the comment form) that you check regularly so I can contact you if you win.

2. Tweet the following:

RT @tinybuddha You Cannot Be Serious Book Giveaway–Comment on the blog & RT to win! http://bit.ly/9agw7h

You can enter until midnight PST on Friday, June 11th. I will announce the winners on the following Monday.

If you can’t wait to get your hands on a copy, you can grab one here on Amazon. Please note Amazon indicates the book is out of stock, but that is a mistake It is indeed available.

by Lori Deschene

Thank you to everyone who entered The Dalai Lama’s Little Book of Wisdom giveaway!

The three winners, chosen using randomizer, are:

• Josh Kimbell
• Rob Ruddle
• Nathan Atkinson

I will send you an email later today requesting your address. To everyone who didn’t win, you can grab the book here. Keep an eye out for future giveaways–there will be many in the upcoming weeks!

by Lori Deschene

One of the founding principles behind Tiny Buddha is that simple wisdom, when applied, can have a huge effect on happiness, mindfulness and peace–not just for you, but also for the people around you.

The most helpful ideas might not seem so simple in the context of our complex lives; but oftentimes we make things more complicated than necessary by filtering them through a negative attitude, or thinking too much and applying too little.

That’s makes The Dalai Lama’s Little Book of Wisdom so compelling: it’s simultaneously profound and simple. It provides some of the most helpful of the Dalai Lama’s teachings in palatable, bite-size chunks.

Having had a copy on my nightstand for over a year, I couldn’t have been more excited to receive three copies to give away to readers.

The book offers insights about finding contentment, dealing with anger and emotions, transforming the mind, and more; and concludes with a question and answer section that addresses how to apply Buddhist wisdom to real life.

Many of the highlighted passages in my copy have come to you via the Tiny Buddha Twitter stream, and more likely will down the line.

As the book flap reads:

“His Holiness shows us how our state of mind, in terms of our attitudes and emotions, plays a crucial role in how we experience happiness and suffering. With characteristic humor and a down-to-earth approach to the Buddhist path, His Holiness the Dalai Lama offers us an inspirational way to transform our hearts and minds and create the happiness we seek.”

If you’d like to transform your heart and mind, enter to win a copy! Here’s what you need to do:

1. Leave a comment below. Be sure to include an email address (in the comment form) that you check regularly so I can contact you if you win.

2. Tweet the following:

RT @tinybuddha The Dalai Lama’s Little Book of Wisdom Giveaway–Comment on the blog & RT to win! http://bit.ly/908y6H

You can enter until midnight PST on Sunday, May 2nd. I will announce the winners on Monday.

If you can’t wait to get your hands on a copy, you can grab one here at Amazon.

Before you go! I’m excited to speak about sharing wisdom through social media at the Wisdom 2.0 Conference in Mountain View, California this Saturday. There are a few last-minute tickets available if you’re interested in attending.

by Lori Deschene

Thank you to everyone who entered The Book of Awesome giveaway on Monday! The two winners who will each receive The Book of Awesome, autographed by Neil Pasricha, are:

• MTraum
• Kimberly Oi

You will each receive an email shortly requesting your address.

If you didn’t already see it, pop over and read the book review. If you’d like to buy a copy, it’s available on Amazon.

I’d like to take this opportunity to update everyone on some new developments on tinybuddha.com. You may have noticed there are a few extra pages on the site: About, FAQ, and Support.

I’ve provided a little information here about Tiny Buddha, and also outlined how you can help the site grow. Since the site launched in September, 2009, over 150,000 people have visited, and that number increases every day. We’ve recently switched servers to accommodate the traffic, and we’re working on some new developments to make the site even more useful to you.

There are currently no ads here; and you can be sure this will never become a highly commercialized site. However, I do finance this site independently, and expansion costs. If you’re able to donate, it would make a big difference and be greatly appreciated.

The site is and will remain free, and there is no obligation to make a monetary contribution. For other ideas to support Tiny Buddha, visit our support page. Thank you for reading and sharing your wisdom in comments here and on Facebook.

by Lori Deschene

We all know the old adage “enjoy the little things,” but how many times throughout the day do you stop to actively enjoy them? Not just notice them, but absorb yourself in them, without letting your thoughts wander to something else you need or want to do?

When a baby unclenches his chubby fist and gives you high-five. When you see someone barbecuing and really selling it, like his skewers are his paintbrush and your burger the Mona Lisa. When you catch someone singing in the car next to you, and you both laugh and connect more than strangers usually do.

How often do you let go of everything else and submit to small pockets of awesome?

The Book of Awesome (adapted from the award-winning blog 1000awesomethings.com) identifies hundreds of these moments. But Neil Pasricha does more than just list them: he notices more awesome details in each experience than most people observe or remember.

He doesn’t just appreciate all-you-can-eat buffets–he explains how to navigate them for maximum enjoyment. He doesn’t just acknowledge it’s cool when the parking meter still has time on it–he explains the different types of meter-feeding styles, and how awesome it is that they all exist.

The result is an encyclopedia of joy, from observations to interpretations to experiences. Some moments are silly, some poignant, some nostalgic–but everything is familiar. The book is a brilliant reminder of everything that inspires a smile without treading into saccharine-sweet, Pollyanna territory.

Despite my instinct to read a few entries each morning to start the day with a smile, I read the entire book in one weekend. Curled up in bed, hunched over on the elliptical, immersed in a hot tub, riding shot gun to a family function, and late at night, when I should have been sleeping. I know I’ll read it again–and I’m thrilled Neil has donated two autographed copies so you can enjoy it, too.

Book Details:

• Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam (April 15, 2010)
• Pages: 400 awesome pages
• List Price: $22.95/$11.26 on Amazon

Giveaway Details:

To enter to win one of two autographed copies of The Book of Awesome comment below telling us what’s awesome to you!

For an extra entry, tweet the following:

RT @tinybuddha Giving away 2 autographed copies of The Book of Awesome! Comment on site & RT to enter http://bit.ly/97VVig

Readers can enter until midnight, PST on Wednesday, April 15th (when the book is available in stores). I will announce the winners in a post on Thursday. If you can’t wait, preorder a copy now!

Thanks to everyone who entered our giveaway for the book The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World.

Our five winners, chosen randomly, are:

• Cynthia Atkins
• Kevin Costillo
• Tracey Sullivan
• Stephanie (@Omgitsafox)
• Brenda Sue

Before you move along, you  may enjoy reading one of these recent posts:

• 40 Ways to Let Go and Feel Less Pain
• 7 Key Steps to Live a Beautiful Life
• Project Happiness: Believing in the Good in People

Interested in contributing? Read our submission guidelines and send your best original content to email @ tinybuddha.com

by Lori Deschene

Giving 5 copies to readers. See below for details.

Is it possible to be happy in a world marred by prejudice, violence, and global disharmony—in a time when people often feel isolated from their communities, even in the most heavily populated places?

That’s the main question presented in The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World; and the answer is a resounding yes.

The 14^th Dalai Lama has known tremendous adversity in his lifetime—having been exiled from his homeland of Tibet when communist China invaded in 1959—and yet he still believes that human nature is intrinsically good.

But that’s not the crux of the Art of Happiness; it’s far more than just Buddhist wisdom.

The book follows a series of conversations between psychiatrist Dr. Howard C. Cutler and His Holiness, creating a guideline for happiness that reflects eastern philosophy without ignoring western reality.

If you’ve never read any of the Dalai Lama’s work, you’ll find this book a comprehensive introduction to his basic philosophy: that the purpose of life is to be happy, and that many of the behaviors and thinking patterns we adopt early on in life compromise our ability to meet that goal.

Dr. Cutler examines the Dalai Lama’s fundamental beliefs, asks clarifying questions, and then supports their mutual conclusions with scientific research and examples from history.

The result is a book that thoroughly explores:

• Why we feel separate from each other.
• How we can simultaneously pursue individual and collective happiness.
• How cultural influences and our brains’ wiring contribute to innate prejudices.
• How we can realistically overcome those problems and find peace of mind.
• How taking action on an individual level will help the world at large.

I’ve read several other books by the Dalai Lama, but none of the previous in this series, which includes three. Dr. Cutler’s probing questions elicit the type of answers that, I feel, would satisfy even the harshest cynic.

I put this book down feeling inspired and enriched. Above all else, the conversations and stories reminded me our perception of human nature influences our interactions with people; and that ultimately determines whether we live in a peaceful or hostile world.

Book Details:

• Publisher: Doubleday Books
• Pages: 352
• List price: $26/$17.16 on Amazon

Giveaway Details:

If you’d like to receive a free copy of The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World, retweet this:

RT @tinybuddha Dalai Lama book giveaway; RT & comment on the post to win a copy http://bit.ly/7kHjcw

Then comment below so we’ll be able to contact you by email. We will choose 5 winners randomly on Wednesday.