★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
I absolutely enjoyed how relatable every single aspect about this book is. It is interesting to learn about how Buddha himself viewed work, and what one can do when we suffer because of it. The reminder of being mindful of every situation that comes my way is extremely welcome, and I know that I have a long way to go if I were to have a mind essential for my own happiness.
What I didn't like about this book was that sometimes, it holds too much of the author's own thoughts. It was obvious that sooner or later, something was bound to jump up. Sadly, this fault was that of a contradiction. There is a section that he mentioned where a friend of his because an expert at something he was not because he spent a lot of time on it. It makes sense, doesn't it? The sacrifice that one makes with their time and energy is proportional, to a certain extent, to the returns a person gets. But then he went on to say this: that it is unfair that people who decided to spend time with their family do not have as much success at work. It is extremely sensitive and debatable. And that is one of the problems with this book: the author is too emotionally invested in it, such that his opinions, which are not Buddha's, shone through as well. Great if an example is put forth correctly, but this contradiction is something I cannot forgive, especially as someone who has a first-hand experience with this sort of occurrence. And I can tell you, it is not unfair that people whose priority is family, and not work, are less successful at the latter.
But besides all that, all the other aspects of this are very informative, and I certainly learnt a thing or two. The only thing now is to be mindful and put all of this new knowledge into practice. People who have had to struggle with the difficult situations happening at work should read this. It is both meditative and eye-opening at the same time. References are used and listed at the end of the book. Recommendations of further reading are also included, which I appreciate.
This review is written based on the ARC provided by the publisher through Netgalley.