Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better: Wise Advice for Leaning Into the Unknown

When her granddaughter was accepted to Naropa University, the celebrated author Pema Choedroen promised that she'd speak at the commencement ceremony. Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better contains the wisdom shared on that day. "What do we do when life doesn't go the way we hoped?" begins Pema "We say, 'I'm a failure." But what if failing wasn't just "okay," but the most direct way to becoming a more complete, loving, and fulfilled human being? Through the insights of her own teachers and life journey, Pema Choedroen offers us her heartfelt advice on how to face the unknown-in ourselves and in the world-and how our missteps can open our eyes to see new possibilities and purpose. For Pema's millions of readers, prospective graduates, or anyone at a life crossroads, this gem of clarity and reassurance is sure to find a welcome place in many a kitchen, office, and backpack.

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"Chodron is one of the rock stars of contemporary spiritual life. Born Deirdre Blomfield-Brown in New York City, the author converted to Buddhism in her thirties, became a disciple of Choegyam Trungpa, and ultimately the leader of the Boulder Shambhala Center in Colorado. She is also the author of such works asThe Wisdom of No EscapeandStart From Where You Are, which brought her a wide, attentive audience. This latest book arose from a request to speak at her granddaughter's commencement. Chodron presents wisdom inherent in allowing oneself to fail. The text has been enlarged by brushstroke-like artwork, a follow-up interview with Sounds True founder and publisher Tami Simon, and an introduction by entrepreneur Seth Godin.VERDICTThis brief text has all of the pleasures of a stocking-stuffer but is suitable to other seasons as well and by no means limited in its appeal to followers of Buddhism or recent graduates." --Library Journal

"For Boulder, Colo.-based Naropa University's 2014 commencement ceremony, Choedroen (When Things Fall Apart) told new graduates that "knowing how to fail well" is an essential--and neglected--life skill. Choedroen, an American Buddhist nun, popular author, and student of the late Choegyam Trungpa, urges her audience to hold the 'rawness of vulnerability in [your] heart' rather than blaming self or others. This volume pairs a transcript of the very short speech, accompanied by abstract black and white drawings, with a more substantive interview with her publisher, in which Choedroen talks candidly about her personal experiences with failure and explores self-hatred, human goodness, and fear. She provides insightful suggestions for how to move forward into life despite crushing failure, how to turn regret into empathy and compassion, and how to cope gracefully with a failing body. This small book, an appropriate gift for recent graduates or anyone facing a challenging transition, also contains sustenance for loyal Choedroen fans, and introduces new readers to her gentle wisdom for living in a 'world where there are a lot of things that aren't fixable." --Publishers Weekly

oedroen promised to speak at her granddaughter's graduation from Naropa University. When asked what her speech would be about, she declined to answer because she had decided to speak to those enthusiastic young graduates about failure. True to her compassionate nature, it turned out to be some of the best advice they would ever receive. She described failing as "getting good at holding the rawness of vulnerability in your heart." She encouraged them to embrace the discomfort of failure rather than blaming others or themselves. She recounted her own painful struggle with turning failure into strength. She suggested that failure is just a shift in the direction of our lives. The last section of the book is a follow-up interview with her which was conducted by Founder & CEO of Sounds True, Tami Simon. During Simon's interview she had the chance to discuss the deeper layers of the ideas she had offered to those young people. Choedroen has a talent for connecting mind to mind through the heart. This book is another beautiful example of her skill." --Anna Jedrziewski, Retailing Insight

Pema Chodron_ is an American-born Buddhist nun and the author of many spiritual classics, including When Things Fall Apart (Shambhala, 2002), The Places that Scare You (Shambhala, 2004), and Taking the Leap (Shambhala, 2009). She serves as resident teacher at Gampo Abbey Monastery in Nova Scotia and is a student of Dzigar Kongtrul and the late Chogyam Trungpa. See pemachodronfoundation.org.

When her granddaughter was accepted to Naropa University, the celebrated author Pema Chodron promised that she d speak at the commencement ceremony. Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better contains the wisdom shared on that day. What do we do when life doesn t go the way we hoped? begins Pema We say, I m a failure. But what if failing wasn t just okay, but the most direct way to becoming a more complete, loving, and fulfilled human being? Through the insights of her own teachers and life journey, Pema Chodron offers us her heartfelt advice on how to face the unknown in ourselves and in the world and how our missteps can open our eyes to see new possibilities and purpose. For Pema s millions of readers, prospective graduates, or anyone at a life crossroads, this gem of clarity and reassurance is sure to find a welcome place in many a kitchen, office, and backpack."

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