A Life of Being, Having, and Doing Enough

From the moment we are born, we are seekers. Our culture obsessively promotes the pursuit of money, success and self-improvement. At the end of each activity-jammed day, though, we collapse into bed discouraged by everything we have not checked off on our to-do lists, in despair that whatever we have accomplished is never enough. Worse still, when our dreams become derailed by the inherent tragedies of life—job loss, financial peril, sickness, or the death of a loved one—we feel devastated by the pain and injustice of it all.
 
Nationally renowned author, therapist, and minister Wayne Muller offers healing for the perpetually stressed in A Life of Being, Having, and Doing Enough. By learning compassion and mercy for ourselves and by recognizing what is most profoundly true about who we are and what we need, we can gain the self-acceptance so that whatever we choose to do, in this moment, it is wholly enough.
 
Muller mixes the writings of great spiritual and political leaders with inspirational anecdotes from his own life, inviting us to derive more satisfaction from less and pull gratitude out of the ashes of grief. The answer to what he describes as authentic happiness lies not in seeing the glass as half full instead of half empty. In reality, he writes, the glass is always half full and half empty. The world is neither broken nor whole, but eternally engaged in rhythms between joy and sorrow. With Muller's guidance, we may find ourselves on the most courageous spiritual pilgrimage of our lives.

From the Hardcover edition.

Publishers Weekly

In a world seduced by its own unlimited potential, rather than feeling omnipotent we feel powerless and overwhelmed by impossible responsibilities. This is because we have forgotten what “enough” feels like, says minister, therapist, and philanthropist Muller (Sabbath). He urges readers to step back from their inner pressures and from the externalities of culture, community, and work to reclaim an unshakable trust in their own deep inner sufficiency. We must trust who we are and choose our lives; our so-called shortcomings often aren't defects at all but allow us to be honestly present with ourselves and others, in all our flawed abundance. Further, he says, worrying only saturates us with stress and steers us away from trusting in our essential wholeness and ability to handle whatever comes our way. The greater our heart's capacity for joy, the more we will learn to bear our sorrows; and perhaps the greatest wealth one possesses is one's presence. Readers who mistrust New Age/inspirational snippets should avoid this book, while aficionados of the genre may find wisdom, contentment, and self-acceptance in these same pages. (May)