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A Life of Being, Having, and Doing Enough [Hardcover]

Wayne Muller
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

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Book Description

April 13, 2010
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.

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A Life of Being, Having, and Doing Enough + Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives
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Editorial Reviews

From 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)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“This book can preserve your sanity and save your life.”
—LARRY DOSSEY, MD, AUTHOR OF The Power of Premonitions
 
“This is a book that I will give to all the people that I love, and one that I will read and reread as a reminder of how to live a more graceful and grateful life.”
—JOAN BORYSENKO, PHD, author of Minding the Body, Mending the Mind and Inner Peace for Busy People
 
“A beautiful, still, peaceful book about embracing your own magnificence and the wealth of everyday life.”
—JUDITH ORLOFF, MD, New York Times bestselling author of Emotional Freedom
 
“A Life of Being, Having, and Doing Enough is a gentle, beautiful book, one that realigns the heart and mind. This is a book that strikes a deep chord of truth.”
—SHARON SALZBERG, author of Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness
 
"As a busy CEO, a public figure, a volunteer, and a family man with two young children, Wayne’s words warmly washed over me as waves on a tropical beach. This book will do the same for you - I guarantee it!"
—GEORGE ZIMMER, Founder and CEO, Men’s Wearhouse
 
"The timing for this rich book could not be more perfect. Wayne Muller has written a thought provoking guide to the interior life that beautifully articulates why our soul craves silence and contemplation. This is a masterful accomplishment." 
—CAROLINE MYSS, author of Anatomy of the Spirit and Defy Gravity
 
"This is a soul-sized book for sure. We are so busy pursuing too many goals and straining ourselves to death in the process. We are ‘catching up’ forever, doing-doing-doing all the time, stressed out and pushing ourselves to achieve and acquire in order to fill the emptiness in our souls.  Wayne Muller counsels us to slow down, to accept ourselves and our limits,  to enjoy just being the creatures we are in this universe. He teaches us to say  ‘enough’ in a raging world of ceaseless activity, of self-imposed 24/7 tiredness. Reading this book is healthy - it will quiet the restless heart and encourage a thankful simplicity that brings peace to the soul."
—STEPHEN POST, author of Why Good Things Happen to Good People 
 
A Life of Being, Having, and Doing Enough is a compelling, thought-provoking meditation on what truly matters in life. True to form, Wayne Muller shares life-changing advice and inspiration.”
—DANIEL GOLEMAN author of Emotional Intelligence

"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. 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.
Publishers Weekly
 
“This book is a timely and invaluable resource to help us remember what is truly important and meaningful in our lives. It provides the reader a place of solace, sanctuary, reflection, and realignment toward an inherent Way of Being—in the midst of life’s busy-ness and fast pace!”
—ANGELES ARRIEN, PHD, author of The Second Half of Life: Opening the Eight Gates of Wisdom
 
“A Life of Being, Having, and Doing Enough is an antidote to ‘more is better’ and the madness of multitasking. It offers a respite from the endless cycle of seeking that perpetuates our suffering. This book is a great reminder of the joy of keeping it simple, of the abundance present in this moment, and that even these few words are enough.”
—FRANK OSTASESKI, founder of the Metta Institute and the Zen Hospice Project
 
“Once again Wayne Muller has taken compassion-in-action to a new level through his marvelous and timely new book. Wayne highlights one of the key distinctions of our time: to recognize that we already are, have, and do enough just as we are. By beautifully illustrating how ‘enough’ looks and feels, he offers the reader a tremendous gift. This is the fundamental context of sufficiency—and of living a happy, fulfilled life of meaning. It’s also the basis for sharing and collaboration, essential elements in turning the tide at this pivotal time in human history.”
—LYNNE TWIST, President, Soul of Money Institute and co-founder, The Pachamama Alliance
 
“This wise and compassionate book helps us recognize and receive what we already have and offers us a place of refuge, renewal, and peace. A must-read for anyone who has ever felt ‘It's never enough.’”
—RACHEL NAOMI REMEN, MD, author of Kitchen Table Wisdom and My Grandfather’s Blessings

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Harmony (April 13, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 030759002X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0307590022
  • Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #279,224 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Wayne Muller has been a therapist, minister, community advocate, consultant, public speaker, and bestselling author of Legacy of the Heart and Sabbath, among others. A graduate of Harvard Divinity School, Wayne spent the last thirty-five years serving thee abused, bereft, sick, and oppressed. He founded Bread for the Journey, a network of ordinary people who volunteer in neighborhood philanthropy. Wayne listens primarily for what is beautiful, strong, and true within us, to learn to find nourishment as our lives unfold in new, unexpected directions. He was Senior Scholar at the Fetzer Institute, Extended Faculty at the Institute for Noetic Sciences, and has received several awards for his work with those in need.

He currently works with select individuals as a private spiritual director and mentor.

You can contact Wayne at www.waynemuller.com

"Wayne Muller gently moved me beyond the questions of Why? and Why me?, helped me step over the barriers of guilt and shame and encouraged me to look through my wounds as through a window that opens to a new view of who I am and where I am called to go." - Henri Nouwen, "The Wounded Healer"

"Wayne Muller gives us the license, the encouragement to take that single, mindful breath which puts our busy lives in perspective and helps restore our souls." - Fred Rogers, of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
(16)
4.7 out of 5 stars
This book is easy to read but offers insight beyond what I expected. Cindy Pitre  |  4 reviewers made a similar statement
I found myself highlighting almost every sentence in the book. Marilyn Levin  |  3 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a PIVOTAL book within the emerging Sufficiency Movement. This is a MUST READ for anyone who wants a fulfilling life and a just, equitable and sustainable world. As the Founder of Global Sufficiency Network [...] I applaud Wayne Muller for this brilliant contribution to the world.

I found myself highlighting almost every sentence in the book. It is filled with wit and wisdom that empowers the reader to transform his/her life and contribute to a better world. This will be one of those books that I recommed to everyone I know and give away to family and friends as gifts all year long!
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Enough is a verb May 24, 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Wayne Muller's book is a gem. Most of us live in a constant pursuit of MORE. More money. More accomplishments. More recognition. More love. More influence. And like the gerbil on the treadmill, the harder we run, the more dissatisfied we are.
Muller offers an very healthy and practical alternative. To slow down and savor what we have today. It does not have to be maximum or perfect, which are our obsessions. Rather, it just has to be enough to enjoy now.
J.K. Kehoe
Rice University
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Balm for the Soul April 25, 2010
Format:Hardcover
Like a drink of cool water on a warm summer's day, Wayne Muller's words gently soothe the anxious, desperate ache of not being or doing enough, and offer a real life path to a brighter, happier, more fulfilling existence.

Wherever you are on your journey, "A Life of Being, Having, and Doing Enough" will help guide you through the rough spots and toward the clear open water.

Honey Ward
[...].
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14 of 17 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars enough is enough November 18, 2010
Format:Hardcover
In this book on doing enough, Wayne muller certainly has done enough. The pertinent ideas from this whole book were said in the first two chapters and the rest of the book consists of rambling irrelevant thoughts and passages taken verbatim from some of his other works. The main thesis is wonderful and very relevant and nicely presented, but Muller could have said all he really had to say on this topic in a short essay. On page 49- he was stressed out over not coming up with enough material to fill the publisher's wants- a friend told him to just forget about it and "write whatever your heart wants to say, and whenever you feel finished, just stop." Out of 61 chapters I found 26 that had nothing whatsoever to do with the topic and which were just rambling space fillers. Of the remaining 35 chapters, at least 10 were totally marginal. They had a good point or two, but how could a writer like Muller not be able to drop a little gem, even if it's irrelevant, into a two page chapter. Our church did a series on this book and I was embarrassed for Wayne for all the fluff and reused material and irrelevant chapters and for the 300 people who paid $25 for this book. I definitely would NOT recommend this book for any price above $5.00
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling argument for 'less is more" December 20, 2010
Format:Hardcover
Wayne Muller mixes the writing of great spiritual leaders with stories from his own life inviting us to embrace the wealth of everyday life. He illustrates in "A life of Being, Having, and Doing Enough" how planning some harvest of ease and sufficiency later in life can keep us from attending to what's happening right now. When we are grounded in all that we know and have become we simply do what we know to be enough.
As a Hospice Chaplain Muller witnessed the concerns of the dying. The concerns were quite simple. "Have I loved well? Have I lived deeply and fully? Have I left a legacy of kindness?"
Muller's illness taught him to do less and more slowly and follow the invisible thread of grace by listening every hour of every day. To his surprise it brought him more spaciousness and delight.
Mother Teresa concurred. "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." Martin Luther King put it another way, "Don't focus on the far-off destination...you don't have to see the whole staircase just take the first step."
One of Muller's lessons from the wisdom of a dying friend with breast cancer was particularly powerful. Because she appeared a beacon of clarity, strength and hope he was stunned to learn that she was dying. Feeling bone-weary, distracted and discouraged he asked how she managed to be so luminous, vital, alive and optimistic. She said she stopped doing two things - she no longer held any resentments and she surrounded herself with life-giving people. She also said she learned to say no and set clear boundaries.
The very practice of seeking can sometimes presume we are not where we need to be that this minute cannot possibly be enough. The Buddha taught we would experience ten thousand joys and ten thousand sorrows in a human life.
... Read more ›
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A gentle, peaceful, soothing book August 21, 2011
Format:Paperback
Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

The author writes: "What, then, can we do? We begin by listening, paying attention, gradually uncovering our own clarity and wisdom. If we are to learn to trust that inner knowing and rely upon the authority of our deepest heart's intuition, this is where we must begin. For the voices of the world are loud, they are legion, and they are growing exponentially. These outer voices each have their most decidedly necessary prescription for our lives. Each screams louder than the next, insisting we listen to what they [sic] say, what we should need, want, buy, and do, to have a life of enough" (p. 8).

"Wayne Muller," it explains on the back flyleaf,"is a Santa Fe-based therapist, public speaker, minister, and bestselling author. His previous books include Legacy of the Heart; How, Then, Shall We Life?; Sabbath; and Learning to Pray. He is the founder of Bread for the Journey, a nonprofit organization that supports community organizing and neighborhood philanthropy." I mention this simply because you would expect this book to be a religious one. The author, however, responds: "I have no concern whether one is religious or not, whether one believes in heaven, or hell, or penance for indulging in these sins. . ." (p. 15).

Later in this same early chapter he says, "I have no interest here in any moral argument regarding sin as a religious precept. I honor and respect any spiritual community that dedicates itself to creating a world where people's lives matter, where they try to do more good than evil, do no harm, practice loving compassion and service to others. Indeed," he adds, "I take this seriously enough that I answered my own personal call to graduate from theological seminary and become an ordained minister" (p.
... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book
This book was a nice reminder of keeping my priorities in check. It was simple, to the point and easy to read.
Published 1 month ago by Laurie Oleksa
5.0 out of 5 stars So good!
In a culture where there is no concept of "enough"...this book is an awesome read. Wayne Muller is a very down-to-earth writer, and explores how to have a life that is not... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Amy Newby
5.0 out of 5 stars A life of being, Having, and doing enough
This book is easy to read but offers insight beyond what I expected. I thought it would be a book about simple abundance - but instead it is so much more... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Cindy Pitre
5.0 out of 5 stars Wayne Muller book
This book is one of my all-time favorites. In a world where we can spend tremendous energy and resources trying to get, have, and consume, Wayne suggests a way of living that... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Louise Dunn
5.0 out of 5 stars Best book I have ever read
If you are only going to read one book, this is it. If you are going to give one gift to someone you love, this is it. Read more
Published 13 months ago by BugBrown
5.0 out of 5 stars Life in perspective
This book enables the reader to put their life in perspective that allows clarity and self awareness and growth. It is truly enlightening.
Published 18 months ago by truthone
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Relevant and Inspiring
Muller quite eloquently and lovingly tells us what we need to hear. This book is so relevant to the re-writing of the American Dream. Read more
Published 18 months ago by S. K. Eggert
5.0 out of 5 stars A Guide to Enough
Muller's latest release was the November selection for South Austin Spiritual Book Group. Our Book Group was kicked off in 2005 with Muller's book, "Sabbath", so we are full circle... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Stephanie Barko, Literary Publicist
5.0 out of 5 stars When is enough?
Wayne Muller has written a thought provoking book. I enjoyed his book and came away with a view into another perspective, When is ENOUGH? Read more
Published on June 4, 2011 by N. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!
This is, hands down, one of the most important books I've ever read - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Published on October 5, 2010 by The Authentic Outlet
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