The Practicing Mind: Developing Focus And Discipline In Your Life: Master any skill or challenge by learning to love the process

Very good book. The content in this book is priceless and change one's life. I changed my life from goal oriented to process oriented on day 2 and it's working miraculously. Everything I do feels meaningful and peaceful. Peace is attained immediate with this mindset. Also, this is a practice, not a state to be attained. Practicing to be in present moment and forgetting the self is the best way to live. Like Dogen said, to study the self is to forget the self. Must read!

Worth reading book

Precisely written, well equipped with examples from daily life .Worth spending one's time on !

This book will definitely give a feeling that whatever is stated you have experienced it without understanding that such a life experience can be repeated consciously by us. Thanks to the Author for documenting his experiences and structuring it , now it can become a consciously practiced by one and all.

Just wanted to add the unboxing video of the book! This is a bestseller on self-help and how to learn new skills. I'll go through it and update my review. As of now, it came in recyclable packaging, which was good, and the book was in good condition.

Thomas Sterner’s book, ‘The Practicing Mind,’ is an excellent reminder of basic learning principles. The book consists of nine chapters of variable quality. However, the author admits his lessons are not new: we have known these principles for centuries. We need these books because we forget the principles. The book is well-timed because modern culture prizes ‘results’ over ’process’; productivity over perfection, resulting in a culture where people often take shortcuts to achieve a desired output. Thomas Sterner quotes a few excellent examples, notably from Japan, highlighting the difference between their approach and many Western practices. While he points out the differences between the two cultures, you will find many such differences within cultures. For instance, the apprenticeship culture in Germany focuses on proper learning. The author reminds us that we must always adopt a practicing mind: as we grow and become experts, we forget a crucial lesson – that we can, and should, learn from anyone. He cites the curiosity of a child’s mind, reminding us that we lose our curiosity as we age and become ‘experts.’ The quality of the chapters is uneven, with some excellent and others mediocre. Read the book: the lessons within are excellent reminders that we must change our approach to learn well and find joy in learning and practicing.

Crisp, small and meaningful. Gives mental framework to approach the practice.

Must read for everyone

Muitos conceitos apresentados já eram familiares. É um livro de leitura fácil e que nos faz lembrar muitos conceitos importantes que, muitas vezes se perdem pelo caminho.

You're gonna have to read this book a few times to really get everything out from it Packed with knowledge, the author uses personal experiences to illustrate his point but does it in a way that adds to the story.

I first had this as an audiobook via Audible. However, when they took it out of free access, I just had to order a physical copy. This is such a great book, explaining a philosophy that is so close to my heart, and backing it up with some real life examples from the author’s life. To be clear, there is nothing groundbreaking in the book, as all of these ideas have existed for a few millennia, as the author himself says. However, having it in one place, being able to read it easily, being able to just pick a page and start reading and still understanding what the author talks about - that is great. I keep it in my work bag and (re)read parts of it every morning on the train to work. Couldn’t recommend it more.

I agree with the other reviewers: This book really is great. It provides you with simple tools to help you get more focused on what you do and thus enjoying even seemingly boring activities (honestly, doing dishes -of all things- never felt so great!). It made me more patient (from the book I got the expression quiet perseverance to describe patience, which, together with present moment awareness, is what this book is all about). This little gem together with Getting Things Done by David Allen, really boosted both my productivity and quality of life. It's a quick read, and you can instantly apply the advice. You'll probably get back to it often, because the skills, though simple, take time, patience, and discipline to grow but it's a wonderful trip to inner peace and the book makes for a great companion. After reading it, you can just jump in on chapters 5 to 7 to quickly refresh all of the key concepts. Another bonus for me: even though the book ends on a spiritual note, it is written in a very down to earth style. So you won't find any religious, new age or spiritual hullabaloo, which put me off in many similar books. ----------------------- Update: A couple of years later I'm still very grateful for this book. It has introduced me to the world of mindfulness and to the concept of Ego, both are nothing less than life changeing. If after this book (and by all means, read it!) you feel like digging deeper, I suggest you try Mindfulness in Plain English: Revised and Expanded Edition by an author with a very long name. It's a very accessible introduction to a specific and incredibly powerful kind of meditation. And, of course, if you haven't done so already, read Getting Things Done. It helps me every day to juggle the things life throws at you and still to find time for sitting on the cushion.

This book is one you won't want to miss if you're dedicated to becoming good at just about anything. I've struggled with various endeavours over the years, and while I've made progress, I feel I could have made more progress if I had read this book years ago. What the author shares is not new information, but he makes that clear right from the start.. What this book offers is a new frame to look at the issue of practice and staying in the moment, which in this context are almost synonymous, if you want to improve and eliminate frustration. The author writes clearly and his tone is encouraging while holding onto reality. He didn't at any point make a claim that resulted In me rolling my eyes while muttering to myself "yeah right". The book is great, and it's one I'd certainly recommend. I'll refer back to this book from time to time, because, as the author stated, the principles taught here need to be revisited because they are easily forgotten as life presents us with new challenges which can make it easy to fall into old self destructive habits. After all the positive things I have to say about this book, why have I given it three stars? When I see a book with three stars, I usually think " it's not bad, it's not good and it's probably not worth my time" that's not what I'm saying here, though. I've given this book three stars because I feel it could have been shorter. The first three or so chapters were full of wisdom and left me thirsty for more. While the other chapters did provide some value, I was not nearly as energised as I read them and I often found myself skimming whole pages because I didn't feel like I was learning anything new. I strongly believe that this book would have been much better had it been shorter. I want to stress that this is a book I liked. I liked it a lot. And if you're a person that finds it hard to practice and feel frustration as you try to acquire a new skill, then you won't regret reading this book. I would also recommend the "Zen in the art in the art of archery" that's another great book with practically the same message. However that author understood that less is more and therefore wrote a book with a stronger message that hits home with more impact.