How to Accept Yourself in a World Striving for Perfection

Love for Imperfect Things

A beautiful, much-needed guide for learning to love ourselves - imperfections and all - from the author of the internationally bestselling The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down! 
 
No one is perfect. But that doesn't stop us from imagining how much happier we'd be if we were smarter, funnier, richer, or thinner. But what if being yourself is enough? 
 
Love for Imperfect Things, by the bestselling Korean monk Haemin Sunim, shows how the path to happiness and peace of mind starts with letting go of worries about ourselves. With chapters on self-compassion, courage, healing, and acceptance, as well as beautiful full-colour illustrations, Sunim teaches us to embrace our flaws rather than trying to overcome them. 
 
Just as on airplanes we're told to put on our own mask, we must first be at peace with ourselves before we can make peace with the world around us. 
 
_______________________ 
 
'The world could surely use a little more love, a little more compassion, and a little more wisdom. In Love for Imperfect Things, Haemin Sunim shows us how to cultivate all three' Susan Cain, author of Quiet 
 
'Haemin writes beautifully and simply... these vital life lessons resonate deeply and easily' Miranda Hart 
 
'Heartwarming, calming and simple. But also filled with wisdom and powerful truths that will teach us to love ourselves first in order to transform our relationships with our loved ones' Hector Garcia, author of IKIGAI

Mark Williams, co-author of 'Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World'

A treasure! I don't have to be perfect? What incredible news. This book hit me like a ton of bricks and made many anxieties melt away

Neil Pasricha, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation

A wonderful book . . . Zen teacher Haemin Sunim describes with great clarity the suffocating effect of perfectionism - how damaging it is to think your worth as a person is solely dependent on how you perform. Then, page by page, he shows you how to reclaim your freedom and your life

Beautifully wise insights into how we're all perfectly imperfect. A masterclass in letting go. As soothing to my whirring 'must do better!' mind as slipping into a hot bath when I'm cold

Catherine Gray, author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober

Haemin writes beautifully and simply so these vital life lessons resonate easily and deeply

The world could surely use a little more love, a little more compassion, and a little more wisdom. In Love for Imperfect Things, Haemin Sunim shows us how to cultivate all three, and to find beauty in the most imperfect of things - including your very own self

Heartwarming, calming and simple . . . filled with wisdom and powerful truths that will teach us to love ourselves first in order to transform our relationships with our loved ones

Hector Garcia, author of IKIGAI: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

Haemin Sunim is one of the most influential Zen Buddhist teachers and writers in the world. Born in South Korea and educated at Berkeley, Harvard and Princeton, he received formal monastic training in Korea and taught Buddhism at Hampshire College in Massachusetts. He has more than a million followers on Twitter (@haeminsunim) and Facebook and lives in Seoul when not traveling to share his teachings. In Korea, The Things You Can See sold more than three million copies and spent 41 weeks at Number One. Love For Imperfect Things was Sunday Times Top 10 Bestseller.

Many of us respond to the pressures of life by turning inwards and ignoring problems, sometimes resulting in anxiety or depression. Others react by working harder at work, at school or at home, hoping that this will make ourselves and the people we love happier. 
 
But what if being yourself is enough? Just as we are advised on airplanes to take our own oxygen first before helping others, we must first be at peace with ourselves before we can be at peace with the world around us. 
 
In this beautiful follow-up to his international bestseller The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down, Buddhist monk Haemin Sunim turns his trademark wisdom and kindness to self-care, arguing that only by accepting yourself - and the flaws which make you who you are - can you have compassionate and fulfilling relationships with your partner, family and friends.

How to be Calm in a Busy World

The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER 
 
Full of anecdotes, relatable quotes and beautiful illustrations, this little book makes a wonderful read and thoughtful gift! 
 
'Is it the world that's busy, or my mind?' 
 
***** 
 
Life moves fast, but that doesn't mean we have to. 
 
In this timely guide to mindfulness, Haemin Sunim, a Buddhist monk born in Korea and educated in the United States, offers advice on everything from handling setbacks to dealing with rest and relationships. 
 
Combining his teachings with calming full-colour illustrations, Haemin Sunim's simple messages speak directly to the anxieties that have become part of modern life and remind us of the strength and joy that come from slowing down. 
 
***** 
 
'Everyone who wants to thrive more in their life should have it on their nightstand' Arianna Huffington 
 
'Offers practical advice on everything from handling setbacks to relationships. Best for reclaiming your zen' Stylist

Everyone who wants to thrive more in their life should have it on their nightstand

Universal truths, beautifully expressed, lovingly illustrated

Ingeniously simple tips from a zen monk that'll boost your mood, career - and relationships

Offers practical advice on everything from handling setbacks to relationships. Best for reclaiming your zen

Taking time is Sunim's thing. He's a Buddhist monk who has become internationally famous for it. Written in response to requests for advice on social media, [The Things You Can See] directly addresses problems facing people around the world

Full of insightful and practical advice-and wonderfully portable, like a daily guidebook. I read it with great interest

Bhante Gunaratana, author of 'Mindfulness in Plain English'

Haemin Sunim has offered us a remarkable gift, a compendium of practical wisdom. It is accessible brilliance

Allan Lokos, founder and guiding teacher, Community Meditation Center, NYC; author of 'Through the Flames', 'Patience', and 'Pocket Peace'

A remarkable guide to how to live a life of unpretentious authenticity and compassionate engagement. In Haemin Sunim's brief essays and aphorisms, the insights of Buddhism have fully become the stuff of life itself

Robert Buswell, Director of Buddhist Studies, UCLA

This book is wonderful-straight from the heart of a wise, kind teacher. Written simply and with gentle humor, it will help you find lasting happiness in a changing world

Rick Hanson, Ph.D., New York Times bestselling author of 'Buddha’s Brain' and 'Hardwiring Happiness'

Loving, practical, and kind, The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down is a beautiful reminder of the rewards of living wisely

Jack Kornfield, bestselling author of 'A Path with Heart' and 'The Wise Heart'

Filled with gems of wisdom, this book will lift up your heart and enliven your spirit

Tara Brach, author of 'Radical Acceptance' and 'True Refuge'

The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down proves what the Wise have always taught: As goes our attention, so comes our experience. The more we attend to living in the present moment, the richer becomes our experience of it . . . and of our own higher possibilities

Guy Finley, bestselling author of 'The Secret of Letting Go'

Perfect for readers looking for a respite from busy lives and tumultuous times . . . Sunim evokes a calm assuredness in his philosophy, reminiscent of Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran

Haemin Sunim's book has a place in my backpack now. When I read it at the coffee shop, my coffee break becomes a meditation break. At bedtime, it brings me peace. And in the morning it inspires me

Joseph Emet, author of 'Finding the Blue Sky' and 'Buddha’s Book of Meditation'

I believe this elegant book will help heal a river of grief that runs through our entire nation, just below the surface, everywhere I go. People ache for time with those they love, with friends and family, with nature. My hope is that everyone who opens this book will immediately find some passage, some way into a secret garden of slow time, where things of great beauty and truth grow, and blossom, in effortless abundance. It is a glorious refuge -- a timely, welcome escape from the pervasive trance of ordinary, relentlessly productive time

Wayne Muller, bestselling author of 'Sabbath' and 'A Life of Being, Having, and Doing Enough'

Wonderful . . . They read almost like haikus

The world moves fast, but that doesn't mean we have to. In this timely guide to mindfulness, Haemin Sunim, a Buddhist monk born in Korea and educated in the United States, offers advice on everything from handling setbacks to dealing with rest and relationships, in a beautiful book combining his teachings with calming full-colour illustrations. Haemin Sunim's simple messages - which he first wrote when he responded to requests for advice on social media - speak directly to the anxieties that have become part of modern life and remind us of the strength and joy that come from slowing down. 
 
Hugely popular in Korea, Haemin Sunim is a Zen meditation teacher whose teachings transcend religion, borders and ages. With insight and compassion drawn from a life full of change, the bestselling monk succeeds at encouraging all of us to notice that when you slow down, the world slows down with you.

Haemin Sunim

Imagine receiving a warm hug from a book - that's exactly what you'll experience with this one. Sunim skillfully offers comforting wisdom in an accessible and gentle manner, while also embracing profound vulnerability, just as he has done with his previous books.

In When Things Don’t Go Your Way, Haemin Sunim offers readers a warm and reassuring path through the most challenging moments of our lives. By sharing his hard-won wisdom, he guides us from hardship to self-discovery, helping us to stay centered and feel whole.

Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

Haemin Sunim is one of the wisest, most honest and authentic teachers I know. Drawn from his own lived experience, When Things Don&rsquo;t Go Your Way offers the kind of guidance we most need when life doesn&rsquo;t cooperate and we&rsquo;re painfully, emotionally stuck. It shows us how our challenges themselves can become powerful fuel for spiritual awakening

Zen Wisdom for Difficult Times

What if moments of great difficulty are, in fact, opportunities for growth and self-discovery? What if they can serve as stepping stones to greater things in life? 
 
Modern life doesn't always go our way. Loss, rejection, uncertainty and loneliness are unavoidable parts of the human experience -- but there is solace to be found. In When Things Don't Go Your Way, Zen Buddhist teacher Haemin Sunim provides simple but powerful wisdom for navigating life's challenges. Through his trademark combination of beautiful illustrations, insightful stories, and contemplative aphorisms, Sunim helps us reframe our mindsets and develop emotional agility. 
 
Whether you're in the midst of a crisis or simply seeking to improve your mental and emotional wellbeing, When Things Don't Go Your Way is a soothing balm that helps us all find courage and comfort when we need it most.

Haemin Sunim

Praise for When Things Don’t Go Your Way

Imagine receiving a warm hug from a book - that's exactly what you'll experience with this one. Sunim skillfully offers comforting wisdom in an accessible and gentle manner, while also embracing profou ...

In When Things Don’t Go Your Way, Haemin Sunim offers readers a warm and reassuring path through the most challenging moments of our lives. By sharing his hard-won wisdom, he guides us from hardship to ...

Haemin Sunim is one of the wisest, most honest and authentic teachers I know. Drawn from his own lived experience, When Things Don’t Go Your Way offers the kind of guidance we most need when l ...

Imagine receiving a warm hug from a book - that's exactly what you'll experience with this one. Sunim skillfully offers comforting wisdom in an accessible and gentle manner, while also embracing profou ...

In When Things Don’t Go Your Way, Haemin Sunim offers readers a warm and reassuring path through the most challenging moments of our lives. By sharing his hard-won wisdom, he guides us from hardship to ...

Haemin Sunim is one of the wisest, most honest and authentic teachers I know. Drawn from his own lived experience, When Things Don’t Go Your Way offers the kind of guidance we most need when l ...

Imagine receiving a warm hug from a book - that's exactly what you'll experience with this one. Sunim skillfully offers comforting wisdom in an accessible and gentle manner, while also embracing profou ...

In When Things Don’t Go Your Way, Haemin Sunim offers readers a warm and reassuring path through the most challenging moments of our lives. By sharing his hard-won wisdom, he guides us from hardship to ...

Haemin Sunim is one of the wisest, most honest and authentic teachers I know. Drawn from his own lived experience, When Things Don’t Go Your Way offers the kind of guidance we most need when l ...

Books by Haemin Sunim

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