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The Untethered Soul at Work: Teachings to Transform Your Work Life
Millions know him as the spiritual teacher who wrote the widely popular The Untethered Soul and The Surrender Experiment. But prior to that, Michael A. Singer was the creator of a leading-edge software program that transformed medical practice management, and the founding CEO of a billion-dollar company. With The Untethered Soul at Work, listeners join Michael A. Singer for a rare audio presentation on applying the insights in his life-changing books within the context of business and the office.
"Work isn't easy--that's why it's called work--but we make it much harder if we don't use our minds the way we're supposed to," teaches Singer. In this two-part program, Singer first outlines his essential teachings on cultivating a healthy relationship with the mind and aligning ourselves with the flow of life instead of fighting against it. Next, he discusses 10 common workplace challenges we struggle with today, including finding fulfillment, difficult discussions, learning to listen, creativity and problem solving, stress and burnout, and more.
"Work isn't easy--that's why it's called work--but we make it much harder if we don't use our minds the way we're supposed to," teaches Singer. In this two-part program, Singer first outlines his essential teachings on cultivating a healthy relationship with the mind and aligning ourselves with the flow of life instead of fighting against it. Next, he discusses 10 common workplace challenges we struggle with today, including finding fulfillment, difficult discussions, learning to listen, creativity and problem solving, stress and burnout, and more.
Audio CD
First published March 5, 2019
23 people are currently reading
926 people want to read
About the author
Michael A. Singer
51 books2,838 followersMichael A. Singer is the author of the highly successful The Untethered Soul, which has also been published in Turkey, Brazil (in Portuguese), Switzerland (in German), Spain, Japan, China, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Poland, and Italy.
Singer received a master's degree in economics from the University of Florida in 1971. During his doctoral work, he had a deep inner awakening and went into seclusion to focus on yoga and meditation. In 1975, he founded Temple of the Universe, a now long-established yoga and meditation center where people of any religion or set of beliefs can come together to experience inner peace. Through the years, Singer has made major contributions in the areas of business, the arts, education, healthcare, and environmental protection. He previously authored two books on the integration of Eastern and Western philosophy: The Search for Truth and Three Essays on Universal Law: Karma, Will and Love.
Singer received a master's degree in economics from the University of Florida in 1971. During his doctoral work, he had a deep inner awakening and went into seclusion to focus on yoga and meditation. In 1975, he founded Temple of the Universe, a now long-established yoga and meditation center where people of any religion or set of beliefs can come together to experience inner peace. Through the years, Singer has made major contributions in the areas of business, the arts, education, healthcare, and environmental protection. He previously authored two books on the integration of Eastern and Western philosophy: The Search for Truth and Three Essays on Universal Law: Karma, Will and Love.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
June 30, 2019
There's great material here for personal transformation.
August 22, 2019
I couldn't finish this book. The author sounds condescending and unscripted. Occasionally, he would say something and chuckle (as if he just realized how brilliant that statement was). He makes it sound as if the solution is simply changing your view. He states that stress is the result of either fear or desire. The problem is you - either resisting what's happening or wanting something that isn't there. While ultimately it may boil down to that, this book doesn't deliver that message well.
May 30, 2019
Excellent complement to The Untethered Soul with concrete examples on how to apply the teachings at work. Really helpful! I will certainly use this and re-listen when I need a reminder. Thank you!
January 2, 2024
I’m a huge fan of Michael Singer’s and I read The Untethered Soul once a year. This book was good as an extension, but not entirely new information. While I found it insightful and certainly helpful, it also felt repetitive and drawn out of the few points he’s making. I’d stick to the amazing book that is The Untethered Soul and work on applying those principles in your professional and personal life. Can’t go wrong!
February 25, 2020
I listened to this 2 part lecture extension to Singer's book The Untethered Soul during the development of a curriculum at work for my corporate medicine patients who are team leads to equip them on managing both personal and work stressors. The first lecture is a general overview of the concepts in his book, and the second is actually even more helpful than the book itself as Singer applies the basic principles to specific scenarios that are found not just at work but in the personal life. Overall, these concepts can be helpful but only when framed in the larger picture of our loving God being the giver of all experiences and realization that my actions should be first in service to Him and then others.
My notes:
Part 1
Singer states there is no division between secular and non-secular.
He talks a lot about the Big Bang Theory and then multiple times references creation. This left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth but I do think there's something to learn from his ultimate conclusion-- the world has “nothing to do with me."
Disappointment and suffering will happen when I walk into the world and expect something and state what I want.
Begin by honoring, respecting, accepting the way things are and even that I get to start from this hard place.
Interact with the reality of what’s in front of you instead of what your mind has made up (what it wants or doesn’t want) and then superimposing it on top of what’s in front of you. The question isn’t how I can make something NOT happen. The question is why did I do that? Why don’t I just honor and respect what’s in front of me?
Experience reality, don’t make it up! Honor and respect reality, “life has a right to be the way it is.”
90% of energy is wasted suppressing the stuff from the past, using your mind to makeup what should be and trying to make that happen
Come into the moment and ask it “what’s the highest thing we can do together.” Harmonize with every moment in front of you and bring your best game.
It’s not that you have less energy now than you did younger, it’s that you’re spending it in other ways now.
It’s not about stepping aside from life but opening up to it—fully present in the moment to raise it to the highest life you can life.
Your mind is brilliant. The problem is what you’re doing with it.
Part 2
How do I make my job spiritual? You make yourself spiritual.
What is work? Most say, an answer to problems I have.
1. It is a place I go to serve--to contribute to the unfolding of the universe. There’s not something wrong with your work, it’s wrong with you—your view and attitude. Work is a place that in sharing and giving you gain more.
"You get into a relationship because you’re filled with love and joy and want to share it, not to get something from someone else."
Work is place you go to get rid of your problem not solve the problem. Wisdom is trying to get rid of yourself. You give of yourself at work. You are cleansing something so others get a more beautiful experience.
2. Stop and center before walking into work. My purpose is to serve and lift the energy around me.
What to do when you need to share news your employee doesn't want to hear? Remember! This is an excellent for your spiritual growth.
1. Stop and make sure you’re right. Let go of you! Make sure there’s nothing personal about the issue. Is it a real work problem? Is there an alternative way to do something?
2. I have insecurities and fears because of my past so now I’m sensitive about talking to someone about something they don’t want to hear. But this is my job— it's nothing to do with me or my fears or personal preference. Just say what you need to say and not share personal stuff—let that go.
3. After the conversation, let the worry of what someone thinks of you flow by/go away
The same for when you’re on the other side of the concern/talk. If something went wrong and there’s a way to serve others better than be open and listen. Getting your personal feelings out of the way is how you grow!!
Meetings
Learn to listen! Especially when someone is talking—don’t listen to your own mind. Don’t stop your mind from talking, just stop paying attention to your mind so you can listen to the person. Know that what you hear in a meeting shouldn’t agree with you. You don’t want someone to always agree with you. The whole purpose of bringing someone in is to expand your data set. I have something to contribute when it’s my time. Be willing to trust the process of letting go of your personal self (it’s not good!), and you will become the leader. Constantly let go!
Creativity
You can’t try to do it! Like falling asleep; creativity is the same. My personal mind is destructive (self-focused) not creative.
When you feel blocked... embrace it and don’t put pressure on yourself. Do everything in passes. “I have no intention of getting this right now. This is just a first pass that has no meaning. Just start instead of doing nothing.” Don’t put the pressure on yourself to do it right the first time.
Writing Emails
What you write matters—it’s a permanent record.
1. First always center
2. Ask: What am I trying to say? (Not “what do I want to say?” which includes my personal garage!)
3. Stop look and listen. Proofread/attachments! It takes less time overall to do this.
4. Before sending ask, “is this what I want to send out in the universe?”
Letting go of yourself is not just good for you but for all! Do the best you can with the work put in front of you. Use disappointments as the ultimate opportunity for growth. If you’re disappointed it’s bc you appointed something before you needed it.
When you need to change something. Let go of the personal! Don’t do it because of the disappointment. Ask: "Ss there something that I’m actually supposed to be doing?
The beauty of work is the fulfillment of doing my best.
How to work when you don’t know what to do.
1. Admit you don’t have an answer. Making something up is just noise.
2. What’s the minimum that I could do and claim it satisfies the goal? Just talk about it. And then you know why it’s not enough.
3. What’s the most that I could do?
4. Now start moving to the middle with cost/benefit analysis.
Feeling stagnant
My journey is about liberation, spiritual growth, finishing the deepest part of myself. Working through the outer crust.
Even dissatisfaction gives you a chance to change yourself—so you become better instead of thinking that what’s in front of you has to change for you to be better. Let go of your personal self and find that all is inspiring and exciting which will elevate you up. And this is contagious and those around you will emulate you!
Perfecting Your Interaction with Others
By perfecting my interactions with others, I perfect myself. There’s even more of a chance at work than at home because there's more people!
1. Neutralize yourself. Try to listen to what others say. If something isn’t perfect in front of me it’s a good thing! Don’t cause defensiveness in another since no one does good work under fear or defensiveness.
2. Serve others—"I’m here to make others better not to serve myself." Use your gift of brilliance to help others be better, not to tear them down. Become a servant not a critic. It’s my job to help everyone on my team be the best they can be.
Stress and Burnout
The truth: there is no stress, only resistance.
If you resist against the energy coming at you then you get stress. If you feel stressed out, start looking inside at a minute by minute level of where am I resisting the flow of the universe energy. What am I afraid of? Fear and desire create stress. Fear says “I don’t want something to be the way it is.” Desire says “I do want something to be the way it’s not.” Just harmonize with the moment in front of me. I want to be able to handle this with love and enthusiasm.
1. Admit I have a problem
2. Remember my life purpose is to transcend the problem
3. Now relax and realize I’m seeing stress and not the stress. Let it go and pass.
Are you going to work to get something or to get rid of something? Work is a place you are given an opportunity to let go of the garbage you’ve collected inside. Do it to get rid of yourself and to serve the universe.
My notes:
Part 1
Singer states there is no division between secular and non-secular.
He talks a lot about the Big Bang Theory and then multiple times references creation. This left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth but I do think there's something to learn from his ultimate conclusion-- the world has “nothing to do with me."
Disappointment and suffering will happen when I walk into the world and expect something and state what I want.
Begin by honoring, respecting, accepting the way things are and even that I get to start from this hard place.
Interact with the reality of what’s in front of you instead of what your mind has made up (what it wants or doesn’t want) and then superimposing it on top of what’s in front of you. The question isn’t how I can make something NOT happen. The question is why did I do that? Why don’t I just honor and respect what’s in front of me?
Experience reality, don’t make it up! Honor and respect reality, “life has a right to be the way it is.”
90% of energy is wasted suppressing the stuff from the past, using your mind to makeup what should be and trying to make that happen
Come into the moment and ask it “what’s the highest thing we can do together.” Harmonize with every moment in front of you and bring your best game.
It’s not that you have less energy now than you did younger, it’s that you’re spending it in other ways now.
It’s not about stepping aside from life but opening up to it—fully present in the moment to raise it to the highest life you can life.
Your mind is brilliant. The problem is what you’re doing with it.
Part 2
How do I make my job spiritual? You make yourself spiritual.
What is work? Most say, an answer to problems I have.
1. It is a place I go to serve--to contribute to the unfolding of the universe. There’s not something wrong with your work, it’s wrong with you—your view and attitude. Work is a place that in sharing and giving you gain more.
"You get into a relationship because you’re filled with love and joy and want to share it, not to get something from someone else."
Work is place you go to get rid of your problem not solve the problem. Wisdom is trying to get rid of yourself. You give of yourself at work. You are cleansing something so others get a more beautiful experience.
2. Stop and center before walking into work. My purpose is to serve and lift the energy around me.
What to do when you need to share news your employee doesn't want to hear? Remember! This is an excellent for your spiritual growth.
1. Stop and make sure you’re right. Let go of you! Make sure there’s nothing personal about the issue. Is it a real work problem? Is there an alternative way to do something?
2. I have insecurities and fears because of my past so now I’m sensitive about talking to someone about something they don’t want to hear. But this is my job— it's nothing to do with me or my fears or personal preference. Just say what you need to say and not share personal stuff—let that go.
3. After the conversation, let the worry of what someone thinks of you flow by/go away
The same for when you’re on the other side of the concern/talk. If something went wrong and there’s a way to serve others better than be open and listen. Getting your personal feelings out of the way is how you grow!!
Meetings
Learn to listen! Especially when someone is talking—don’t listen to your own mind. Don’t stop your mind from talking, just stop paying attention to your mind so you can listen to the person. Know that what you hear in a meeting shouldn’t agree with you. You don’t want someone to always agree with you. The whole purpose of bringing someone in is to expand your data set. I have something to contribute when it’s my time. Be willing to trust the process of letting go of your personal self (it’s not good!), and you will become the leader. Constantly let go!
Creativity
You can’t try to do it! Like falling asleep; creativity is the same. My personal mind is destructive (self-focused) not creative.
When you feel blocked... embrace it and don’t put pressure on yourself. Do everything in passes. “I have no intention of getting this right now. This is just a first pass that has no meaning. Just start instead of doing nothing.” Don’t put the pressure on yourself to do it right the first time.
Writing Emails
What you write matters—it’s a permanent record.
1. First always center
2. Ask: What am I trying to say? (Not “what do I want to say?” which includes my personal garage!)
3. Stop look and listen. Proofread/attachments! It takes less time overall to do this.
4. Before sending ask, “is this what I want to send out in the universe?”
Letting go of yourself is not just good for you but for all! Do the best you can with the work put in front of you. Use disappointments as the ultimate opportunity for growth. If you’re disappointed it’s bc you appointed something before you needed it.
When you need to change something. Let go of the personal! Don’t do it because of the disappointment. Ask: "Ss there something that I’m actually supposed to be doing?
The beauty of work is the fulfillment of doing my best.
How to work when you don’t know what to do.
1. Admit you don’t have an answer. Making something up is just noise.
2. What’s the minimum that I could do and claim it satisfies the goal? Just talk about it. And then you know why it’s not enough.
3. What’s the most that I could do?
4. Now start moving to the middle with cost/benefit analysis.
Feeling stagnant
My journey is about liberation, spiritual growth, finishing the deepest part of myself. Working through the outer crust.
Even dissatisfaction gives you a chance to change yourself—so you become better instead of thinking that what’s in front of you has to change for you to be better. Let go of your personal self and find that all is inspiring and exciting which will elevate you up. And this is contagious and those around you will emulate you!
Perfecting Your Interaction with Others
By perfecting my interactions with others, I perfect myself. There’s even more of a chance at work than at home because there's more people!
1. Neutralize yourself. Try to listen to what others say. If something isn’t perfect in front of me it’s a good thing! Don’t cause defensiveness in another since no one does good work under fear or defensiveness.
2. Serve others—"I’m here to make others better not to serve myself." Use your gift of brilliance to help others be better, not to tear them down. Become a servant not a critic. It’s my job to help everyone on my team be the best they can be.
Stress and Burnout
The truth: there is no stress, only resistance.
If you resist against the energy coming at you then you get stress. If you feel stressed out, start looking inside at a minute by minute level of where am I resisting the flow of the universe energy. What am I afraid of? Fear and desire create stress. Fear says “I don’t want something to be the way it is.” Desire says “I do want something to be the way it’s not.” Just harmonize with the moment in front of me. I want to be able to handle this with love and enthusiasm.
1. Admit I have a problem
2. Remember my life purpose is to transcend the problem
3. Now relax and realize I’m seeing stress and not the stress. Let it go and pass.
Are you going to work to get something or to get rid of something? Work is a place you are given an opportunity to let go of the garbage you’ve collected inside. Do it to get rid of yourself and to serve the universe.
July 29, 2020
Michael Singer does a wonderful job distilling the principles of the world's spiritual and religious leaders to understandable and readily applied themes for work and life. He starts with some very straight forward analogies allowing the reader to recognize the wonder of life and corresponding humility that recognition brings. The next step Mr Singer defines is to wake up to the potent battle we have every waking minute with our ego.
That is the introduction and then these thoughts and principles are applied to the daily activity of the workplace. The theme becomes the power of serving all of those around us and approaching every moment and activity with reverence and self awareness. The book is very short and there is power in brevity, but the best outcome is to read, Mr Singer’s , ‘The Untethered Soul,’ before this book. In combination the reader can much more effectively do the inner work allowing for the implementation of the author’s ideas.
That is the introduction and then these thoughts and principles are applied to the daily activity of the workplace. The theme becomes the power of serving all of those around us and approaching every moment and activity with reverence and self awareness. The book is very short and there is power in brevity, but the best outcome is to read, Mr Singer’s , ‘The Untethered Soul,’ before this book. In combination the reader can much more effectively do the inner work allowing for the implementation of the author’s ideas.
January 7, 2020
Two great talks. As usual, Singer cuts through to the core of things.
Here I wish only to say a word about (or to) those critics disturbed by Singer's "condescending" tone and his constant chuckling which they take to be "laughing at them". He is not laughing at you! Spiritual teachers often laugh a lot when they talk, not 'at' you the listener but at the absurdity of the human condition. Their laughter is not sardonic but happy (and contagious); in fact it is an invitation to laugh with them. Think of Eckart Tolle, or the Dalai Lam, or Ram Dass.. The style varies of course, but their talk and laughter all come the same place, and that place is not their own superiority but their clear understanding of the human predicament, and the love and joy that spring forth spontaneously from this.
Here I wish only to say a word about (or to) those critics disturbed by Singer's "condescending" tone and his constant chuckling which they take to be "laughing at them". He is not laughing at you! Spiritual teachers often laugh a lot when they talk, not 'at' you the listener but at the absurdity of the human condition. Their laughter is not sardonic but happy (and contagious); in fact it is an invitation to laugh with them. Think of Eckart Tolle, or the Dalai Lam, or Ram Dass.. The style varies of course, but their talk and laughter all come the same place, and that place is not their own superiority but their clear understanding of the human predicament, and the love and joy that spring forth spontaneously from this.
July 19, 2023
Really practical and I’ll refer to it again in the future for some situations. Not sure how the approach fits into context of work exploitation or inappropriate power/conduct, as it is a very individual/personal focus. But the foundation is there that if everyone applied these approaches the workplace would be transformed. But that might be wishful thinking, so would have been good to have a section on using the mindful approaches in addressing structural or inappropriate workplace situations that are not created by the personal self.
September 5, 2022
An immensely helpful reminder that it’s not about us.
February 10, 2022
There are some holes for me but something in this just helps me feel less aggravated.
"The universe is perfect. That doesn't mean it's moral, doesn't mean it's right, doesn't mean it's just, doesn't mean it's good, doesn't mean it's bad.... It is the perfect result of all of the forces that have come together to make it be the way that it is at each moment of the time-space continuum."
"I'm not comparing what I'm experiencing against what I want."
"What happened to that stuff when you keep it in there? It stays in there and what happens is you build blockages inside yourself. That's how you build your mind out of that stuff you stored. And then when events happen outside, they come in, you don't get to experience them. They hit your stuff...first and so you get this reaction of comfortable or uncomfortable or like or dislike, all that junk. That's your old stuff coming back up."
"That's what all disharmony on the entire planet is about. Everything is you're not okay and you decided how it needs to be or better not be for you to be okay or not be worse. And now you're out there fighting. You're bringing your will to fight with reality to try to make it be your way. And it causes all kinds of suffering; it causes all kinds of turmoil."
"If you stop this michigas, this craziness that we are doing with our minds and come into the present moment and ask that moment 'what is the highest we can do together?' ...each moment will be better."
"You don't care about what that person is going through; you care about what you're going through because that person is threatening you. And therefore every word you say and everything you hear and everything they do will be about you; it won't be about them."
"Brilliant mind! that's not the problem. The problem is what you're doing with it. When you go to that brilliant mind and you say 'I'm not okay because I store all this junk inside of me; figure out how everybody else needs to be so I can be okay. That is a total misuse of life. Stop it....Use your mind for great things; don't use your mind for sick things."
"The purpose is not meditation or mantra or any of those techniques. The purpose is are you willing to stop storing inside of you the things that were difficult when you had the experience? Because otherwise you store difficulty inside of you. It's going to be there all the time."
"Let go of the part of me...that's so judgmental and so conditional that everything has to be exactly the way I think it needs to be for me to get turned on. I don't want everything to have to be the way I want to get turned on. I want to get turned on by everything."
"First you stop and you make sure you're right. You make sure that there isn't any part of you and your personal self or your personal likes or dislikes that are bringing about this problem that needs to be talked about. Just because a person's not acting or being exactly the way you're comfortable with, that doesn't mean that that's a problem. That's your problem. It has to be a real work problem to justify bringing it to the attention of somebody else."
"Now it's not going to go away with one breath. But it is going to go away with a bunch of breaths."
"You can't stop your mind from talking. Don't ever fight with your mind. That's a non-starter. What you can do is not pay attention to it. Hey! You were not paying attention to the person so you can listen to your mind. Just do the opposite."
"We're sensitive. We're personal. We're insecure. We know all that garbage. It will go away over time. It won't go away immediately but you don't want it to be who you are. You are deeper than that. You are greater than that."
when you don't know how to tackle a problem: get the team to agree they don't know. Then ask them what's the bare minimum we could do to say we did the task. don't get invested. Then ask what's the most we would ever do to do the task. "Believe it or not you just set the boundaries to something that was undefinable before."
"Fear and desire create stress. Why? Because fear is saying I don't want something to be the way it might be or the way it is. And desire is saying I do want something to be the way it's not."
"I never felt burned out; I never felt stress. It was passion to me. I wanted to do it."
"I'm not ready to harmonize with the moment that's unfolding in front of me because I'm either afraid of it or I want something from it. And therefore it creates this tension inside of me.... Tension and stress...are wonderful feedback...that I am doing something wrong. Not that something is wrong. That I am doing something wrong."
"The universe is perfect. That doesn't mean it's moral, doesn't mean it's right, doesn't mean it's just, doesn't mean it's good, doesn't mean it's bad.... It is the perfect result of all of the forces that have come together to make it be the way that it is at each moment of the time-space continuum."
"I'm not comparing what I'm experiencing against what I want."
"What happened to that stuff when you keep it in there? It stays in there and what happens is you build blockages inside yourself. That's how you build your mind out of that stuff you stored. And then when events happen outside, they come in, you don't get to experience them. They hit your stuff...first and so you get this reaction of comfortable or uncomfortable or like or dislike, all that junk. That's your old stuff coming back up."
"That's what all disharmony on the entire planet is about. Everything is you're not okay and you decided how it needs to be or better not be for you to be okay or not be worse. And now you're out there fighting. You're bringing your will to fight with reality to try to make it be your way. And it causes all kinds of suffering; it causes all kinds of turmoil."
"If you stop this michigas, this craziness that we are doing with our minds and come into the present moment and ask that moment 'what is the highest we can do together?' ...each moment will be better."
"You don't care about what that person is going through; you care about what you're going through because that person is threatening you. And therefore every word you say and everything you hear and everything they do will be about you; it won't be about them."
"Brilliant mind! that's not the problem. The problem is what you're doing with it. When you go to that brilliant mind and you say 'I'm not okay because I store all this junk inside of me; figure out how everybody else needs to be so I can be okay. That is a total misuse of life. Stop it....Use your mind for great things; don't use your mind for sick things."
"The purpose is not meditation or mantra or any of those techniques. The purpose is are you willing to stop storing inside of you the things that were difficult when you had the experience? Because otherwise you store difficulty inside of you. It's going to be there all the time."
"Let go of the part of me...that's so judgmental and so conditional that everything has to be exactly the way I think it needs to be for me to get turned on. I don't want everything to have to be the way I want to get turned on. I want to get turned on by everything."
"First you stop and you make sure you're right. You make sure that there isn't any part of you and your personal self or your personal likes or dislikes that are bringing about this problem that needs to be talked about. Just because a person's not acting or being exactly the way you're comfortable with, that doesn't mean that that's a problem. That's your problem. It has to be a real work problem to justify bringing it to the attention of somebody else."
"Now it's not going to go away with one breath. But it is going to go away with a bunch of breaths."
"You can't stop your mind from talking. Don't ever fight with your mind. That's a non-starter. What you can do is not pay attention to it. Hey! You were not paying attention to the person so you can listen to your mind. Just do the opposite."
"We're sensitive. We're personal. We're insecure. We know all that garbage. It will go away over time. It won't go away immediately but you don't want it to be who you are. You are deeper than that. You are greater than that."
when you don't know how to tackle a problem: get the team to agree they don't know. Then ask them what's the bare minimum we could do to say we did the task. don't get invested. Then ask what's the most we would ever do to do the task. "Believe it or not you just set the boundaries to something that was undefinable before."
"Fear and desire create stress. Why? Because fear is saying I don't want something to be the way it might be or the way it is. And desire is saying I do want something to be the way it's not."
"I never felt burned out; I never felt stress. It was passion to me. I wanted to do it."
"I'm not ready to harmonize with the moment that's unfolding in front of me because I'm either afraid of it or I want something from it. And therefore it creates this tension inside of me.... Tension and stress...are wonderful feedback...that I am doing something wrong. Not that something is wrong. That I am doing something wrong."
Read
November 7, 2022Tired of the laughing also mocking attitude if you don't follow the Surrender philosophy or get it you are stupid. I have read his books over and over and I believe in surrender to a degree but not fully or not the way he presents it. I disagree that if you are good at your job, you get promoted, if you are unhappy in your job, it is your fault, etc. I am tired of self help starting with self blame
April 17, 2019
Highly recommend it!
May 9, 2020
I really like his lectures. I like this book better than ‘Untethered Soul’. It helped me look at my job with a set of eyes.
August 1, 2024
Disappointing and Incoherent - Not a Helpful Guide on Work
I had high hopes for this audiobook, expecting valuable insights and guidance on navigating the world of work. Unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the worst audiobooks I've ever listened to. The content is more of a random collection of jokes and disorganized ranting than a well-structured, informative book. I'm stunned it was published in paperback and digital versions.
While I appreciate humor, it felt forced and out of place in a book that's supposed to be about work. The lack of coherent advice left me more confused than enlightened. I found myself struggling to follow the author's train of thought, and their constant digressions made it difficult to extract any practical advice.
Furthermore, the narration was lackluster and failed to keep me engaged. I found my mind wandering frequently, as the audiobook failed to deliver any meaningful or actionable insights. Ultimately, I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for genuine guidance on work-related matters. Save your time and seek out more reputable and well-organized sources of information.
I had high hopes for this audiobook, expecting valuable insights and guidance on navigating the world of work. Unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the worst audiobooks I've ever listened to. The content is more of a random collection of jokes and disorganized ranting than a well-structured, informative book. I'm stunned it was published in paperback and digital versions.
While I appreciate humor, it felt forced and out of place in a book that's supposed to be about work. The lack of coherent advice left me more confused than enlightened. I found myself struggling to follow the author's train of thought, and their constant digressions made it difficult to extract any practical advice.
Furthermore, the narration was lackluster and failed to keep me engaged. I found my mind wandering frequently, as the audiobook failed to deliver any meaningful or actionable insights. Ultimately, I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for genuine guidance on work-related matters. Save your time and seek out more reputable and well-organized sources of information.
August 8, 2024
"Make your work spiritual."
"You have the honor of experiencing the moment unfolding in front of you. I don't want to hold on to the old moment as if it owes me something....I want to be present for the moment happening now. If you live like this, you will never feel disappointed."
"Compare every moment against nothing. Against the vast emptiness of space. Be grateful for this moment and don't compare to others."
"I am not the creator of the universe. I am the experience of this moment. That's what I am this moment against billions of others happening right now. This one that is unfolding, is the one that I am experiencing."
Incredible wisdom, slightly dampened by reading his bio on Wikipedia and finding out he is a millionaire who was convicted for securities fraud.
Even so, thank you Andrea Learned for the recommendation! I need constant reminders to let go and be in the moment.
The big takeaway of this book is that your time at work is an equally rich opportunity to grow spiritually and use each new experience to help you let go of yourself.
"You have the honor of experiencing the moment unfolding in front of you. I don't want to hold on to the old moment as if it owes me something....I want to be present for the moment happening now. If you live like this, you will never feel disappointed."
"Compare every moment against nothing. Against the vast emptiness of space. Be grateful for this moment and don't compare to others."
"I am not the creator of the universe. I am the experience of this moment. That's what I am this moment against billions of others happening right now. This one that is unfolding, is the one that I am experiencing."
Incredible wisdom, slightly dampened by reading his bio on Wikipedia and finding out he is a millionaire who was convicted for securities fraud.
Even so, thank you Andrea Learned for the recommendation! I need constant reminders to let go and be in the moment.
The big takeaway of this book is that your time at work is an equally rich opportunity to grow spiritually and use each new experience to help you let go of yourself.
January 4, 2023
Second half of book was excellent. Contained great perspectives on “untethering” at work, including creativity, relationships and project management.
First half of book was very disappointing. It seems they tried to use different snippets of past talks by Singer; unfortunately they come off as very condescending, callous, repetitive, and unenlightened. I think they were trying to “set up” the second half of the book for some much-needed perspective before diving into the work-related material. Was just executed poorly.
I find Singer’s teachings very helpful. Would recommend this book; just brace yourself for rough delivery during the first half.
First half of book was very disappointing. It seems they tried to use different snippets of past talks by Singer; unfortunately they come off as very condescending, callous, repetitive, and unenlightened. I think they were trying to “set up” the second half of the book for some much-needed perspective before diving into the work-related material. Was just executed poorly.
I find Singer’s teachings very helpful. Would recommend this book; just brace yourself for rough delivery during the first half.
June 8, 2023
Oh. My. Goodness. I listened to the audio version of this, and it was the most mind-blowing 2 hours of my life. Yes it's short, but packs a punch. I meant to start with the original Untethered Soul book but it wasn't available yet at my library so I started with this one. Sure, the concepts apply to work, but apply to everything in life. It's made me look at my experiences, career, relationships, past, regrets, present, future, etc. all differently. If you struggle with finding happiness within yourself, finding fulfillment, finding your place in the world, or anything along those lines, give this a read/listen. I can't wait to read the original Untethered Soul now.
February 14, 2024
Sigh. My opinion is that maybe this book isn't for those in the service industry, healthcare, or customer service -- jobs where serving others is literally the point of the job. I find that those of us whose work involves serving others tend to prioritize others before ourselves and our personal lives, and our work/life balance is outta whack. And, yes, people-pleasing is a personal issue one can work on -- but being told to treat work like a chance to serve (especially when you already do) and as a spiritual adventure seemed dismissive and lacking in substantial, actionable advice or guidelines.
August 21, 2019
Interesting viewpoints and most are so common sense, to argue with them would be illogical. I disagreed on few points, but overall this guy has a solid take on the world at large, the ego, and some strategies for ignoring the thoughts that like to takeover our brains and keep us from enjoying the ride so to speak. My favorite line: "It has nothing to do with you." What is "it"? Pretty much everything! If you struggle with what it means to let go, recenter, etc , this a must-hear (purely audio, on Hoopla for free). A great accessory to The Untethered Soul book.
February 24, 2020
I listened to this as an audiobook. For the first half of it, the author doesn’t even mention work at all.
I found the author to be condescending and rude to the reader/listener. I don’t know why I even bothered to finish this. If it were any longer I would have abandoned it. He constantly laughs at the reader/listener and asks, “Are you kidding me? Are you KIDDING ME!?” I don’t need to be mocked.
In the latter half of it, the author makes some good points - but the attitude of the author was so off-putting I don’t care to ever hear his name again.
I found the author to be condescending and rude to the reader/listener. I don’t know why I even bothered to finish this. If it were any longer I would have abandoned it. He constantly laughs at the reader/listener and asks, “Are you kidding me? Are you KIDDING ME!?” I don’t need to be mocked.
In the latter half of it, the author makes some good points - but the attitude of the author was so off-putting I don’t care to ever hear his name again.
September 23, 2024
Got the audiobook and this guy sounds like a mix of Bill Walton, Dan Wieden and Phil Rosenthal. That’s a pretty heady mix, but also a mix of true talents. I found the book super helpful to quell my inner dialogue. The most novel idea? Treating work as if it owes you something or the idea that you’re there to ‘get’ something from work. Then of course getting mad when it doesn’t happen the way you thought it up. Of course it didn’t.
A very good book about letting go, being present and being in complete service to the moment in front of you.
A very good book about letting go, being present and being in complete service to the moment in front of you.
April 30, 2020
This is one of the book that did impact me positively. I listened on a weekend and writing review after 4 days. I could see the impact the book has created in a day to day work.
Main takeaway for me is: Workplace is where you go and do a service and cleanse yourselves. I kept this close to heart and it is making much difference to my attitude in day to day work.
This is a good read if you want to feel in love with your work.
Main takeaway for me is: Workplace is where you go and do a service and cleanse yourselves. I kept this close to heart and it is making much difference to my attitude in day to day work.
This is a good read if you want to feel in love with your work.
January 2, 2021
The original Untethered Soul book by Singer is excellent, and was recommended this version at work from a friend recently. I listened to the audiobook, which was only a couple hours. It parallels the original work - be present, observe, pay close attention, and handle each present moment to your fullest. It is easy to say, another thing to actualize. Singer is full of wisdom and would recommend this as well.
February 21, 2021
This is not a long read. If you choose the audio book it was less then three hours.
I really enjoyed this a lot more then I expected as it is not my normal genre of book I would choose.
I learned so much though that I will try to put into practice at work that he mentioned and I caught myself doing on a regular basis that contributed to much stress.
The audible audio book featured an amazing job in getting the point across with the audio work.
I really enjoyed this a lot more then I expected as it is not my normal genre of book I would choose.
I learned so much though that I will try to put into practice at work that he mentioned and I caught myself doing on a regular basis that contributed to much stress.
The audible audio book featured an amazing job in getting the point across with the audio work.
August 7, 2022
Learning that Singer built a billion dollar business with 2300 employees lent valuable context to otherwise mistakenly isolated guru-esk teachings. This is practical, in the trenches application of mindfulness, awareness, the Far East traditions of The Way, Ying Yang, and the best of human sciences. Universal in application and simultaneously entertaining and enlightening, it’s a treasure of knowledge to review repeatedly until mastered.
March 8, 2025
A two-hour audiobook full of practical examples (email, meetings, difficult team members) of how to use work as a spiritual practice, meaning how to stay present in the moment and make your mind work for you, not against you. It makes sense to me that undistracted deliberate work with directed intention will produce great results. It's a great complement to Deep Work by Cal Newport and narrated by the author himself.
May 22, 2025
It’s a quick read
Every email you write imagine in the cover of Wall Street journal
Everything in passes not forcing final drafts right away
When working on a project where you don’t have to answer right away:
What’s the least you can do?
What’s the most you can do?
You go to work to get rid of something, to serve the universe and let go of yourself not get something. It will take you where you need to go
Every email you write imagine in the cover of Wall Street journal
Everything in passes not forcing final drafts right away
When working on a project where you don’t have to answer right away:
What’s the least you can do?
What’s the most you can do?
You go to work to get rid of something, to serve the universe and let go of yourself not get something. It will take you where you need to go
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2019
DNF. I forced my way to about 30% but can't make myself do anymore.
Listening to this audiobook is an awful experience, everytime the author laughed I felt like he was mocking those people who are suffering from anxiety and depression. And he laughed A LOT, what is so funny that people had a feeling of fear? The author was not being very sympathetic.
Listening to this audiobook is an awful experience, everytime the author laughed I felt like he was mocking those people who are suffering from anxiety and depression. And he laughed A LOT, what is so funny that people had a feeling of fear? The author was not being very sympathetic.
May 19, 2020
This was a very short, yet helpful book about applying the tenets of The Untethered Soul at work. The author offered several “aha moments” and small ways to apply a more meaningful approach to work, no matter the profession. I could see myself re-reading this again in the future—really any time I need that extra push toward a more centered/balanced work life.
July 6, 2019
This was an excellent reminder that just like life doesn't revolve around you, nor does work. This very short book has a lot of practical, tangible advice on how to shift your perspective around work so you can remember what matters most. So you can stop getting caught up in the noise.
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