Sometimes, when the lesson is more than just how to do something easy, you learn about who you really are, and you become more confident and able in yourself too. Everything in life is impermanent—even enlightenment is transient. If/when you achieve enlightenment, it’s not like you can say, “Whew! Thank goodness I’m finally enlightened. That was a long journey, but I’m glad I’ve made it to the end.” Sure, if you really want to, you can book that meditation retreat. You can go to a sweat lodge, sell all your belongings, move to Indonesia, or whatever other outer risk you could think of. reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them. Bad things happen all the time if we listen to our inner critic that constantly nags, “I’m not good at this.” After all, who wouldn’t abandon a project if someone followed them around all day criticizing everything they did?

This book gets its stars from having great tips for self-betterment, with practical applications included. It could have been a 4 or even a 5-star book if it had done only that.In simple terms we can say that before I developed the true nature of Wisdom I could chop wood and carry water but my mind was everywhere—it was heavily polluted with mental obstructions and worldly thoughts—it was not present. After I found the Essence of my Mind and found true Wisdom then I experience Enlightenment. To the external eye nothing is different—I still appear to chop wood and carry water but in fact within the internal eye everything is different. Everything has changed. It teaches us to be aware of the transience of visual forms. Nothing is what it appears to be and No thing is what it appears to be.” 4

Another benefit of this is that it would give you peace of mind. You’ll worry less about those things that don’t matter. Actor Jim Carrey once said, “I wish everyone could get rich and famous and everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that’s not the answer.” Mike PosnerAll program materials will be available on BODi under the CHOP WOOD CARRY WATER “Program Materials” section. Goals actually allow you to shirk responsibility. But a mission? Only the person in the mirror can stop you from living that out.

What is one thing I can do to make the situation better?” rather than, “why is this happening to me?” It was torture. But my lesson was to develop persistence. Once I finally managed to get onto the horse (who was thankfully a patient older mare), the instructor told me to get off and do it two more times.

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Meditation, mindfulness, surrender, serving others… these are the daily tasks that keep us spiritually healthy. If you want your spiritual wellness to continue to thrive, you are required to do these things consistently. I am standing here, brushing my teeth. I still have teeth to brush. I have toothpaste and a toothbrush. And my practice is to be alive, to be free to enjoy tooth-brushing.” Thich Nhat Hanh My income, at this point, is almost completely automated, only spending 2 hours or less a week on work related to how I make money.”

Before enlightenment chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment chop wood, carry water. No matter how accomplished we are, how wise or successful, there will always be mundane things we have to do because they’re part of life. My list sounds more like feed the cat, fold the laundry, run to the bank, make dinner… Think about some of the habits in your life. Your lesson is to be mindful about these. Like the Karate Kid’s famous lessons to wax on and wax off, you have to learn what habits will help you achieve good things without having to think about what you do.After spending several days stuffing my face with comfort food, watching football, and hanging out with family, I had to wake up at 7AM on Monday, get ready for work, commute in traffic, and spend the next eight hours in a cubicle. Talk about a sad end to an enjoyable weekend. Again if we talk about chopping wood and carrying water every day, these tasks appear easy at first, but they are essential to progress. Lesson #8: Write Your Worth Statement Chop Wood, Carry Water is the title of a famous book by Joshua Medcalf where an “Akira-sensei” teaches him life lessons that are about becoming a better version of himself. In a way, this is a contemporary literary adaptation of the famous “wax on and wax off” scenes from the original Karate Kid movies.