Book

Embrace the Chaos

How India Taught Me to Stop Over-Thinking and Start Living

Bob Miglani

Berrett-Koehler, 2013

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Bob Miglani provides a simple philosophy to fight the stress and uncertainty of corporate life: Accept it and move along. He illustrates relinquishing control and giving up over analysis with examples from his experiences in India, where he lives. The book excels in explaining how to avoid exhausting yourself on a fruitless quest for control, but it falls short when it suggests that most Indians believe the same things. India is a nation of many beliefs, cultures and contradictions. While the book reflects some aspects of Hindu culture, it is not a guide to understanding India as a whole. getAbstract recommends Miglani’s advice to managers and students who seek a more relaxed perspective on management and life.

Summary

Out of Control

You have less control than you think, and that makes you anxious. You “overthink,” overanalyze and hope that your future will unfold as you envision. But life is not predictable. You “can never really conquer the chaos,” you “can only embrace it.” Accepting that life is uncertain exposes you to experiences you would never otherwise have and helps you discover abilities you never knew you had. Recognize that the only aspects of life you can control are your actions and perspectives, so “let go” of the rest.

The everyday lives of Indians in a land of more than a billion people exemplify how to cope with and relish life by determining realistically what you can control and what you can’t. Indians manage to find joy and contentment despite the odds. They exemplify three principles to follow in your effort to let go:

“Accept” – Life is unpredictable, uncertain, imperfect and complicated: Accept that. Stop thinking about obstacles and abandon negativity. For instance, an Indian taxi driver knows he cannot trust anything but his own abilities and the collective abilities of other drivers to keep out of harm’s way. He focuses on doing...

About the Author

Bob Miglani, whose family moved to the US from India when he was nine, is an executive at a Fortune 500 firm and the author of several books.

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N. F. 1 decade ago

I really enjoyed this summary. The message the author conveys is one I repeatedly need to hear so I can relax more while getting thru the tough times in life.