Book Review: Tranquilista by Kimberly Wilson

I recently received a review copy of Tranquilista: Mastering the Art of Enlightened Work and Mindful Play by Kimberly Wilson. There is a lot of great stuff packed into this book! The book is comprised of 8 chapters about topics including spirituality, style, creativity, and becoming and growing as an entrepreneur.

There were several parts of the book that I really enjoyed; first is the section about the tenets of yoga in chapter 1. There's more to yoga than just the poses, and the author talks about how the way we treat others and ourselves, doing yoga poses and breathing, and meditating are all essential parts of living a mindful life.

Chapter 2 is a guide to taking stock of our lives and setting goals, both long term and short term. Wilson recommends evaluating your goals and your life at several different times throughout the year and explains how to break goals down into doable action steps. I am planning to use some of the goal and action steps techniques outlined in this book as I continue working on my creative and personal goals this year.

Chapter 4 is another one I really enjoyed; it's the creativity chapter. This chapter encourages you to try out different creative disciplines, along with treating yourself to weekly artist dates, as originally outlined in The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. This chapter is a good reminder that things like cooking, gardening, and fashion can all be great ways to express your creativity.

The last three chapters of the book are a guide to starting your own business and expanding it over time. Lots of great information that could be useful to people starting similar ventures as Kimberly's (yoga studio, clothing line, nonprofit, and more) and also to those interested in starting or growing an online business as well.

Overall, Tranquilista: Mastering the Art of Enlightened Work and Mindful Play is easy to read and is jam packed with great ideas for transforming your life and realistically accomplishing your goals. Kimberly Wilson draws from her experience of being an entrepreneur for over 10 years and thoroughly explains the consistent work and planning it takes to achieve your dreams, while also reminding you to take care of yourself along the way. I really liked this quote from the afterword: "Take the ideas that most resonate with you, try a few that don't, and do all you can to live your life in a way that shines."