My faith is very important to me. I find it essential to believe that there is someone/something way bigger and smarter than I, who’s in control. My faith tradition is Christianity, but my faith has been enriched by many people who aren’t Christians.

Pema Chödrön is one of those people. My copy of her 1996 book When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times has countless underlined or highlighted sentences. Every time I return to this book, it feels like I’m reuniting with dear friend, who’s willing to tell me things I might not want to hear, but from which I always benefit.

Her most recent book Welcoming the Unwelcome: Wholehearted Living in a Brokenhearted World is another that always seems to point me back to The Center. And Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better: Wise Advice for Leaning into the Unknown is the book I most often recommend for ‘recovering perfectionists’ and people who simply want to be more compassionate with themselves and others.

Here’s a brief clip of Pema.

Who have been or are some of your teachers and why?