Review: Embracing the Chaos by Bob Miglani

Summary
Like many of us, Bob Miglani felt overwhelmed and anxious. He worried constantly about his job, his finances, and his family. It was a chance invitation to India, the land of his birth, that finally freed him.India, Miglani writes, is “the capital of chaos”: over a billion people living on one-third the space of the United States. And it was there that he learned to let go. The secret is to stop trying to control the chaos and focus on what you can control—your own actions, words, and thoughts. Move forward, make mistakes, trust your intuition, find your purpose.

In this inspiring book, Miglani shares the experiences and encounters that helped him finally get it. What happens when you find yourself in an Indian village with no money and a plane to catch? How could an educated urban woman agree to a marriage after two dates? What keeps a rural health worker motivated despite the enormous need and such limited ability to help? What does trying to catch an insanely overcrowded bus teach you about perfection? Embracing the chaos, Miglani found, “leads us down paths we never would have walked on...It brings out strengths we never knew existed inside of us.”

Review
The best lessons in life are the ones you learn when you sit back and simply as the title suggests, "Embrace the Chaos.” In this insightful, inspirational and at times funny read, Bob Miglani, like so many of us, suffers from as he puts “hurry sickness – always somewhere, never being anywhere.” We are stressed out constantly and worrying about our jobs, finances and families, all things that are beyond our control. By doing this, we get wrapped up so tightly at a times that we simply cannot enjoy the best thing in front of us, our life. 

Through an opportunity to visit his native India and through a series of trips over the years, he was inspired to change his life. Sharing his experiences through the many stories and the insightful advice, he learned how to let go and focus on what he could control. His practical tips to accept, not overthink and move forward is what changed his life today.

His book is not preachy or filled with abstract terms that go over your head. It is definitely a quick read but a nice one that hopefully will put many things in perspective. Even though his personal journeys took place in India, the lessons learned from his experiences are universal and ones you can incorporate in your own life.

Reviewed by Michelle Bowles 

Book Information
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
Publication date: 10/7/2013
Pages: 168