Be More Yoda: mindful thinking from a galaxy far far away by Christian Blauvelt
Be More Yoda: mindful thinking from a galaxy far far away by Christian Blauvelt
This and Be More Vader are both so different but so similar in many aspects. I have to say, Christian Blauvelt has done a bang up job of producing two very distinct books both with very necessary lessons for people of today to learn. Love that they're in-universe and so include many references to our favorite saga as if these moments were of course super possible to actually occur. This book focused on more peaceful and serendipitous thinking instead of aggressive and assertive thinking. Each holds their place in any stable and balanced person's toolbelt and so I believe that both books are wonderful additions to the new canon. Plus they've got a great way of keeping things tongue-in-cheek that allows for a truly joyful experience.
As for Be More Yoda specifically, this book is also set up in 5 sections with 5 sub-sections each. Every sub-section has a bit of advice on one page and a corresponding quote and associated picture on the opposite page. These sections include: "Seeking mindfulness," "Overcoming obstacles," "Finding mindful moments," "Awakening your potential," and "Unleashing your mastery." The book spans all eight Skywalker films as well as Rogue One. Again, it seems this book was in the finishing stages before they could include any Solo material.
Some of my favorite bits of advice were the following:
"Sometimes we live in our heads too much, susceptible to agitated thoughts--even if our minds are not being probed by a bare-chested dark-sider who wears his pants a little too high." Love this funny reference to Kylo Ren! And the advice is so good...don't stay locked in your head, re-living moments over and over again. Instead focus on the here and now and just breathing through it.
"And never give up hope--you may yet have a ghostly reunion with that wayward apprentice at a rousing Ewok party!" This is in reference to how Obi-Wan could have obsessed over Anakin having a better teacher rather than focusing on how his actions in the now could affect galactic events. And this is so true. Instead of focusing on the past, focus on what you can do to affect the future.
"The past is familiar and safe, while the present is a gateway to unexplored possibilities." I just purely love this piece of advice! It is such a strong way of putting the power of focusing on the present. There really are untold possibilities in front of you in the present...so many wonderful ways that things could go right or different or interesting.
"Yet, feeling that things will work out in times of great stress is difficult--especially if you feel you have to solve everything yourself after both your dad and your guerilla warrior mentor abandoned you to go play with crystals." Haha!!! This is fabulous. I never thought I could look at Jyn's story in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way but this does it with aplomb. And the ending sentence in this advice paragraph tells us to "reinforce your hope with action." Such a great way of making the abstract idea of hope a real and powerful force for good and for change.
"Don't be so afraid of making mistakes that you withdraw from everything and fill your days with long walks, fishing, and milking strange sea creatures." Such a funny, but accurate portrayal of Luke on Ahch-To. And wonderful advice!! We teach this in several of our programs in my work as a science and engineering educator--that failure just teaches you how to improve and mistakes are the building blocks to something truly grand. Better advice has never been given.
I do have to say that I have one issue with this book and it is in reference to Han dropping Jabba's cargo before A New Hope. It says, "A surprise can be intimidating, but don't dump your cargo and run--fleeing a setback almost never resolves it. Take control of your problems rather than letting them control you, and you won't end up as a wall decoration for a Hutt." While the advice is 100% sound and I totally agree with the message to not run away from your problems, in Han's case, all the other possible scenarios besides dumping the cargo led to his death or capture per Choose Your Destiny: A Han & Chewie Adventure so I don't know that this was the best comparison.
I'm not sure what characters they would focus on or what topics they would cover but I would absolutely love to see more of these types of books coming out in the future. They were so much fun with all the humorous references to various moments in the saga and the advice was spot-on. Definitely check this one in particular out if you struggle with finding that mindful peace in your everyday life and if you need a reality check on what truly deserves your focus and attention. A worthy self-help tome.
As for Be More Yoda specifically, this book is also set up in 5 sections with 5 sub-sections each. Every sub-section has a bit of advice on one page and a corresponding quote and associated picture on the opposite page. These sections include: "Seeking mindfulness," "Overcoming obstacles," "Finding mindful moments," "Awakening your potential," and "Unleashing your mastery." The book spans all eight Skywalker films as well as Rogue One. Again, it seems this book was in the finishing stages before they could include any Solo material.
Some of my favorite bits of advice were the following:
"Sometimes we live in our heads too much, susceptible to agitated thoughts--even if our minds are not being probed by a bare-chested dark-sider who wears his pants a little too high." Love this funny reference to Kylo Ren! And the advice is so good...don't stay locked in your head, re-living moments over and over again. Instead focus on the here and now and just breathing through it.
"And never give up hope--you may yet have a ghostly reunion with that wayward apprentice at a rousing Ewok party!" This is in reference to how Obi-Wan could have obsessed over Anakin having a better teacher rather than focusing on how his actions in the now could affect galactic events. And this is so true. Instead of focusing on the past, focus on what you can do to affect the future.
"Yet, feeling that things will work out in times of great stress is difficult--especially if you feel you have to solve everything yourself after both your dad and your guerilla warrior mentor abandoned you to go play with crystals." Haha!!! This is fabulous. I never thought I could look at Jyn's story in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way but this does it with aplomb. And the ending sentence in this advice paragraph tells us to "reinforce your hope with action." Such a great way of making the abstract idea of hope a real and powerful force for good and for change.
"Don't be so afraid of making mistakes that you withdraw from everything and fill your days with long walks, fishing, and milking strange sea creatures." Such a funny, but accurate portrayal of Luke on Ahch-To. And wonderful advice!! We teach this in several of our programs in my work as a science and engineering educator--that failure just teaches you how to improve and mistakes are the building blocks to something truly grand. Better advice has never been given.
I do have to say that I have one issue with this book and it is in reference to Han dropping Jabba's cargo before A New Hope. It says, "A surprise can be intimidating, but don't dump your cargo and run--fleeing a setback almost never resolves it. Take control of your problems rather than letting them control you, and you won't end up as a wall decoration for a Hutt." While the advice is 100% sound and I totally agree with the message to not run away from your problems, in Han's case, all the other possible scenarios besides dumping the cargo led to his death or capture per Choose Your Destiny: A Han & Chewie Adventure so I don't know that this was the best comparison.
I'm not sure what characters they would focus on or what topics they would cover but I would absolutely love to see more of these types of books coming out in the future. They were so much fun with all the humorous references to various moments in the saga and the advice was spot-on. Definitely check this one in particular out if you struggle with finding that mindful peace in your everyday life and if you need a reality check on what truly deserves your focus and attention. A worthy self-help tome.
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