Golf's Three Noble Truths

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 26 FEB 2007

There's not much that going to surprise seasoned business and self-help readers in Lesser's guide to mindfulness, focus and simplicity in life and work, but there's something to be said for familiar ideas clearly and respectfully presented. A Zen Buddhist priest and founder-CEO of more than one business, Lesser's lessons for finding calmness and purpose are based in his Zen ideals and are indeed both simple and effective: taking more breaks; waiting to respond to demands; taking time for quiet meditation every day. The goal of every person, Lesser says, is to "sing your song-that is, have a positive effect on the task at hand and feel personally productive-any any time and any place you choose." While it is hard to reconcile Lesser's more ascetic Zen practices with the profit incentive that drives American business (with its attendant consumerism, commercialism and inequity), Lesser provides a reasonable template for their symbiosis. This is not a book to set the world on fire, but it is calm, approachable and assuring, which may be more than adequate to lead overwhelmed seekers toward simplicity and success.