What I’m Reading: Tranquilista: Mastering the Art of Enlightened Work and Mindful Play by Kimberly Wilson.

Impressions: Parts 1 & 2 of this book focused on things like “sassy spirituality”, “divine do-gooding” and “sustainable style.” How cool! A little like the Gorgeously Green books, but I totally loved reading this! In the first 100 pages I was inspired to do more yoga, make a vision board, live more greenly, volunteer, work on my personal style, make my home office a more enjoyable place, and take time out for me- all thanks to Kimberly Wilson’s words and writing activities. I was so inspired that I really did put the book down to go make some changes! How many books many you do that? Even her “savvy sources” were cool- and I added so many books to my “to-read” list.

Then I got to Part 3…”Decorate With Sprinkles: Our Entrepreneurial Topping.” Huh? If I wanted to read a book about starting and branding a business I would have. Just like with her podcast (which I used to really enjoy), Kimberly Wilson has taken the entrepreneurship thing a little too far. That’s awesome that she’s the proud owner of twenty-gazillion start-ups, but just because someone isn’t interested in being self-emplyed doesn’t mean that should be bored stiff by more than half your book! She offers tips like: “Check out secondhand stores in your area to furnish your new [office] space.” Well, duh, but NOT APPLICABLE to me and my life! Page 107 to the end were filled with really obvious tips about starting, owning and operating your own business.  I don’t understand why on earth it went in this direction- neither the back of the book nor the title gave any indication of this. If you’ve listened to Kimberly Wilson’s podcast, read her blog, or have any inkling of what she’s all about, you’ve probably already considered the idea of self-employment. If you’ve decided it’s for you, you would have done all of this really obvious stuff already, and if you’ve decided that it isn’t for you (or, frankly, have even the slightest different idea for a business than she does), you will really dislike the bulk of this book.

I adored the beginning of this book, but man, it took a disappointing turn. I wish she would have just stuck to the new-age wisdom and called it a day.