Confidence

Holding Your Seat through Life's Eight Worldly Winds

By: Ethan Nichtern

Narrated by: Danny Hughes

Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

A funny, wise, and relatable exploration of how to stand firm amid the ups and downs of existence, from a renowned teacher and writer hailed as "the future of Buddhism".

In today's culture of intense polarization and constant change, how do we find the confidence to navigate life's challenges? Is now really the time for meditation, for looking inward? What do we do with mindfulness? Ethan Nichtern, described by Vogue as "a supercool, deeply kind brainiac," and one of the leading meditation teachers of our time, tackles these questions head-on in Confidence. This provocative book takes contemporary considerations of power, identity, ethics, and confidence to new heights, offering listeners an essential guide to self-discovery.

Nichtern examines the Buddhist concept of the Eight Worldly Winds, the four paired opposites of praise and blame, pleasure and pain, fame and insignificance, and success and failure. By delving into these dichotomies, listeners gain invaluable insights into their relationships with others (including teachers, friends, leaders, the disgraced, and the adored) and themselves. With four transformative meditation exercises, this book empowers listeners to cultivate and access their innate confidence and wisdom.

©2024 Ethan Nichtern (P)2024 Tantor

Wisdom for the humble person

Ethan has been my teacher over the course of years. I deeply appreciate the way he brings the ordinary to the practice

Soothing, brilliant, and so funny read aloud

I love the way Ethan Nichtern thinks and writes. My hardcopy of Confidence is already underlined and dog-eared, but I loooooved hearing it read aloud. I need to be reminded of these practices and concepts many times a day, and having an audio version makes that easy!

A different book about confidence

Loved the book, it made me look at confidence in a different way. It also made me self reflect if I’m really showing up in the world or being apathetic in my life.

The only thing I would change is to have Ethan read this book. He did such a great job reading his other books I don’t know why he chose not to read this one, hopefully he will next time.

This is a gift

while many may not agree with the politics expressed, I found those examples from real life relatable. I wish there was a pdf or supplement to download to use when I am ready to practice some of the meditations suggested. Overall, I really enjoyed and valued the time spent listening to the author share this work.

Needlessly political

Never left a bad review in my life but hope others don’t make same mistake. Bought this book to learn about actual and timeless Buddhist philosophies and end up getting lectured on woke identity politics for most of it. This book has a clear political narrative he’s looking to justify instead of actual philosophy. I find the title and description very misleading. Wish I could get my credit back

Would probably be good, without all the US political analysis

I was so excited to listen to this book. I love the idea, and the general principals are exactly what I need in my life - but the author brings up United States politics throughout the book - which really takes one out of the underlying premise. I recognize that US politics are central to the author’s story - but it makes the book about him, not about the subject.