Running on Empty: The Irreverent Guru's Guide to Filling up with Mindfulness

by Shelley Pernot

Mindfulness. Schmindfulness. It’s everyone’s favorite buzzword these days. But what does it really mean for us non-monks who don’t have the luxury of a serene home and a fancy meditation mat? How can we ordinary folks apply mindfulness to our over-scheduled, over-stuffed lives? And why do we even want to?

Running on Empty is business coach/trainer Shelley Pernot’s irreverent take on the sometimes convoluted world of mindfulness. Written for the professional struggling with work/life balance or wondering if this is all there is, Running on Empty takes a practical and provocative stance that busts through the myths about mindfulness that get in your way of using this powerful tool.

- Discover the one little sentence that can change your life
- Liberate yourself from judgment once and for all
- Transform technology from mindless foe to mindful friend

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Psychology

200 pages, Paperback

Published February 22, 2017

About the author

Shelley Pernot is a coach, speaker, leadership development trainer, and founder of True North Coaching and Development, firms dedicated to helping folks shake off the boring and blah and put on the passion and purpose. Dedicated to making mindfulness mainstream, she partners with organizations to create entertaining and practical mindfulness programs for professionals running on empty.

Praise for Shelley's Work:

"By following the simple techniques found within this book, the reader will have the tools to once again enjoy their lives and live consciously."
- Readers' Favorite

"Let Shelley be your guide out of the mindless rat-race and in to the mindful world of happiness, focus, and success. She demystifies the often over used term, “mindfulness” and provides an entertaining, easy to understand, and easy to use process to untangle our thoughts and give us clarity on our daily and long term goals. This book is a must read for any one who is serious about taking back their life."
- Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey
New York Times Bestselling Authors The Barefoot Spirit, The Entrepreneurial Culture
Co-Founders, Barefoot Wines

"At some point in life, we all board the self-discovery train to make sense of this often chaotic world filled with endless tasks and expectations and embedded with frustration and self-doubt. Shelley’s work offers a fresh, funny and actionable perspective on mindfulness to help re-PURPOSE our lives while giving insight into us finding our own authentic path forward. The path starts with mindfulness and a genuine sense of humor!"
- Liliya A. Spinazzola, Director, UT Austin and Certified Professional Coach


"Shelley Pernot walks her talk, and has used mindfulness to create a life and career filled with passion and purpose. Her book is full of practical advice and encouragement for folks who want to stop living their version of groundhog day and start living big."
- Katie Mehnert, CEO & Founder, Pink Petro

When she isn't coaching or speaking on mindfulness, Shelley can be found on her yoga mat, planning her next big travel adventure (she already has Kilimanjaro and the high passes of the Everest trek ticked off her bucket list), or chilling with her husband and kitty Bijoux, who is the master lizard killer of the Travis County area.

Reviews

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shelley Pernot
Running on Empty: The Irreverent Guru’s Guide to Filling up with Mindfulness
(True North Development Press, 2017, 200 pages, $12.95 print $9.99 eBook
ISBN: 978-0-997951-1-7 print 978-0-9979951-1-4 eBook
Self-Help, Personal Growth, Happiness

“…human beings are like water. We always take the path of least resistance – which works just fine and dandy right up until the point when the dam breaks.”

I received this book to review exactly one week after a session during my cardio rehab program which was on the topic of mindfulness. Suddenly everywhere I turned I was facing something about mindfulness. You know it is just like when you buy a car of a certain make or color and you haven’t seen many of those before but once you leave the dealership they’re all over.

So what is mindfulness? There are many interpretations to this, but basically it is something you do that you place all your focus on in that moment. You know, being in the zone. For example, when crocheting, all your focus is on getting the amount of stitches right, the gauge size right, etc. Or when doing a jigsaw puzzle your focus is on finding the right pieces to go together to make the whole thing come out right. So what is the whole to-do about mindfulness? For one, it helps us achieve goals. Second, it is about the present, the only thing we have. Life happens in the present, not the past, not the future. Anything you do that you can put your mind to in that moment is an activity of mindfulness.

The author explains this in a simple, easy to understand format. She opens your eyes to things that perhaps were hidden to you, but were there all the time. The problem, says Pernot, is “many of us go through it [life] focusing on what we don’t want,” when we should be focusing on what we do want.

I liked Pernot’s clear explanations and the end of chapter exercises. The book was so well done, brief and to the point that there really isn’t anything I didn’t like. Well done.

[Angie Mangino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Running on Empty
By Shelley Pernot
2017
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars

In the introduction readers meet the author before and at the start of the journey to mindfulness.

“This book is a summary of what I learned along the way. It’s a realistic, practical, and somewhat irreverent view of a topic that, in my humble opinion, is often over-esotericized. (Yes, I made that last word up. It’s a pretty good one, don’t you think?)”

Author comments along the way give this book a light, chatty, personal tone that keeps readers engaged. The crux of the book, however, is mindfulness, something today’s quick society impedes, but something which is mandatory if one is to reach personal balance and peace.

“Definition of Mindfulness:
The practice of focusing awareness on the present moment non-judgmentally.”

While a simple concept, mindfulness is not so easy to practice consistently in one’s life. In eight light-hearted chapters the author shares insights into it through making a life intention, refraining from being judgmental, avoiding mindfulness blocks, practicing yoga, handling technology, and demystifying meditation.

It concludes with a scenario of Mindless Mona to illustrate and to reinforce the book’s ideas in an amusing summary that will stay with readers.

Angie Mangino currently works as a freelance journalist and book reviewer, additionally offering authors personalized critique service and copyediting of unpublished manuscripts. http://www.angiemangino.com

[Micki Peluso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Running on Empty

The Irreverent Guru's Guide to Filling up with Mindfulness

By Shelley Pernot

Shelley Pernot writes a lively, raucous how-to manual on mindfulness, including yoga and meditation--which appears at first a contradiction in terms.

The author has met all her goals, yet realizes that 'I hate my life,' despite living 'The American Dream.' While sharing a compartment on the Trans-Siberian Railway to China, she meets a woman who is retired and wealthy enough to follow her dreams--doing charity work among poor children. Shelley has an epiphany. This woman has the one thing lacking in Shelley's life. Happiness.

And so begins the author's journey to find what's missing in her existence. Luckily for her, she has the type of boss who listens when she tells him she needs to leave "to find my mojo. Somehow I've lost it." His answer. "Come back when you can."

Shelley is an affluent, educated young woman, with a career earned by concentrated effort and determination. She integrates much of these talents into her venture while discovering her own mindfulness. First to go are bad habits--cigarettes, booze and some extra weight. She's an all or nothing woman, who created her life successes which help develop the mindfulness missing in her own life.

Within her debut book, author Shelley Pernot takes the modern day craze of an ancient concept, adds the useful tools of meditation and yoga, creating a reasonably simple solution to what's missing in many people's lives. Yet its very simplicity is what makes it so elusive. According to Shelley, we live in a world of multi-tasking (bad for the brain) surrounded and ruled by cell phones, texting, email and other technology. Using excellent analogies, she pinpoints how we have gotten on a treadmill to nowhere. Adding yoga and meditation to her protocol teaches her students to develop a sense of stillness which slows racing minds and aids in focusing.

Besides writing this course in a witty, real "I've been there" style, the author presents mindfulness charts and practice sheets in easily understood language. I swore I would not take the tests but was quickly hooked, finding my own long lost mojo.

One of the things that makes this book so helpful is the writer's refusal to make her subject boring while describing a subject about as exciting as watching grass grow---and keeping readers turning the pages. With enthusiasm even! At times (many times) Shelley is as corny as Kansas, uses flip hipster jargon, tells some really bad jokes, and uses an overabundance of cliches . . . yet it works. And works well!

Shelley Pernot's part memoir, part how-to, told like a stand-up comedian would, draws the reader into the book with her, causing a bond that helps make 'mindfulness' a reality, because she's been there and is aware of all the ways we deceive ourselves. Reading this book is like having a pajama party with your best adult friends -- no secrets and lots of fun.

Recommended for educated, affluent women, this book crosses all age and gender barriers, from teens who 'have everything,' yet are unhappy through YA and adults of all ages and lifstyles. Who among us is not reaching out for that 'missing something ' . . . . Mindfulness.

Micki Peluso

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘My journey has been long, and it still continues to this day.’

Texas author/coach/speaker/leadership development trainer and founder of True North Coaching and Development Shelley Pernot earned her MBA from Erasmus Rotterdam School of Management, the Netherlands, successfully worked in risk management in London, and returned to the US and discovered yoga by accident. After a few months of practicing, she went on sabbatical to become a yoga teacher and then traveled to Africa. On returning to her FTSE 100 energy firm employer, she assumed a new role in Leadership Development devising teaching programs like Courageous Conversations, aimed at establishing a corporate culture that welcomes honest discussion. With that incentive Shelley launched True North Development as a safe space for people to explore what’s holding them back from reaching their potential.

In Shelley hilarious introduction (yes, there are solid moments of confession and self analysis) she wind up for this book by stating – ‘This book is a summary of what I learned along the way. It’s a realistic, practical, and somewhat irreverent view of a topic that, in my humble opinion, is often over-esotericized. (Yes, I made that last word up. It’s a pretty good one, don’t you think?) And here’s why I say mindfulness has been over-esotericized. (Couldn’t resist using it again.) If I had been waiting for that moment of Zen, that feeling of peace we all hear so much about when the discussion turns to mindfulness, I never would have gotten on the plane to go to that yoga teacher training. In fact, for years I had convinced myself that mindfulness wasn’t for me. It was for calm, over-intellectualized, esoteric people. People that like to sit on mats and sip green tea while
they listen to chants and the smell of incense wafts around their heads. You know, people who don’t have real lives, real cares, real worries. I was wrong. Dead wrong. Mindfulness is for real people. Tired people. Broken people. Poor people. Angry people. Depressed people. Happy people. Any kind of people. In other words, it’s for the huddled masses. This book is all about making something seemingly ethereal practical. Actionable. Relatable.’

In her inimitable manner Shelley takes us through the concept of mindfulness, meditation, yoga, and all along the way she introduces illustrations by Lisa Greenleaf that keep things light as well as focused. A finer book on the art of mindfulness would be difficult to find. And so much of the success of this book is dues to the warmth and personality of the author – and her drive to help us get to where she has arrived!

[Alessandra Macaluso · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was like a breath of fresh air. It is meant to help anyone - and I mean anyone - better their life by incorporating mindfulness into the every day, but it helps that the author is super relatable and will make you laugh as you go. I found the simple worksheets/questionnaires peppered throughout the book to be very helpful, because sometimes we have these thoughts but don't find the time to put it on paper and really get clear - something that really helps me. I am going to recommend this to my mother-in-law as well, because she is another super-busy person who wants to practice this but is unsure of where to start. Nothing "woo-woo" in here - just an excellent layman's guide to mindfulness.

[Lisl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most of us have heard the sentiment expressed in the title of Shelley Pernot’s debut published work, Running on Empty. We have so much going on in our busy workdays and schedules that even when our go-go juice runs dry, we somehow must soldier on: make it out the front door finishing breakfast on the run, prepare for a business meeting as we navigate through the commute, barely make it into the office, where we shall spend the day multi-tasking, keeping up on e-mails and continually transitioning from one duty to the next and the next and the next … you get the idea. The typical result is a lifestyle consisting of a pattern that we repeat day after day, with little fulfilment as the years go by. This is much like the dogs Pernot uses to illustrate this cycle, dogs who chase a mechanical rabbit around the track every day, never, ever catching it.

[W]e all have … [a] part of ourselves that we’ve never really expressed. Perhaps something that we’ve disallowed because it was different, silly, or how the heck are we ever going to make money with that. And slowly, over time, we lose touch with these parts of ourselves. We drift along unconsciously, busy chasing that mechanical rabbit, caught up in the game of life. And then we wake up one day and wonder … “How the hell did I get here?”

Enter mindfulness. Rather than a new-wave, New Age-y sort of philosophy, mindfulness entails a focus on the now in an accepting manner. It seeks to avoid judgmental thoughts—about ourselves and others—and focus more on what we are doing in the present moment. The benefits are many, but some idea how one might gain from its practice is the stress reduction resulting from a decrease in the amount of critical commentary that actually slows work down, hinders creativity and inhibits confidence. Once we are better able to see past the negativity, we come to understand what we really can do.

For example: Suppose I decide I want to make a few illustrations for a work in progress. My brother and father were the artists in the family and I can really only make stick figures. I can’t draw faces. My hand smudges the page as I travel across it. I could continue on in this manner, which more than likely won’t result in anything productive, beneficial or even fun.

Suppose, however, I choose to push all that out of my mind and sit down with a pencil and sketch pad, just for the heck of it? I plan it for a school day so there are no distractions at home and decide I’ll give it an hour. Or even thirty minutes. I make a focused decision to try my hand, paying attention to what I’m doing, refer to a manual about drawing, experiment a little, see what I can come up with. At the end of my allotted time, even if without a finished product, I have more than likely made at least one discovery, perhaps conjured up ideas I could try next time, even been a little excited about what I was doing. That positive experience was enabled when I tossed away the judgements and focused on the project, accepting whatever small benefit I may have gotten from it.

One of my favorite ways Pernot illustrates acceptance links to the next phase in all of this, that is to say: OK, so how do we do this? I gave an example above from my own experience. The author presents a variety of techniques for practicing mindfulness, stressing that even small gains matter and that practitioners are “striving for excellence, not perfection.” After all, if we judge ourselves harshly because we didn’t focus on our present as much as we could have, it isn’t just a “violation” of a main tenet of mindfulness practice; it does—even more importantly—break down what we did achieve. Considering that mindfulness can be practiced in countless ways on tasks large and small, in just about any setting, there’s a lot to gain.

Pernot’s casual but informed writing style and continuum of life experiences assure us that the methods she posits are effective growth mechanisms, designed not only to engage greater thoughtfulness, but also to enable our awareness of why they work. Throughout the book she uses humor—often of the corny sort that draws us in because we can relate to so much of it. It’s sometimes silly, but it’s also a gift to us because it provides us with a lighter feel to it all as we gain greater confidence that this isn’t all about, as she says, “zenning out” or being all spiritual and complicated.

Each chapter focuses on one angle of learning to practice mindfulness, with exercises at the end of every one. Simple and straightforward, they nevertheless give readers some practice in the adaptation of mindfulness to their own lives and developing discernment and awareness. Moreover, each subsequent chapter builds on what we learned in the previous, sometimes surprising in its depth of information, especially considering the lightness of the read.

Along the way, Pernot also travels with Ed, the Mystical Mindfulness Monk, a character whose own curiously successful adaptation to our modern world (he likes Cheetos) lends consideration to the novelty of monks in a context not often perceived. His levity pairs with Pernot’s titular irreverence, transforming the journey from mere discovery to one with lightness, speed bumps, and equanimity, providing the concept of mindfulness with the same light re-evaluation that perhaps there is a side to this we are pleasantly surprised by.

The book is so well laid out and, as mentioned, so easy to read that one may encounter the temptation to speed through it, given its accessible and conversational tone. It should be, however, savored, much like delicious food (incidentally, another angle of mindfulness found to have contributed to healthy weight loss). It is fun enough to be easily read again, especially owing to its deceptive depth of understanding.

Though the book’s blurb promotes Running on Empty as “[w]ritten for the professional struggling with work/life balance,” I would slightly disagree, as in today’s age, and especially what I call the “culture of rush,” not to mention the push of a favorite buzzword (that I personally loathe), multi tasking, nearly any job can lead to a pattern of thoughtless living. Nearly everyone in every socioeconomic level has a smartphone, computer or variety of apps, and falling into an unintentional life is a danger few of us can afford to ignore.

What’s extra lovely about Running on Empty is that while it can function as a tool, and can be referred back to countless times, it also tells a story—several, in fact—and is filled with laughter and feel-good. Pernot’s passion for mindfulness, her open admissions regarding her shortcomings and wonderful writing style don’t only give her credibility. We also see she is a lot like us—she sings karaoke, for crying out loud—and the desire to digest more of her contagious good nature leads to great hope that there is much more to come from this teacher, this irreverent guru of laughter and learning.

[Barbara Bamberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Running on Empty – The Irreverent Guru’s Guide to Filling up with Mindfulness
Shelley Pernot

When a stranger on a train asked Shelley Pernot, “What is your purpose?” the question changed her life, and Pernot believes it can change yours.

Running on Empty is written by someone who had a rather directionless life when she met that stranger, and is now a business/life coach and yoga instructor whose organizational name, True North Development, LLC speaks of her inner turnaround. Her manual picks apart what we are doing now, and what we can do next to find our real purpose and do what we are destined to do. Using the image of a dog race in which the hapless pooches run around and around chasing a mechanical rabbit, Pernot suggests that many of us are doing just that, symbolically, most of the time. Wedded to our computerized devices, requiring constant thoughts to clutter our minds instead of striving for serenity, we are often our own worst enemies.

Her well-organized book maintains a friendly, chatty tone throughout, as though she were with the reader in a casual coffee shop ambience. She inserts jokes and first-person experiences to lighten the load of her important advice.

In this simple guide to changing one’s life, not just one’s lifestyle, the author first defines the quality mentioned in the title: mindfulness. It comprises true listening, awareness of what is going on around you, choosing your reaction rather than being a slave to it, staying neutral and non-judgmental, and remaining actively curious. To evoke mindfulness she offers various exercises, such as taking Facebook and other apps off your phone so they can’t excite you constantly. Make two lists, one headed “I Am Not” and the other, “I Am.” Make your bedroom a “tech-free zone.” Regularly interrupt periods of work with walking breaks. She reminds readers through these challenges that mindfulness requires real intention.

She strongly advocates the art of meditation. She cites her own rather amusing introduction to meditation and how it has helped her, dispelling many myths about this ancient discipline. She also recommends the practice of yoga because yoga puts us in touch with the ways that our bodies resist healing. She insists that yoga is easy: “All you need is yourself and a mat.”

Created by one who has been through what she is trying to help others get through, Running on Empty could be a useful guide for a lonely seeker or for a group working together towards inner development.
Barbara Bamberger Scott - first appeared on Curled Up with a Good Book

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Shelley for this amazing book. It's very easy to read and very practical. Once I finished reading, I have forwarded to my friend and she said it's a very good book. Well done!

[Carla Pineda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The author has taken a topic that is often weighed down in seriousness and heavy writing and made it fun and informative. I loved her light handed approach to the subject and her "telling on herself" as she discovered mindfulness and how it changed her life. The book is an easy read, full of exercises to help you along the way, but certainly not fluff. Shelly knows her topic well and that comes through on every page.

[moxieBK · Rating 3 out of 5]

Running on Empty: The Irreverent Guru’s Guide to Filling up with Mindfulness [Kindle Unlimited] — Shelley Pernot (8 chapters/titled) April 27 - May 6, 2020

Short and sweet review: The Introduction is worth the whole cost of the book. If you don’t read the rest of the book, read that one chapter. It was insightful and honest. If you are struggling to figure life out, that first chapter might help you out a bit.

Three stars.

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mindfulness. Schmindfulness. It’s everyone’s favorite buzzword these days. But what does it really mean for us non-monks who don’t have the luxury of a serene home and a fancy meditation mat? How can we ordinary folks apply mindfulness to our over-scheduled, over-stuffed lives? And why do we even want to?

[Lavender · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the writing style. There was some good info and even some activities to try. I read this through once all the way to get an idea of the whole scope; I still need to go back and complete the activities, though, and spend more time on each chapter, thinking about it more. I liked the information on technology the most (knowing when to put away the smartphone, etc.) Recommended to anyone trying to find a way to focus on the here and now.

I won this book via Goodreads Giveaways.

[Joni Haynes]

Again...this is another book that I supposedly "won"...but never received. If I ever receive it, I will, of course, read and review.