Beyond the Pig and the Ape

Book excerpt: Praise for Beyond the PIG and the APE by Krishna Pendyala: "If you don''t think you can find profound joy and inner peace in your life, you might change your mind when you read this book." - Marc Allen Co-founder, New World Library Author, Visionary Business Publisher, The Power of Now "This book is extraordinary. It''s so important to ground our own minds before we can build those critical relationships with others. I have studied such practices for many years in service of business success and Krishna''s book illustrates the principles of settling the mind more simply and clearly than anything I have found." - Keith Ferrazzi Author, Never Eat Alone Founder, RelationshipMastersAcademy.com "Do yourself a favor and read Beyond the PIG and the APE. The book shows how we get trapped in unfulfilling behaviors, then lays out a clear path to personal happiness and joy." - Shannon Waller Co-author, Unique Ability: Creating The Life You Want Strategic Coach� "In my own life, formerly as a business CEO and now as a teacher of management, I have found that inner personal growth and effective decision-making go hand in hand: Krishna''s book is a guide to both." - John Rehfeld Author, Alchemy of a Leader Executive MBA Faculty, Pepperdine and University of San Diego We are told that happiness and the path to a better life can be found by looking within ourselves, but here''s the problem. Since the secret is not likely to be lying in a box marked "happiness," what exactly should we be looking for? Beyond the PIG and the APE is meant as a simple, practical guide to the inner search. The book starts by advising us "what to look out for" - the "inner creatures" that often lead us astray. The PIG of the title is the ever-present drive to Pursue Instant Gratification, while the APE is the drive to Avoid Painful Experiences. These inner animals aren''t always bad; in fact they are basic survival instincts that evolved to help us feed and protect ourselves. But in modern life, our primitive drives can get us in trouble - especially when the PIG and APE team up to "feed and protect" the Ego, a delusional mind-made identity that isn''t who we really are. Then we are sabotaged by "blind animal instincts in the service of pretense." The book uses real-life examples to show how the PIG, APE and Ego can keep us trapped in a maze of unhealthy habits, inner turmoil and conflict with the people in our lives. And the way out of the maze? Don''t even try to control your inner creatures, says the author. All it takes is awareness. Simply by growing aware of how the inner mischief distorts us and limits us, we begin to grow free of it. Better yet, this larger awareness can open up a world of possibilities that had long been obscured. We begin to live in harmony with life instead of struggling to mind-manage everything. After a pivotal chapter on "Becoming Aware," the book has four practical chapters devoted to: Learning to recognize "what''s driving you" in any situation, Making wiser decisions, Becoming more creative, And finding joy and peace amid the demands of a busy life. The "Story Bank" at the end of the book reinforces the main themes. These 21 true stories illustrate how the PIG, APE and Ego can defeat us - and how we can move beyond them - in the various "Life Spaces" we each inhabit: the spheres of life that involve Your Self, Your Partner, Your Friends, Your Work, Your Money, and Your Children. Throughout the book you get the same simple framework for inner awareness, viewed from many different angles. It''s a journey filled with laughs and surprises. But above all, it''s a journey that can help you discover the laughter and surprises in your life, every day.