This is a handbook for cultivating fearlessness and awakening a compassionate heart, from bestselling author Pema Chodron. With insight and humour, she presents down-to-earth guidance on how to make friends with ourselves and develop genuine compassion towards others. The book shows how we can "start where we are" by embracing rather than denying the painful aspects of our lives. Pema Chodron frames her teachings on compassion around 59 traditional Tibetan Buddhist maxims, or slogans, such as "always apply a joyful state of mind" and "be grateful to everyone". Working with these slogans and through the practice of meditation, the text shows how we can all develop the courage to work with our own inner pain and discover joy, wellbeing and confidence.