Download high-resolution image Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio play button
0:00
0:00

When Things Don't Go Your Way

Zen Wisdom for Difficult Times

Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio play button
0:00
0:00
"In When Things Don’t Go Your Way, Haemin Sunim offers readers a warm and reassuring path through the most challenging moments of our lives. By sharing his hard-won wisdom, he guides us from hardship to self-discovery, helping us to stay centered and feel whole." -Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone and co-host of the Dear Therapists podcast

From renowned Zen Buddhist teacher Haemin Sunim, a guide to turning life's challenges into opportunities for self-discovery


Have you ever felt like life has thrown you a curveball? Are you struggling to overcome unexpected challenges and setbacks?

While loss, heartbreak, and loneliness are all part of the human experience, in this warm guide, internationally bestselling author Haemin Sunim shows us that these moments can actually be rare opportunities for self-discovery, serving as stepping stones to greater things in life.

Drawing on Zen Buddhist philosophy and Sunim’s own experiences, When Things Don't Go Your Way helps you navigate life's challenges with resilience and grace. Whether you're dealing with rejection, uncertainty, loneliness, conflicts in relationships, or burnout--or simply seeking to improve your mental and emotional well-being--Sunim offers a new spiritual perspective, one that helps us face life's challenges with greater ease and understanding, and offers solace and courage when we need it the most.
© Myeonghak Jang
Haemin Sunim is a globally respected Buddhist teacher and author from South Korea. He is known for his clear, compassionate voice and practical teachings on mindfulness, emotional well being, and finding joy and balance in the midst of a busy modern life. His work speaks to everyday challenges with warmth, simplicity, and depth.

His books have sold over six million copies worldwide, including more than one million copies each in the United Kingdom and Brazil, and have been translated into more than thirty eight languages. In the Netherlands, one of his books set a national record as the longest running nonfiction bestseller, and in South Korea it became the best selling book of the decade. His work has been featured by The New York Times, The Guardian, NPR, and BBC Radio.

Haemin received Zen monastic training in South Korea and studied religion at the University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University, and Princeton University, where he earned his doctorate. He later taught Asian religions for seven years at Hampshire College in Massachusetts, bringing together monastic practice, academic depth, and lived experience. He is regularly invited to give talks internationally and to lead meditation retreats across North America, Europe, and Asia. View titles by Haemin Sunim
"In When Things Don’t Go Your Way, Haemin Sunim offers readers a warm and reassuring path through the most challenging moments of our lives. By sharing his hard-won wisdom, he guides us from hardship to self-discovery, helping us to stay centered and feel whole." -Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone and co-host of the Dear Therapists podcast

"Imagine receiving a warm hug from a book – that's exactly what you'll experience with this one. Sunim skillfully offers comforting wisdom in an accessible and gentle manner, while also embracing profound vulnerability, just as he has done with his previous books." -Vex King, bestselling author of Closer to Love and Good Vibes, Good Life”

“Haemin Sunim is one of the wisest and most honest and authentic teachers I know. Drawn from his own lived experience, When Things Don’t Go Your Way offers the kind of guidance we most need when life doesn’t cooperate and we’re painfully, emotionally stuck. It shows us how our challenges themselves can become powerful fuel for spiritual awakening.” —Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance



About

"In When Things Don’t Go Your Way, Haemin Sunim offers readers a warm and reassuring path through the most challenging moments of our lives. By sharing his hard-won wisdom, he guides us from hardship to self-discovery, helping us to stay centered and feel whole." -Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone and co-host of the Dear Therapists podcast

From renowned Zen Buddhist teacher Haemin Sunim, a guide to turning life's challenges into opportunities for self-discovery


Have you ever felt like life has thrown you a curveball? Are you struggling to overcome unexpected challenges and setbacks?

While loss, heartbreak, and loneliness are all part of the human experience, in this warm guide, internationally bestselling author Haemin Sunim shows us that these moments can actually be rare opportunities for self-discovery, serving as stepping stones to greater things in life.

Drawing on Zen Buddhist philosophy and Sunim’s own experiences, When Things Don't Go Your Way helps you navigate life's challenges with resilience and grace. Whether you're dealing with rejection, uncertainty, loneliness, conflicts in relationships, or burnout--or simply seeking to improve your mental and emotional well-being--Sunim offers a new spiritual perspective, one that helps us face life's challenges with greater ease and understanding, and offers solace and courage when we need it the most.

Author

© Myeonghak Jang
Haemin Sunim is a globally respected Buddhist teacher and author from South Korea. He is known for his clear, compassionate voice and practical teachings on mindfulness, emotional well being, and finding joy and balance in the midst of a busy modern life. His work speaks to everyday challenges with warmth, simplicity, and depth.

His books have sold over six million copies worldwide, including more than one million copies each in the United Kingdom and Brazil, and have been translated into more than thirty eight languages. In the Netherlands, one of his books set a national record as the longest running nonfiction bestseller, and in South Korea it became the best selling book of the decade. His work has been featured by The New York Times, The Guardian, NPR, and BBC Radio.

Haemin received Zen monastic training in South Korea and studied religion at the University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University, and Princeton University, where he earned his doctorate. He later taught Asian religions for seven years at Hampshire College in Massachusetts, bringing together monastic practice, academic depth, and lived experience. He is regularly invited to give talks internationally and to lead meditation retreats across North America, Europe, and Asia. View titles by Haemin Sunim

Praise

"In When Things Don’t Go Your Way, Haemin Sunim offers readers a warm and reassuring path through the most challenging moments of our lives. By sharing his hard-won wisdom, he guides us from hardship to self-discovery, helping us to stay centered and feel whole." -Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone and co-host of the Dear Therapists podcast

"Imagine receiving a warm hug from a book – that's exactly what you'll experience with this one. Sunim skillfully offers comforting wisdom in an accessible and gentle manner, while also embracing profound vulnerability, just as he has done with his previous books." -Vex King, bestselling author of Closer to Love and Good Vibes, Good Life”

“Haemin Sunim is one of the wisest and most honest and authentic teachers I know. Drawn from his own lived experience, When Things Don’t Go Your Way offers the kind of guidance we most need when life doesn’t cooperate and we’re painfully, emotionally stuck. It shows us how our challenges themselves can become powerful fuel for spiritual awakening.” —Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance