The search for personal peace has been going on for countless centuries. People from every walk of life have attempted just about everything humanly possible in order to experience it – prayer, meditation, yoga, contemplation, fasting, drugs, pilgrimages and seeking out the sage counsel of esteemed wisdom teachers.
The results of these efforts? Well, it depends on who you ask, how committed they were to their particular practice and who knows how many other variables. Suffice it to say, one size does not fit all – or, in more modern parlance, “different strokes for different folks.”
But no matter what path a person pursues to more deeply connect with the experience of personal peace, the effort required to read various books often enters the picture – be it a scripture or the most recently published self-help book.
So Many Books, Such Little Time
Deciding on which books to read in service to one’s desire to experience personal peace is no easy task.
According to UNESCO, a United Nations agency that compiles the total number of books published yearly around the world, 2.2 million books were published in 2021. That’s a lot to choose from.
The odds of anyone of these books making it to the New York Times bestseller list are slim to none. And yet, that is precisely what happened to Prem Rawat’s “Hear Yourself: How to Find Peace in a Noisy World,” just two weeks after its publication on September 14, 2021.
Since then, the book, which presents a very compelling case for how people can increase their odds of finding personal peace by going beyond life’s many distractions, has been translated into seven languages and continues having global impact.
A World Record in India
Indeed, on April 2, 2023, in Lucknow, India, Prem Rawat set the Guinness World Record for the largest audience ever to attend a book reading by a single author. More than 114,000 people attended the event, each of them interested in learning more about experiencing personal peace for themselves.
“Hear Yourself” was ranked #2 in India for at least two weeks and is selling very well there. In Uruguay, in 2022, it was #1 for a few months. Globally, more than 175,000 copies have been sold.
And the good news keeps on coming. “Hear Yourself” will soon be published in three more languages: Hungarian, Slovenian and Arabic.
The book’s latest success comes from Ireland, where, on April 15, it reached the #4 position on the prestigious Irish Times Bestseller list in the hardback/non-fiction category.
Grassroots Efforts in Ireland
At least some of the book’s success in Ireland can be attributed to the sustained efforts of a diverse team of Irish “Hear Yourself” enthusiasts, including Mick Sawtell, John Kennedy, John McClean, Catherine O’Shea, Marie Hunt and many others.
These individuals made the effort to contact local bookstores and inform them that a committed social media campaign was just about to launch – an effort that would likely create a big demand for the book. Encouraged by this input, a wide variety of Irish bookstores pre-ordered the book.
Additionally, generous Irish donors purchased multiple copies of “Hear Yourself” – books that have now been placed in various libraries and prisons in the north and south of the country.
To continue the book’s positive momentum in Ireland, other initiatives are now in motion, including providing books to a variety of charitable institutions, prisons and libraries: Coolmine Community Rehab Centre, St. Patrick University Hospital, various youth reach centres, fusion addiction and prison service in Dublin, eight prisons in Dublin and Loghan House.
Going forward, there are plans to use the book to work with refugees in Mayo. Also, in Cork, more than 100 books will be made available to professional counsellors in 3rd level education, caring and mental health professions, palliative care personnel, juvenile and support institutions and prisons.
If you would like to help with ongoing “Hear Yourself” initiatives in Ireland, contact Mick Sawtell: micksawtell@gmail.com.
If you would like to help with “Hear Yourself” initiatives in North America, contact info@northamericanreadiness.com.
