Robin Sharma is a world-known humanist. He is considered one of the world's best consultants in leadership and self-development. He is a consultant for many famous millionaires, professional sports stars, and companies. Robin left his law career at age 25 to deal with stress management and other spiritual issues.
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari is one of my favorite books. The genre of the book is enlightenment and spiritual development. The main character of the book is Julian Mantle. He is a successful lawyer, but his life is stressful and exhausting. At 53, he has reached material success: private helicopters, luxurious cars, and mansions. However, he feels unhappy. After getting a heart attack, he finally decides to leave his luxurious life behind and travel to the Himalayas to find peace. Julian sells everything, even his favorite Ferrari, and travels to the Himalayas. He meets the wisest monks in the Himalayas. Yohkraman, one of the wisest men, reveals the secret of the seven virtues. They open his eyes and help him reach a high level of consciousness. After a few months, Julian returns and tells the world about the seven virtues needed for happiness, inner peace, and spiritual development.
THE MAIN IDEAS OF THE BOOK
1: Manage your mind.
The author speaks about our mind as a magic garden. We should not let negative thoughts manage it. We will have a better quality of life if we fill our brains with valuable thoughts. We can change our negative ideas with positive ones. He underlines that negative thoughts are lessons we should learn from. The author encourages us to increase our self-esteem and self-respect. Gratitude towards ourselves and the world will allow us to learn from our experiences. To manage our minds, we should practice our minds as muscles in the following ways: He advises us to concentrate on a rose for 10–20 minutes daily. We will become stronger and more disciplined.
2. Follow your goal.
The author underlines that we can get continuous satisfaction and inner harmony by carrying out our actions. The best way is to define mini-goals. Writing down our goals signals our brains that they are more important than the others. We should make ourselves follow our mini-goals. We should also have a timetable. Afterward, the subconscious sends energy for its implementation. We need 21 days to make our actions habitual. We should enjoy what we do.
3. Practice Kai Zen.
Kai Zen is a Japanese word that means constant training and perfection. We should practice the Ten ceremonies of Kai Zen for a perfect life.
Get up early.
Stay alone in silence for a few minutes.
Do any physical activity to activate our blood circulation.
Keep a healthy diet.
Keep our brains active by constantly learning.
Think and analyze.
Listen to music frequently.
Say a prayer, a mantra, or an affirmation.
Always follow our principles.
Stay simple. Don't become a participant in a competition to be the best.
4. Power of discipline
The author mentions that self-control and discipline consist of small actions. A strong will is a vital quality in living a productive life. We should develop it by self-discipline and create systems for living. We also should struggle against weak thoughts.
5. Respect your time.
Productive time management differs a successful person from a mediocre one. Having time means having a life. We should learn to use our time productively and plan how to use it. We can write a plan in 15 minutes before we sleep. On Sunday, give 1 hour to plan a week. We should say no to some suggestions. We should live our day as if it is the last one.
6: Serve others selflessly.
The author states that the quality of your life depends on your daily contributions. By becoming givers, we can make our lives meaningful. It does not matter how much we earn or how high we have climbed; the satisfaction of helping others is priceless. Thus, to feel happy and satisfied, we should help others selflessly. Yogis called it conscious life.
7: Accept the present.
The author mentions that we never enjoy short periods of happiness. Here are three techniques that we can use for it.
Live now and enjoy all the gifts of now.
Never sacrifice happiness for any material things.
Enjoy your travels and live a day like it is the last one.
We all come into life for a special mission; stop being slaves to your past.
In conclusion, the book is about the seven virtues of life and how we can use them. As Julian did, we should spread them to help those we love if we want them to reach happiness. I am subscribed to Robin Sharma's email newsletter and get helpful information from it. I like all his books, like The Everyday Hero Manifesto, Family Wisdom, etc. I really advice everybody to read his books for self-development purposes.
