The Monk Who Sold The Ferrari
Your Dreams and Reaching Your Destiny
By Robin S. Sharma
Some books have the best intention of providing insight and guidance in one’s life, but are so deep, long, and theoretical, that they discourage many from reading the entire book. Not so with this gem of a book! Written in story form, the book shares 7 basic virtues that can easily be integrated into everyday life. You do not need to go to a monastery in India to learn these principles and easy strategies! This is a short yet extremely powerful book of wisdom. The chart on the following two pages can be printed off double-sided and kept as a quick reminder of little things to help integrate peace and harmony into one’s daily life.
| Virtue | Symbol | Wisdom & Techniques | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MASTER YOUR MIND | The Magnificent Garden (Garden is symbol of the mind.) |
1. Find out what you truly love to do and then direct all of your energy towards doing
it. 2. Fresh Rose and silent place - Daily Stare at center of the rose. 3. Keep staring: notice color, texture, design, fragrance. 4. Opposition Thinking – immediately replace negative w/positive. 5. Spend time every day seeing yourself as you want to be. |
| 2 | FOLLOW YOUR PURPOSE | The Towering Lighthouse (Purpose of Life is Life of Purpose) |
POWER OF SELF-EXAMINATION AND THE FIVE STEP METHOD 1. Form a clear mental picture of outcome. 2. Create positive pressure to keep you inspired (public pledge) 3. Never set a goal without attaching a precise timeline/deadline. 4. Magic Rule of 21 – new behavior needs 21 days in a row. 5. Make sure you have fun while advancing along path to goals. |
| 3 | PRACTICE KAIZEN | The Sumo Wrestler (Constant and never-ending improvement) |
Self -Mastery is DNA of life mastery. - Success on outside begins within.
Constant cultivation of mind, body and soul. - Do things you fear. TEN ANCIENT RITUALS FOR RADIANT LIVING (1 Hr./Day for 30 Days) 1. Solitude – Daily period of peace same time each day - Nature! 2. Physicality – Train body/mind every day – 5 hr/wk. Breathing! 3. Live Nourishment – Live foods (vegetables, fruits, grains) 4. Abundant Knowledge – lifelong learning – Read 30 min/day 5. Personal Reflection – Every evening reflect on right/wrong of day 6. Early Awakening – Rise with sun – 6 hr quality sleep v/s quantity. 10 min. before/after sleep inspiring thoughts – start day off well! 7. Music – Power, spiritual boost, laugh, dance, sing – every day! 8. Spoken Word – recite mantras, repeat collection of positive words 9. Congruent Character – Daily action to build your character Virtues: industry, compassion, humility, patience, honesty, courage 10. Simplicity – Live a simple life. Priorities, truly meaningful, peace |
| 4 | LIVE WITH DISCIPLINE | The Pink Wire Cable (Power of self-control) |
Build will of iron – take small, tiny acts routinely performed. Willpower & discipline – chief attribute strong character, wonderful life. You condition your willpower as one would condition body at the gym. Enlightened people never seek to be like others, but superior to self. Power of your will can erase the worry habit, & give health & energy. Mantras – Words are verbal embodiment of power. “I am more than I appear to be. All the world’s strength and power rests inside me.” Creative envisioning – eyes closed, sit still, repeat mantra, picture self. Vow of Silence – One day without speaking, except respond to questions. |
| 5 | RESPECT YOUR TIME | The Gold Stopwatch(Time is most important commodity) |
1. Time is most precious commodity and it is non-renewable. 2. Focus on your priorities and maintain balance. 3. What separates an exceptional life is the way one uses their time 4. Enlightened people are priority driven. 5. Ancient Rule of Twenty: Only 20% of what you do will have an influence on the quality of your life. (e.g. High impact activities: relationships, nature, gratitude, renewing mind, body, spirit.) 6. Direct all of your time to those 20% of your activities that count. 7. Life is like a strip of bacon: you have to separate the meat from the fat in order to be the master of your time. 8. Don’t let others steal your time – be wary of time thieves. 9. Learn to say no – you must be ruthless with your time. 10. Courage to say no to little things in life will give you power to say yes to the big things. 11. It is human nature to do things that feel good and avoid things that feel bad. 12. The most productive people in the world have cultivated the habit of doing things that less productive people don’t like doing, even though they too might not like doing them. 13. Rich life did not have to come through sacrifice of peace of mind. 14. Most tragic thing anyone can do is to put off living. 15. Quick afternoon nap leaves one energetic, refreshed, youthful. 16. Deathbed mentality – live every day as though it were your last. 17. Remember power of laughter and sense of humor. 18. Act as if failure is impossible and your success will be assured. 19. We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. |
| 6 | SELF-LESSLY SERVE OTHERS | The Fragrant Roses |
1.The quality of your life ultimately comes down to the quality of your contribution. 2. To cultivate the sacredness of each day, live to give. 3. By elevating the lives of others, your life reaches its highest dimensions. 4. Practice daily acts of kindness. 5. Give to those who ask. 6. Cultivate richer relationships. |
| 7 | EMBRACE THE PRESENT | The Path of Diamonds |
1. Live in the “now.” Savor the gift of the present. 2. Never sacrifice happiness for achievement. 3. Savor the journey and live each day as your last. 4. Live your Childrens’ Childhood 5. Practice Gratitude 6. Grow Your Destiny. |
- All it takes are small steps in the direction of our dreams. A life overflowing with wonders is built day by day, block by block. Small victories lead to large victories.
- Tiny Changes create positive habits. Positive habits will create results, and results will inspire you towards greater personal change.
- Starting today, learn more, laugh more and do what you truly love to do. Don’t be denied your destiny.
- What lies behind you and what lies in front of you matters little compared to what lies within you.