Last year, I bought a book entitled The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma - an inspiring tale of how people can fulfill their dreams and reach their destiny. It tells a story about a man named Julian Mantle, "a superstar lawyer whose out-of-balance lifestyle leads him to a near-fatal heart attack in a packed courtroom. His physical collapse brings him into a spiritual crisis that forces him to confront the condition of his life. Hoping to find happiness and fulfillment, he embarks upon an extraordinary odyssey to an ancient culture, where he discovers a powerful system to release the potential of his mind, body, and soul and learns to live with passion, purpose, and peace."
For a long while, I forgot I actually had a copy of his next book The Secret Letters of the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. I left it in a brown bag on the shelf (to keep it looking new since I hadn't covered it in plastic yet). Now here I am, about to *finally* start a book I bought a year ago. But before I do that, let me share some lines I highlighted from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari first. Posting in two parts so it's not too lengthy.
Some of these may not make sense to you, but I'm certain a lot of them will. Best to get a copy of the book so you can read the entire thing. Would love to read any comments/reactions to the lines below. :)
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1. Every event has a purpose and every setback its lesson. I have realized that failure, whether of the personal, professional or even spiritual kind, is essential to personal expansion.
2. Never regret your past. Rather, embrace it as the teacher that it is.
3. In the fable, the garden is a symbol for the mind. If you care for your mind, if you nurture it and if you cultivate it just like a fertile, rich garden, it will blossom far beyond your expectations. But if you let the weeds take root, lasting peace of mind and deep inner harmony will always elude you.
4. To live life to the fullest, you must stand guard at the gate of your garden and let only the very best information enter. You truly cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought - not even one.
5. There is only one thing that we have absolute dominion over - our minds. We might not be able to control the weather or the traffic or the moods of all those around us. But, we most certainly can control our attitude towards these events. We all have the power to determine what we will think about in any given moment.
6. What really separates people who are habitually upbeat and optimistic from those who are consistently miserable is how the circumstances of life are interpreted and processed.
7. No matter what happens to you in your life, you alone have the capacity to choose your response to it.
8. There is a bright side to the darkest circumstance - if you have the courage to look for it.
9. There are no mistakes in life, only lessons. There is no such thing as a negative experience, only experiences to grow, learn and advance along the road of self-mastery. From struggle comes strength. Even pain can be a wonderful teacher.
10. Stop judging events as either positive or negative. Rather, simply experience them, celebrate them and learn from them. Every event offers you lessons.
12. Dare to dust off your dreams. Start to revere life again and celebrate all of its wonders. Awaken yourself to the power of your own mind to make things happen. Once you do, the universe will conspire with you to work magic in your life.
13. The mind is a wonderful servant but a terrible master. If you have become a negative thinker, this is because you have not cared for your mind and taken the time to train it to focus on the good. Remember, the mind truly is like any other muscle in your body. Use it or lose it.
14. The boundaries of your life are merely creations of the self.
15. Enlightened thinkers know that their thoughts form their world and the quality of one’s life comes down to the richness of one’s thoughts. If you want to live a more peaceful, meaningful life, you must think more peaceful, meaningful thoughts.
16. Be patience and live with the knowledge that all you are searching for is certain to come if you prepare for it and expect it.
17. The very fact that you have a desire or a dream means that you have the corresponding capacity to realize it.
18. The secret of happiness is simple: Find out what you truly love to do and then direct all of your energy towards doing it.
19. Too many of us are consumed by needless and endless worry. This drains us of our natural vitality and energy. Worry causes your precious mental energy and potential to leak. Soon, you have no energy left. All of your creativity, optimism and motivation have been drained, leaving you exhausted.
20. When you figure out what your main aim or destiny really is, you will never have to work another day in your life.
2. Never regret your past. Rather, embrace it as the teacher that it is.
3. In the fable, the garden is a symbol for the mind. If you care for your mind, if you nurture it and if you cultivate it just like a fertile, rich garden, it will blossom far beyond your expectations. But if you let the weeds take root, lasting peace of mind and deep inner harmony will always elude you.
4. To live life to the fullest, you must stand guard at the gate of your garden and let only the very best information enter. You truly cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought - not even one.
5. There is only one thing that we have absolute dominion over - our minds. We might not be able to control the weather or the traffic or the moods of all those around us. But, we most certainly can control our attitude towards these events. We all have the power to determine what we will think about in any given moment.
6. What really separates people who are habitually upbeat and optimistic from those who are consistently miserable is how the circumstances of life are interpreted and processed.
7. No matter what happens to you in your life, you alone have the capacity to choose your response to it.
8. There is a bright side to the darkest circumstance - if you have the courage to look for it.
9. There are no mistakes in life, only lessons. There is no such thing as a negative experience, only experiences to grow, learn and advance along the road of self-mastery. From struggle comes strength. Even pain can be a wonderful teacher.
10. Stop judging events as either positive or negative. Rather, simply experience them, celebrate them and learn from them. Every event offers you lessons.
11. Dare to dream that you are more than the sum of your current circumstances. Expect the best.
12. Dare to dust off your dreams. Start to revere life again and celebrate all of its wonders. Awaken yourself to the power of your own mind to make things happen. Once you do, the universe will conspire with you to work magic in your life.
13. The mind is a wonderful servant but a terrible master. If you have become a negative thinker, this is because you have not cared for your mind and taken the time to train it to focus on the good. Remember, the mind truly is like any other muscle in your body. Use it or lose it.
14. The boundaries of your life are merely creations of the self.
15. Enlightened thinkers know that their thoughts form their world and the quality of one’s life comes down to the richness of one’s thoughts. If you want to live a more peaceful, meaningful life, you must think more peaceful, meaningful thoughts.
16. Be patience and live with the knowledge that all you are searching for is certain to come if you prepare for it and expect it.
17. The very fact that you have a desire or a dream means that you have the corresponding capacity to realize it.
18. The secret of happiness is simple: Find out what you truly love to do and then direct all of your energy towards doing it.
19. Too many of us are consumed by needless and endless worry. This drains us of our natural vitality and energy. Worry causes your precious mental energy and potential to leak. Soon, you have no energy left. All of your creativity, optimism and motivation have been drained, leaving you exhausted.
20. When you figure out what your main aim or destiny really is, you will never have to work another day in your life.
Photos used were taken from my Dumaguete trip two years back :)
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Part two here! :)
