The monk who sold his Ferrari is a book I had wanted to read for a while, after a mentor and role model intimated to me that it was their favorite book.
The title of the book was not that exciting for me, but I later found out that the book content is more than the title could ever explain. This book is more of a course in personal development, which makes sense that my mentor asked me to read it.
Written by Indian-born Canadian author and motivational speaker, Robin Sharma ,”The monk who sold his Ferrari “ is a story about a high-profile lawyer who lives a misguided life and his work is all that matters to him ,that he eventually works his way to a heart attack that suddenly awakens him ,and puts him on a path to discover what a purposeful life is.
He sells his most prized possession, a Ferrari together with all his other possessions and sets off to India in search of enlightenment. He ends up in the Himalayas with the sages of Sivana, who help him bring his quest full circle.
One of the monks tells him a unique fable that encompasses the essence of living an enlightened life, which includes guarding your mind from unwanted thoughts, a 10- step morning routine with the ten rituals of radiant living and selflessly serving others counter intuitively.
These 10 rituals of radiant living stood out for me.
The Ritual of Early Awakening. Six hours of sleep and seeing the sunrise. Of course you have to figure out how much you need yourself, but this is what they suggest.
The Ritual of Solitude. Always make a few minutes to practice silence after waking up.
The Ritual of Physicality. Move, get up, do some exercise. Whatever gets the blood flowing.
The Ritual of Live Nourishment. A vegetarian diet based on fresh food is what the sages follow.
The Ritual of Abundant Knowledge. Keep your mind stimulated with a bit of reading or studying.
The Ritual of Personal Reflection. Did you do your best today? What could you have done better?
The Ritual of Music. Listen to music often to never get stuck in a bad mood.
The Ritual of Spoken Word. Write down a short mantra you can repeat to yourself throughout the day.
The Ritual of Congruent Character. Always follow your principles. Write them down, be aware of them and stick to them.
The Ritual of Simplicity. Ruthlessly live your priorities and remove everything else that’s unnecessary.
It’s a really inspiring story that will intrigue you to find out what your purpose in life is, and to live a meaningful life.
