The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari – A Book Review
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, by Robin Sharma, is a fable about fulfilling dreams and reaching destiny. It is also considered one of the world’s top leadership and personal optimisation advisors. Jaico Publishing House, Mumbai, in arrangement with Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, Toronto, Canada, published the book in India.
The narration revolves around the conversation between Julian Mantle and John about Julian’s life-changing story. The story begins when he wakes up on the hospital bed after collapsing in a court trial room. He gives away all his expensive possessions, including a good reputation, a seven-digit income, a private jet, a mansion in a neighbourhood surrounded by celebrities, a summer home for vacation, and his shiny red Ferrari. And sets on an unknown expedition.
The book reveals how we have forgotten our ancient teachings focusing on materialistic achievements and success damaging our true abilities. Why are they crucial in the era where we live a life filled with stress and worries caused due to various reasons? What keeps us from achieving our dreams? It speaks about seven lessons that can lead us to an enlightened way of living a life, namely:
· A most extraordinary garden
· Kindling your inner fire
· The ancient art of self-leadership
· The power of discipline
· Your most precious commodity
· The ultimate purpose of life
· The Timeless secret of lifelong happiness
A summary provided at the end of each lesson helps one with a quick gist. It contains a symbol, the virtue, the wisdom to rekindle the fire of awareness, the techniques to act upon the virtue, and a quotable quote that focuses on the virtue, emphasising its importance in life.
Robin Sharma made the formula simple in The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. All it takes is your mindful attention and willingness to embrace these virtues. The book with inspirational quotes does not fail to motivate you irrespective of the stage of your life and profession. The conversation between Julian and John is well-penned and addresses every doubt about leading a happy, peaceful, and successful life.
As a reader, some facts like ‘On an average day the average person runs about sixty thousand thoughts through his mind. And ninety-five per cent of those thoughts are the same as the ones thought on the day before’, ‘Even the best-conditioned thinkers are using only 1/100th of the per cent of their mental reserves’, ‘Magic Rule of 21 Days’, etc., amazed me. The insights on nurturing mind, power of thoughts and concentration, loving yourself, cultivation of mind, body and soul through 10 Rituals of Radiant Living are explained well with logical reasoning.
Why did Julian leave all his luxury and career at the peak of success? What was he seeking even after having everything in life at quite a young age? Did Julian know the consequences of the decision made (his secret escape) on the hospital bed that night? Was he aware of where he was heading? Will Jonh be able to comprehend what he was listening to from Julian? Grab a book to read this exciting tale and get answers to these questions.
The language is easy yet engrossing and keeps you glued to the book. It is one of the best works for those interested in inspirational and motivational content. And also those who love to explore their potential to live a happy and successful life while being able to keep themselves away from all the negativity around and attain peace of mind (the most needed in today’s world and current situation). Although one may feel that most things are known already, this book reminds you of that forgotten ancient knowledge, manifests its importance and has the power to compel one to practice valuable advice. The book indeed can inspire and uplift confidence.
I rate it 4.5 out of 5.
