The Secret Letters Of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari [Hardcover]

This book uses a format which is hardly unique. That is it tells a story, almost a little morality tale, and blends in various universal truths or lessons. There is nothing which is new or unique in these 'revelations', but it is fair to say that it does not do any harm to remind ourselves of them once in a while.

The story revolves around a salesman who has clearly lost his way in life and has lost his sense of what should be his priorities. He is sent on a mission around the globe to pick up nine different talismans from diverse places, each of which has a message attached to it. As a story, it is not the most riveting, but I have read worse. As a travelogue it is actually quite interesting in parts and the few places which I have visited are described in a way that I would consider authentic.

As previously mentioned there are no great revelations here and most of the message is common sense along the lines of relentless pursuit of material wealth does not bring happiness, confront your fears, make progress one step at a time etc. This is the fourth `monk who sold his ferrari' book by the author and I imagine that whilst the first may have had an impact, the subsequent offerings have been a restatement, with slightly different presentation, of the same core material. Not having read the other volumes, this may be somewhat judgmental and rather cynical and I stand to be corrected by someone who has read them all.

This is not the first of this sort of book which I have read, and all in all I was a lot more enthusiastic about The Celestine Prophecy. However, clearly there is a demand for the Monk since, apparently over five million of them have been sold and I imagine that for certain people, if they read it at a particular stage in their lives, it could be quite pivotal in refocusing them.

I became a die-hard fan of Robin Sharma after reading his book "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari". I pre-ordered this book and was very excited to read his latest book. This book follows the same pattern as his earlier books (i.e) blend the life teachings in an interesting story. I could see a big difference. This book is more of a story which explains the teachings than the teachings explicitly. Each portion of the story comes with a summary. The story goes like this...

Jonathan Laundry is a hardworking automobile designer who struggles to find a balance between his work life and personal life. He is separated from his wife Annisha and his son Adam. His life is in turmoil. Suddenly, his mom forces him to meet Julian Mantle, his cousin and the hero of the previous book. Julian makes him travel around the world to the sensual tango halls of Buenos Aires, the haunting catacombs of Paris, the gleaming towers of Shanghai and the staggeringly beautiful Taj Mahal in India and meet his friends to collect the talismans. Each talisman and the encounter with Julian's friends teach him the life lessons that is very much needed for him to save his family and become successful in his life. Here is a gist of the teachings...

The Power of Authenticity
The most important gift we can give ourselves is the commitment to living our authentic life.We must break free of the seductions of society and live life on our own terms, under our own values and aligned with our original dreams.We must explore the deep-seated, unseen hopes, desires, strengths and weaknesses that make us who we are. Every decision we make, every step we take, must be informed by our commitment to living a life that is true and honest and authentic to ourselves and ourselves alone. As we proceed, we are certain to experience fortune well beyond our highest imagination.

Embrace Your Fears
The greatest risk in life is taking no risks. But every time we do that which we fear, we take back the power that fear has stolen from us - for on the other side of our fears lives our strength. Every time we step into the discomfort of growth and progress, we become more free. The more fears we walk through, the more powers we reclaim. In this way, we grow both fearless and powerful, and thus are able to live the lives of our dreams.

Live with Kindness
No action, no matter how small, is insignificant - how we treat someone defines, how we treat everyone, including ourselves. If we cant appreciate those around us, we cant appreciate ourselves. With every person we engage, in everything we do, we must be kinder than expected, more generous than anticipated, more positive than we thought possible. Every moment in front of another human being is a chance to express our highest value and to influence someone with our humanity. We can make the world better, one person at a time.

Make Small Daily Progress
The way we do small things determine the way we do everything. If we execute our minor tasks well, we will excel at our larger efforts as well. Each tiny effort builds on the next, so that brick by brick, magnificent things can be created, great confidence grows and uncommon dreams are realized.

To Lead Your Best Life, Do Your Best Work
There is no insignificant work in this world. All labor is a chance to express our personal talents, to create our art and to realize the genius we are meant to be. We must work like Picasso painted: with devotion, passion, energy and excellence. In this way, our productivity will not only become a source of inspiration to others, but it will have an impact - making a difference in the lives around us. One of the greatest secrets to a life beautifully lived is to do work that matters.

Choose Your Influences Well
We must always be aware of the things and people we allow in to our lives. Its a mark of wisdom to choose to spend time in the places that inspire an energize you and to associate with those people who elevate you and uplift you. Weather in our work or within our personal lives, these most positive friends and peers will inspire us to be our greatest self and lead our largest lives.

Life's Simplest Pleasures are Life's Greatest Joys
Most people don't discovers whats more important in their lives until they are too old to do anything about it. They spend many of their best years pursuing things that matter little in the end. While society invites us to fill our lives with material objects, the best part of us knows that the most basic pleasures are the one that enrich us. We all have a wealth of simple blessings around us - waiting to be counted. As we do, our happiness grows. Our gratitude expands. And each day becomes a breath taking gift.

The Purpose of Life is to Love
How well you live come down to how much you love. The heart is wiser than your head. Honor it. Trust it. Follow it.

Stand for Something Bigger than Yourself
There are no extra people alive today. Every single one of us are here for a reason, a special purpose - a mission. Yes, build a beautiful life for yourself and those you love.Yes, be happy and have a lot of fun. And yes, become successful on your own terms than on those suggested to you by society. But, above all else - Be Significant. Make your life matter - be of use. And be of service to as many people as possible. This is how each of us can shift from the realm of the ordinary to the heights of the extraordinary. And walk among the best who have ever lived.

I just wrote down the key messages from the book in Robin Sharma's words. I would suggest you to read the book. These message will go into your subconscious mind directly. Jesus understood the importance of stories, so does Robin. Thank you Robin, for this book and all the books that you are going to write in future.

This was inspirational in a way. It wasn't really to my tastes but I can see why people do get something out of his books.

I thought that the actual storyline was very basic and that at times it almost seemed like a travel article. The writing style was quite poor as well. I think that Paulo Coelho does better job with this type of thing.

I think that it might have worked better if it focussed on just a normal working man rather than a hugely successful executive. Also it might have been good to show him struggling in his daily life rather than jetting off all round the world and then suddenly finding inspiration and living happily ever after.

It is quite inspiring in places and there were moments where it was motivating.

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