Summary - The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari - By Robin Sharma

[Originally posted by Deepti here] 

https://original.newsbreak.com/@deepti-sharan-1697927/3039524486232-summary-the-monk-who-sold-his-ferrari-by-robin-sharam on 2023-05-27 

This summary by Deepti has been ripped down to its bare bones, with all of the juicy conversations between the narrator and his former boss ripped down. Not everyone enjoys a ripped-down version, but this is for you - that one person out there, who was exactly looking for something like this.

When Julian Mantle who formerly lived a life of prominence and privilege was perhaps now ‘an Indian yogi’. Before meeting the Sivanas, though he felt entirely liberated from the stress and strain that personified his former world, he did wonder whether he could really spend the rest of his days without the intellectual challenge that the legal profession had offered him since he left Harvard Law School.

He smiles at the narrator’s doorstep, and finally breaks the silence by asking: “Is this how you treat all of your visitors, John, even those who taught you everything you know about the science of success in a courtroom? I should have kept my trade secrets to myself,” with full lips curving into a mighty grin. He was no longer the anxious “type-A” senior partner of a leading law firm. Instead, the man was a youthful, vital— and smiling — model of change. After settling down, he shared: that the hyper-competitive legal world had taken its toll on him, not only physically and emotionally but spiritually. The fast pace and endless demands had worn him out and run him down. He admitted that his body had fallen apart and that his mind had lost its luster. His heart attack was only one symptom of a deeper problem. It was much more than a heart attack that he suffered. It was a rupture of his inner core. The constant pressure and exhausting schedule of a world-class trial lawyer had also broken his most important—and perhaps most human—endowment: his spirit. When given the ultimatum by his doctor either to give up the Law or give up his life, he said he saw a golden opportunity to rekindle the inner fire he had known when he was younger, a fire that had been extinguished as the Law became less a pleasure and more a business.

He had struggled with the crisis of spirit, how he had traded his health and his energy for the fleeting rewards that his law practice brought him. He had traded the riches of his soul for a fat bank account and the illusory gratification of his “live fast, die young” lifestyle.

This book contains simple rules for reaching one’s potential:

• Sure this day we are masters of our fate, that the task which has been set before us is not above our strength; that its pangs and toils are not beyond my endurance. As long as we have faith in our own cause and an unconquerable will to win, victory will not be denied us. ~ By Winston Churchill
• ‘There are no mistakes in life, only lessons. There is no such thing as a negative experience, only opportunities to grow, learn and advance along the road of self-mastery. From struggle comes strength. Even pain can be a wonderful teacher.’
• The moment I stopped spending so much time chasing the big pleasures of life, I began to enjoy the little ones, like watching the stars dancing in a moonlit sky or soaking in the sunbeams of a glorious summer morning.
• “I too have walked this path, my friend. I too have felt the pain you have felt. Yet I have learned that everything happens for a reason,” offered Yogi Krishnan (an ex-lawyer from Delhi) sympathetically. “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. It brings inner growth and a whole host of psychic rewards. Never regret your past. Rather, embrace it as the teacher that it is.”
• Great dreamers’ dreams are never fulfilled, they are always Transcended. ~ Alfred Lord Whitehead
• I am an artist at living — my work of art is my life. ~ Suzuki
• The price of greatness is responsibility over each of your thoughts ~ Winston Churchill
• One must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind him to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and a mystery

On India:

• A land whose ancient culture and mystical traditions had always fascinated him.
• The beauty of the ancient temples that were strewn across the mystical landscape of India, edifices that stood as loyal gatekeepers to the wisdom of the ages. He said he was moved by the sacredness of these surroundings.
• Time on this in this exotic land was like a personal odyssey of the self.
• An intellectually stimulating place that he rarely thought of all he had left.
• The majesty of the snowcapped peaks of the Himalayas made his heart beat faster and, for one long moment, took his breath away. He felt a oneness with his surroundings, a kind of kinship that two old friends might enjoy after many years spent listening to each other’s innermost thoughts and laughing at each other’s jokes. The fresh mountain air cleared his mind and energized his spirit. Having traveled the world many times over, Julian had thought he had seen it all. But he had never seen beauty like this. The wonders which he drank at that magical time were an exquisite tribute to the symphony of nature
• The Sivanas had striking features that left Julian mesmerized and caused him to simply stop and stare for what seemed like an eternity. His eyes were catlike and so penetrating that Julian was forced to look away. His olive-complexioned skin was supple and smooth. His body looked strong and powerful. And though the man’s hands gave away the fact that he was not young, he radiated such an abundance of youthfulness and vitality that Julian felt hypnotized by what appeared before him, much like a child watching the magician at his first magic show. His serenity and peace made him appear angelic in nature, and enlightened in substance. He moved with poise and purpose. Other Sivanas didn't speak, choosing instead to respect the tranquility of this place by performing their tasks in silence. Each of them looked calm, healthy, and deeply contented. None of them had wrinkles. None of them had gray hair. None of them looked old.

Teaching of Sivana:

• Six hundred and seventy-two hours of inner work to profoundly improve every waking moment of the rest of the life
• You will have more energy, enthusiasm, and inner harmony than you have had in, perhaps, your entire life. People will actually begin telling you that you look younger and happier. A lasting sense of well-being and balance will swiftly return to your life.
• Twin disciplines of personal mastery and self-responsibility would keep from returning to the chaos of crisis that had characterized his life in the West.
• Physical vitality and spiritual strength followed the changes in Julian’s attitude. Julian felt as if he could do anything, be anything and unlock the infinite potential that he learned was inside every one of us. He started to cherish life and to see the divinity in every aspect of it.
• Success on the outside means nothing unless you also have success within. There is a huge difference between well-being and being well-off. Self-mastery and the consistent care of one’s mind, body, and soul are essential to finding one’s highest self and living the life of one’s dreams.
• How can you care for others if you cannot even care for yourself? How can you do good if you don’t even feel good? I can’t love you if I cannot love myself. It is only when you have mastered the art of loving yourself that you can truly love others.
• It’s only when you have opened your own heart that you can touch the hearts of others. When you feel centered and alive, you are in a much better position to be a better person
• You truly cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought — not even one. The most joyful, dynamic, and contented people in this world are no different from you or me in terms of their makeup. We are all flesh and bones. We all come from the same universal source.
• The ones who do more than just exist, the ones who fan the flames of their human potential and truly savor the magical dance of life do different things than those whose lives are ordinary. Foremost among the things that they do is adopt a positive paradigm about their world and all that is in it.
• On an average day, the average person runs about sixty thousand thoughts through his mind. Ninety-five percent of those thoughts were the same as the ones thought the day before.
• This is the tyranny of impoverished thinking. Those people who think the same thoughts every day, most of them negative, have fallen into bad mental habits. Rather than focusing on all the good in their lives and thinking of ways to make things even better, they are captives of their pasts. Some of them worry about failed relationships or financial problems. Others fret over their less-than-perfect childhoods. Still, others brood over more trifling matters
• Mind management is the essence of life Management.
• We unknowingly blocks the enormous potential of our mind to work magic and deliver into her life all that she wants, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
• There is no such thing as objective reality or ‘the real world.’ There are no absolutes. The face of your greatest enemy might be the face of my finest friend. An event that appears to be a tragedy to one might reveal the seeds of unlimited opportunity to another. What really separates people who are habitually upbeat and optimistic from those who are consistently miserable are how the circumstances of life are interpreted and processed.
• There are no mistakes in life, only lessons. There is no such thing as a negative experience, only opportunities to grow, learn and advance along the road of self-mastery. From struggle comes strength. Even pain can be a wonderful teacher.
• To transcend pain, you must first experience it. Or to put it another way, how can you really know the joy of being on the summit of the mountain unless you have first visited the lowest valley?
• Stop judging events as either positive or negative. Rather, simply experience them, celebrate them, and learn from them. Every event offers you lessons. These little lessons fuel your inner and outer growth. Without them, you would be stuck on a plateau. Once you consistently apply this principle to your daily life and start to condition your mind to translate every event into a positive, empowering one, you will banish worry forever. You will stop being a prisoner of your past. Instead, you will become the architect of your future.
• From tonight onwards, forget about the past. Dare to dream that you are more than the sum of your current circumstances. Expect the best. You will be astonished at the results.
• Continuous self-discovery - In the fable, the garden is a symbol of 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.
• 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.
• When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all of your thoughts break their bonds: your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties, and talents become alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person than you ever dreamed yourself to be.
• 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 have taken the time to train it to focus on the good. Then you will install the vibrant mindset you are looking for. The mind truly is like any other muscle in your body. Use it or lose it.
• If you want to strengthen the muscles of your arm to achieve more, you must train them. If you want to toughen up your leg muscles, you must first exert them. Similarly, your mind will do wonderful things for you if you will only let it. It will attract all that you desire into your life, once you learn how to operate it effectively. It will create ideal health if you care for it properly. And it will return to its natural state of peacefulness and tranquility — if you have the vision to ask for it. The boundaries of life are merely creations of the self.
• 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. To live a more peaceful, meaningful life, you must think more peaceful, meaningful thoughts.”
• The very fact that you have a desire or a dream means that you have the corresponding capacity to realize it.
• To liberate the power of the mind, you must first be able to harness it and direct its focus only to the task at hand. The moment you concentrate the focus of your mind on a singular purpose, extraordinary gifts will appear in your life.
• When you concentrate your mind’s tremendous power on definite, meaningful objectives, you will quickly ignite the flames of your personal potential and produce startling results
• What is it that you are searching for? Do you want to be a better father and live a more balanced, rewarding life? Do you desire more spiritual fulfillment? Is it adventure and fun that you feel you are lacking? How about eternal happiness?
• Once you are concentrating your mental power and energy on a pursuit that you love, abundance flows into your life, and all your desires are fulfilled with ease and grace.”
• Once you find out what your life’s work is, your world will come alive. You will wake up every morning with a limitless reservoir of energy and enthusiasm. All your thoughts will be focused on your definite objective. You won’t have time to waste time. Valuable mental power will not, therefore, be wasted on trifling thoughts. You will automatically erase the worry habit and become far more effective and productive. Interestingly, you will also have a deep sense of inner harmony, as if you are somehow being guided to realize your mission.
• Those who rise with the sun all have one thing in common. They all have a purpose that fans the flames of their inner potential. They are driven by their priorities, but not in an unhealthy, obsessive way. It is more effortless and gentle than that. And given their enthusiasm and love for what they are doing in their lives, such people live in the moment. Their attention is fully and completely on the task at hand. Therefore, there are no energy leaks. These people are the most vibrant and vital individuals you will ever have the good fortune to meet
• 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.
• All I do is think. As a matter of fact, part of my problem is that I think too much. My mind never stops. It is filled with mental chatter — it drives me crazy sometimes.
• Saying that you don’t have time to improve your thoughts and your life is like saying you don’t have time to stop for gas because you are too busy driving.
• Opposition Thinking. Under the grand laws of Nature, the mind can only hold one thought at any one time. The process is straightforward: when an undesirable thought occupies the focal point of your mind, immediately replace it with an uplifting one. It’s as if your mind is a giant slide projector, with every thought in your mind being a slide. Whenever a negative slide comes up on the screen, take swift action to replace it with a positive one
• Step one: become aware about thinking these uninspiring thoughts. Self-knowledge is the stepping stone to self-mastery.
• Step two: appreciate once and for all that just as easily as you allowed those gloomy thoughts to enter, you can replace them with cheerful ones. So think of the opposite of gloom. Concentrate on being cheerful and energetic. Feel that you are happy. Perhaps you might even start to smile. Move your body as you do when you are joyful and full of enthusiasm. Sit up straight, breathe deeply, and train the power of your mind on positive thoughts. You will notice a remarkable difference in the way you feel within minutes. Even more importantly, if you keep up your practice of Opposition Thinking, applying it to every negative thought that habitually visits your mind, within weeks you will see that they no longer hold any power.
• Thoughts are vital, living things, little bundles of energy. Most people don’t give any thought to the nature of their thoughts and yet, the quality of your thinking determines the quality of your life. Thoughts are just as much a part of the material world as the lake you swim in or the street you walk on. Weak minds lead to weak actions. A strong, disciplined mind, which anyone can cultivate through daily practice, can achieve miracles. If you want to live life to the fullest, care for your thoughts as you would your most prized possessions. Work hard to remove all inner turbulence. The rewards will be abundant.
• A worrisome thought is like an embryo: it starts off small but grows and grows. Soon it takes on a life of its own
• Understand once and for all that your mind has magnetic power to attract all that you desire into your life. If there is a lack in your life it is because there is a lack in your thoughts.
• Hold wonderful pictures in your mind’s eye. Even one negative image is poisonous to your mindset.
• Every second you spend thinking about someone else’s dreams you take time away from your own.
• Fatigue is a creation of the mind. Fatigue dominates the lives of those who are living without direction and dreams. So tiredness is a mental creation, a bad habit your mind has cultivated to act as a crutch when you are performing a tedious task.
• Your interest and mental focus give you energy. This evening, your mind has not been in the past nor has it been in the future. It has been squarely focused on the present, on our conversation. When you consistently direct your mind to live in the present you will always have boundless energy, no matter what time the clock reflects.
• The purpose of life is a life of purpose
• Dharma is based upon the ancient principle that says every one of us has a heroic mission while we walk this Earth. We have all been granted a unique set of gifts and talents that will readily allow us to realize this lifework. The key is to discover them, and in doing so, discover the main objective of your life.
• Self-knowledge is the DNA of self-enlightenment. It is a very good, indeed essential, thing
• The happiness you are searching for comes through reflecting on the worthy aims you are dedicated to achieving and then taking action daily to advance them. This is a direct application of the timeless philosophy that prescribes that those things that are most important should never be sacrificed to those things that are the least important
• People spend their whole lives dreaming of becoming happier, living with more vitality, and having an abundance of passion. Yet they do not see the importance of taking even ten minutes a month to write out their goals and to think deeply about the meaning of their lives, their Dharma. Goal-setting will make your life magnificent. Your world will become richer, more delightful, and more magical.”
• As a football player in high school, my coach had constantly spoken of the importance of knowing what we wanted from every game. “Know your outcome” was his personal creed, and our team wouldn’t dream of stepping onto the playing field without a clear game plan that would lead us to victory. I wondered why, as I had grown older, I had never taken the time to develop a game plan for my own life.
• We each think about 60,000 thoughts on an average day. By writing out your desires and goals on a piece of paper, you send a red flag to your subconscious mind that these thoughts are far more important than the remaining 59,999 other ones. Your mind will then start to seek out all opportunities to realize your destiny like a guided missile. It is really a very scientific process. Most of us are simply not aware of it.
• You change your life the moment you set your goals and start to seek out your Dharma
• There is nothing wrong with mapping out a full range of smaller goals in the process of planning your bigger ones.
• Buy a journal — a cheap coil notepad will do. Call this your Dream Book and fill it with all your desires, objectives, and dreams. Get to know yourself and what you are all about. Divide your Dream Book into separate sections for goals: physical fitness, financial, personal empowerment, relationship, and social, and spiritual goals.
• Never do anything because you have to. The only reason to do something is because you want to and because you know it is the right thing for you to do.
• Step 1: If this was to lose weight, every morning just after I woke up, I was to envision myself as a lean, fit person, full of vitality and boundless energy. The clearer this mental picture, the more effective the process would be. The mind was the ultimate treasure house of power and this simple act of “picturing” my goal would open the gateway to the actualization of this desire.
• Step 2: Get some positive pressure on me.
• Step 3: Never set a goal without attaching a timeline to it. To breathe life into a goal you must attach a precise deadline to it.
• Step 4: commit it to paper
• Step 5: Magic Rule of 21. Do for 3 weeks.
• A day without laughter or a day without love was a day without life. Make sure that you have fun while you are advancing along the path of your goals and purpose. Never forget the importance of living with unbridled exhilaration. Never neglect to see the exquisite beauty in all living things. Today and this very moment that you and I are sharing is a gift. Remain spirited, joyful, and curious. Stay focused on your lifework and on giving selfless service to others. The universe will take care of everything else. This is one of nature’s truest laws.
• Reclaim the joy of waking up every morning full of energy and exhilaration. Breathe the fire of passion into all that you do. You will quickly reap great material, as well as spiritual, rewards
• What lies behind you and what lies in front of you is nothing when compared to what lies within you.
• Success on the outside begins with success on the inside. If you really want to improve your outer world, whether this means your health, your relationships or your finances, you must first improve your inner world. The most effective way to do this is through the practice of continuous self-improvement. Self-mastery is the DNA of life mastery.
• Improving your inner world is self-improvement and personal expansion and it is the best thing you can do for yourself. You might think that you are too busy to spend time working on yourself. This would be a very big mistake. You see, when you have taken the time to build a strong character full of discipline, energy, power and optimism, you can have anything and do anything you want in your outer world. When you have cultivated a deep sense of faith in your abilities and an indomitable spirit, nothing can stop you from succeeding in all your pursuits and living with great rewards. Taking the time to master your mind, to care for the body, and to nourish your soul will put you in a position to develop more richness and vitality in your life.
• Epictetus: ‘No man is free who is not a master of himself’
• Take the time to cool down the high performance engine of your mind. Taking the time to renew yourself is the most important thing you can do. Ironically, taking timeout from your hectic schedule for self-improvement and personal enrichment will dramatically improve your effectiveness once you get back into it

TEN RITUALS OF RADIANT LIVING

• 1: Ritual of Solitude (pit-stop for soul): 15-50 min.

May do - Heart of the Rose that time. Consider it a rest break for that overheated car engine. Its purpose is self-renewal and this is accomplished by spending time alone, immersed in the beautiful blanket of silence. The key is to find a place of true quiet — and beauty. Beautiful images soothe a ruffled soul

• 2. Ritual of Physicality - care for the body so you care for the mind
• 3. Ritual of Live Nourishment - much of our lethargy is due to the low octane fuel we pump into our bodis
• 4. Ritual of Abundant Knowledge - lifelong learning and expanding your knowledge base for the good of yourself and all those around you. It requires that you use what you have learned in the classroom of your existence.
• 5. Power of inner contemplation. By taking the time to get to know yourself, you will connect to a dimension of your being that you never knew you had
• 6. Ritual of Early Awakening. Sunlight will release your vitality and restore your emotional and physical vibrancy. It is a delightful physician
• 7. Ritual of Music. Listen to pleasant music.
• 8. Ritual of the Spoken Word. Words affect the mind in a pronounced way. Whether they are spoken or written, they are powerful influences. While what you say to others is important, even more important is what you say to yourself. Mantras. - thrice a day. Affirmations. Simple such as: “I am inspired, disciplined and energized. Say out loud two or three hundred times. To maintain the supreme sense of self-confidence, repeat, ‘I am strong, able, and calm. Also to keep youthful and vital.
• If you believe that you are unable to do something, let’s say, live a stress-free life, your beliefs will affect your self-image. In turn, your self-image will prevent you from taking steps to create a serene life for yourself. It will actually sabotage any efforts you might make in this direction.
• 9. Ritual of a Congruent Character: Daily, incremental action to build your character. Strengthening character affects the way you see yourself and the actions you take. Actions form habits. Habits lead you to destiny.
• 10. Ritual of Simplicity. ‘one must never live in the thick of thin things. Focus only on your priorities.
• Fastest way to double or even triple the amount of energy I had was to learn the art of
• effective breathing.
• Try not to live your life bound by the shackles of your schedule Consider those who say that they do not have the time to back up their computers because they are too busy working on them. Yet, when those machines crash and months of important work is lost, they regret not investing a few moments a day in saving it.
• Some books are meant to be tasted, some books are meant to be chewed and, finally, some books are meant to be swallowed whole. Thirty minutes a day will make a delightful difference in your life because you will quickly start to see the vast reserves of knowledge available for your use.
• Every answer to every problem you have ever faced is in print. If you want to be a better lawyer, father, friend, or lover, there are books out there that will rocket you to those goals. All the mistakes you will ever make in your life have already been made by those that have walked before you. Do you really think that the challenges you are facing are unique to you?
• Through the steel of discipline, you will forge a character rich with courage and peace. Through the virtue of will, you are destined to rise to life’s highest ideal and live within a heavenly mansion filled with all that is good, joyful and vital. Without them, you are lost like a mariner without a compass, one who eventually sinks with his ship.
• Profound shift happens in the blink of an eye, the very moment you decide from the deepest core of your being that you will raise your life to its highest level. In that instant, you will be a changed person, one set on the course of his destiny.
• I can actually build discipline, the way people build biceps at the local gym
• Developing the power of your will can erase the worry habit, keep you healthy and give you far more energy than you have ever had
• Thoughts are physical things and they are fully in our control. People have no idea that they have the power to control every single thought they think every second of every minute of every day. They believe that thoughts just happen and have never realized that if you don’t take the time to start controlling your thoughts, they will control you. When you start to focus on good thoughts only and refuse to think the bad ones through sheer willpower, they shrivel up very quickly.
• Keep your body still, as the surest sign of a weak mind is a body that cannot rest.
• Repeat at least thirty times a day. Sit still in a quiet place, with your eyes closed. Do not let your mind wander. While you do so, see yourself as a disciplined, firm person, fully in control of your mind, your body, and your spirit. Picture yourself acting as Gandhi etc.
• जितना मैं दिखता हूं, उससे कहीं ज्यादा दुनिया की सारी ताकत मेरे अंदर है। I am more than I appear to be, all the world’s strength and power rests inside me.’
• Wage war against the weaker thoughts that have crept into the palace of your mind. They will see that they are unwanted and leave like unwelcome visitors.
• ‘If youth only knew, if age only could.” By the time most people figure out what they really want and how to go about attaining it, it’s usually too late.
• Time slips through our hands like grains of sand, never to return. Being an excellent time manager doesn’t mean that you must become a workaholic. On the contrary, time mastery allows you more time to do the things you love to do, the things that are truly meaningful. Time mastery leads to life mastery. Guard time well. It’s a non-renewable resource. Time management was not just something to focus on at the office and discard at closing time. It was a holistic system that could make all areas of my life more balanced and fulfilling, if I applied it correctly.
• Stop living your life in compartments and understand once and for all that all you do forms one indivisible whole. The way you act at home affects the way you act at work. The way you treat people at the office affects the way you will treat your family and friends.
• Enlightened people are priority driven.
• Some people learn from the errors others have made. They are the wise. Others feel that true learning comes only from personal experience. Such people endure needless pain and distress over the course of their lives.
• You must be ruthless with your time. Learn to say no. Having the courage to say no to the little things in life will give you the power to say yes to the big things. Ironically, people will respect you more when they see that you are a person who values his time. They will realize that your time is precious and they will value it.”
• The most productive people in this world have cultivated the habit of doing the things that less productive people don’t like doing, even though they too might not like doing them.
• Act as if failure is impossible, and your success will be assured. Wipe out every thought of not achieving your objectives, whether they are material or spiritual. Be brave, and set no limits on the workings of your imagination. Never be a prisoner of your past. Become the architect of your future.
• The quality of your life ultimately comes down to the quality of your contribution. To cultivate the sacredness of each day, live to give. By elevating the lives of others, your life reaches its highest dimensions
• Live for today — there will never be another one quite like it never put off happiness for the sake of achievement. Never put off the things that are important for your well-being and satisfaction to a later time. Today is the day to live fully, not when you win the lottery or when you retire. Never put off living
• Just as the sumo wrestler found lasting fulfillment and joy by walking the path of diamonds, you can have the life you deserve the very moment you start to understand that the path you are currently walking on is one rich with diamonds and other priceless treasures. Stop spending so much time chasing life’s big pleasures while you neglect the little ones. Slow things down. Enjoy the beauty and sacredness of all that is around you. You owe this to yourself.
• Even someone who let's say is financially and emotionally broke, can find an abundance of things to be thankful for. He still has his health, his loving family, and his good reputation in the community. He still has citizenship in this great country and a roof over his head. He has a masterful ability to work hard and the ability to dream big dreams.
• When you kindle the fire of life that allows you to grow your destiny
• How will I know when I reach this state of enlightenment? Little hints will appear to confirm your entrance. You will start to notice the holiness in everything that is around you.
• A life overflowing with wonders is built day by day, block by block. Small victories lead to large victories. Tiny, incremental changes and improvements such as those I have suggested will create positive habits. Positive habits will create results. And results will inspire you towards greater personal change. Begin to live each day as if it was your last. Starting today, learn more, laugh more, and do what you truly love to do. Do not be denied your destiny. What lies behind you and what lies in front of you matters little when compared to what lies within you.
• We are all here for some special reason. Stop being a prisoner of your past. Become the architect of your future.
• Techniques:
• Heart of the Rose technique
• Constant application of Opposition Thinking
• Magic of visualization: Use positive images to influence the mind

IMAGERY

Picture the following scene in my mind’s eye: You are sitting in the middle of a magnificent, lush, green garden. This garden is filled with the most spectacular flowers you have ever seen. The environment is supremely tranquil and silent. Savor the sensual delights of this garden and feel as if you have all the time in the world to enjoy this natural oasis. As you look around you see that in the center of this magical garden stands a towering, red lighthouse, six stories high. Suddenly, the silence of the garden is disturbed by a loud creaking as the door at the base of the lighthouse opens. Out stumbles a nine-foot-tall, nine-hundred-pound Japanese sumo wrestler who casually wanders into the center of the garden. As this sumo wrestler starts to move around the garden, he finds a shiny gold stopwatch that someone had left behind many years earlier. He slips it on and falls to the ground with an enormous thud. The sumo wrestler is rendered unconscious and lies there, silent and still. Just when you think he has taken his last breath, the wrestler awakens, perhaps stirred by the fragrance of some fresh yellow roses blooming nearby. Energized, the wrestler jumps swiftly to his feet and intuitively looks to his left. He is startled by what he sees. Through the bushes at the very edge of the garden, he observes a long winding path covered by millions of sparkling diamonds. Something seems to instruct the wrestler to take the path, and to his credit, he does. This path leads him down the road of everlasting joy and eternal bliss.

The garden, the lighthouse, the sumo wrestler, the pink wire cable, the stopwatch, the roses, and the winding path of diamonds are symbols of the seven timeless virtues for an enlightened life.

1. Magnificent Garden - Inspiring thoughts - Master your mind
2. Lighthouse - follow your purpose - purpose of life is a life of purpose
3. Sumo Wrestler - practise Kaizen, constant self-expansion and progress
4. Pink wire cable - live with self-control and discipline
5. Shiny gold stopwatch he slips on - respect the most important commodity — time
6. Rose - Selflessly serve others
7. The path of diamonds - living in the now - Embrace the present