{"id":18087,"date":"2020-11-20T20:24:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-21T00:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=18087"},"modified":"2020-11-24T12:45:06","modified_gmt":"2020-11-24T16:45:06","slug":"the-monk-who-sold-his-ferrari-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-monk-who-sold-his-ferrari-book\/","title":{"rendered":"The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari Book: Learn Happiness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari<\/em> book about? What are the important lessons from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari<\/em> by Robin Sharma?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari<\/em> by Robin Sharma is about simplifying your life<\/a> and focusing on your purpose<\/a>. In The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari<\/em> book, a rich and successful<\/a> attorney gives everything up and goes on a quest of discovery in India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more about The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari<\/em> book and the lessons it offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari<\/em> Book<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari <\/em>book teaches a series of lessons about how to live a simple, fulfilling, and ultimately happy life. The lessons are given in the form of a parable, as Julian\u2014once a wealthy lawyer, now a much poorer but much happier monk\u2014teaches a former colleague named John what he\u2019s learned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Death and Rebirth<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After suffering a heart attack mid-trial, Julian gives up practicing law and travels to India to find meaning and balance in his life. Three years later he comes back fit, happy, and healthier than he\u2019s been in decades. John is amazed by his transformation, and Julian promises to teach his former colleague what he learned during his time away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main virtues Julian teaches are caring for your mind<\/a>, finding a purpose, improving yourself<\/a>, practicing self-control, managing your time<\/a>, serving others<\/a>, and living in the moment. <\/strong>These virtues are introduced by a short fable, which may appear nonsensical at first: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine that you are sitting in a beautiful garden, with a red lighthouse at the center of it. Out of the lighthouse comes an enormous sumo wrestler, who is naked except for a pink wire cable worn as underwear. He finds a gold watch and puts it on, then immediately falls to the ground unconscious. He is soon awakened by the smell of nearby roses and leaps to his feet with renewed energy. He looks to his left and sees a path of diamonds stretching into the distance. He follows the path and it leads him to eternal happiness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of the seven virtues are represented by a metaphor in the story. Most of the rest of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari <\/em>book is dedicated to explaining and exploring those metaphors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tend the Garden of Your Mind<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The beautiful garden is a metaphor for your mind <\/strong>in The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari<\/em> by Robin Sharma. Just like you have to watch and tend a garden, you should watch and tend the thoughts that you allow into your mind. When you let your garden get polluted with worries and anxieties, you waste your mental energy<\/a> and can cause serious long-term damage to your creativity, motivation, and even your general mood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your mind is the one thing in the world that you have total control of. You can\u2019t always control what happens, but you can control how you respond to it. Therefore, learning how to manage your thoughts is key to learning how to manage your life<\/a>. However, to master your mind you have to exercise it, just like you would train a muscle. Two powerful techniques for this are meditation<\/a> and Opposition Thinking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow the Lighthouse of Purpose<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The lighthouse is a metaphor for purpose<\/strong> in The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari<\/em> book. The lighthouse guides you through hard times like a lighthouse guides ships through dark nights and storms. Everybody on Earth has a purpose, and special talents and gifts to help accomplish it. Fulfilling your own purpose is the only way to live a truly fulfilling life<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, your purpose should be something that helps people in some way. Whether it\u2019s teaching them the secrets of enlightenment, like Julian, or painting lovely pictures for them to enjoy, your purpose should somehow enrich the lives of others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Constantly Train and Improve, Like a Sumo Wrestler<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The sumo wrestler is a metaphor for kaizen<\/em>, a Japanese word that can be translated as continuous, endless self-improvement. <\/strong>In this case, it means constantly training and improving your inner self<\/a>. Improving yourself is one key to improving your life, according to The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari<\/em> book. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three things lead to a rich and balanced life<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n