Book Review: The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma

If I was to give one book to all the people in the world who want to make big changes in their life, this would be it. Not because it’s the best self-development book I’ve read. “Think and Grow Rich” remains the granddaddy for me (in fact, it is even mentioned in THIS book!). Not because it’s had the biggest impact on my life; “The Power of Now” and “Conversations With God” both switched on lightbulbs within me that this one never did. The reason I would choose it is because out of all those books, this is the easiest to digest.

Eckhart Tolle’s works can be very hard to wrap your head around – they aren’t fun reads! And the very concept of a man talking to god will immediately put up a barrier with many people.  Napolean Hill wrote his book almost a century ago, so is very dated in style. “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” however, is a very easy, modern,  read; more like a novel (because it’s not actually a true story) and just about anyone can easily understand the concepts and relate to the two main characters.

THE STORY

This is the story of Julian Mantle, a lawyer who drove himself into the ground through his hectic lifestyle, to the point of a heart attack. This prompted him to quit his career and also his millionaire lifestyle to disappear to the other side of the world. He returns years later and tells the story of his epic transformation triggered by time spent living with Monks in a  remote mountain region. He relays The 7 Timeless Virtues of Enlightened Living (which he learned from the monks) to his protegé at the law firm – a man heading potentially down the same destructive path. A man, as with myself and so many of you reading this, who isn’t content with life and is looking for a better way of living. These 7 Virtues are basically a blueprint for a happy life:

1. Master Your Mind

2. Follow Your Purpose

3. Practice Kaizen (commitment to continual learning and development)

4. Live With Discipline

5. Respect Your Time

6. Selflessly Serve Others

7. Embrace the Present

These are all things I talk about on the blog and all things I put int practice every day. So I can vouch for their effectiveness.

The one thing I didn’t like is that, well, it’s not really a great story. I was expecting something a bit more of an exciting read, based on a real life experience but it’s really just a fable and one that isn’t well written in terms of entertainment value. That said, the message of the book and the info inside is of such value that you shouldn’t approach it as you would a novel. It’s more like a guide to perfect living; with actionable points as you go through.

This is for people who want to make big changes in their life and whilst there are much deeper books out there, this one will be much easier to digest than most. That’s not to say that the knowledge isn’t profound; it very much is. But some people just won’t be ready for the likes of Conversations With God – as I wouldn’t have been, 2 or 3 years ago. However, I might just have been ready for The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari.

One of my favourite quotes:

“There is an ancient saying in India: “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” I now understand my role in the universe. I see what I am. I am no longer in the world. The world is in me.”