My 10 Key Takeaways from the book Think Like A Monk by Jay Shetty
Think Like A Monk by Jay Shetty is a book that got my mind fully optimized to the concept that you can actually make sacrifices to achieve what you want in life. It is all about keeping an open mind toward the various possibilities that will surely come your way in your respective field. The author did a good job of using his life as a tool in explaining the various ways one could live a purpose-driven life. I truly became inspired and grew much respect for him when he spoke about how he left his degree and the life he had behind, in order to chase a new beginning as a monk.
So as I have decided to always write an article on my LinkedIn page about vital lessons I could grab from books, here are my 10 Key Takeaways from Think Like A Monk:
One thing that is certain no matter how hard you may try is that you cannot keep living in the footstep or shadows of another person. Yea, it is fine to emulate certain traits but deciding to do everything the person does is just a total waste of time. We are all unique and different in our special way which is part of the spice added to us being humans. At some point, we will want to map out our path, take a different route and live how our lives, however, we see fit. So the first lesson says it is better to live on your terms with the imperfections that come with it than to live someone else's life filled with perfection.
The world is filled with so much noise and expectations of how people are meant to live their life, build their careers, and even find a spouse. We are constantly in the business of being told what to do even right from a young age by our parents and even society at large. All these and even more come with special benefits which could help us build our morals and integrity, but the problem comes in when we get lost in who we are or the person we aspire to become. It is cool to listen to what people have to say like it is well known that experience is the best teacher, and most times it does not have to be our experience, yet we also need to have it at the back of our minds when to stop living our lives strictly on what others have to start and start making choices for ourselves. This skill is one thing that is crucial to every human, especially the upcoming youth who are in the process of building a future for themselves.
The environment we spend our time around has the power to influence our decisions and life in general. Show me one to five of your friends and I will tell you who you are, I am sure you must have heard this once or twice and I must tell you it is quite true. Sometimes it does not mean people could literally tell who you are as a person correctly but the person would be able to get a glimpse of the kind of personality you are developing through the influence of people you constantly engage with. Strive to be surrounded by people who inspire you to be a better version of yourself and appreciate you for the effort you are putting in. It is quite helpful and no matter how much you try, we all need a network of people when building our self-worth but bear in mind you all should share a common value.
It is not all about criticizing yourself for the wrong things or bad flaws. It is cool to check ourselves from time to time to see what we have done right and what we might be doing wrong. Even when we do this, we should remember to look for the good in others too even when it could be hard to find one. This does not only help the other person but it will surely help us as well because when you see the good in others it becomes easier to see the good in ourselves. It is a lot easier to be a critic of all the possible bad things we can find but it requires a lot more positive energy to spot and appreciate the good around us no matter how small it may be.
Through this lesson, I came to the understanding that money is not the only form of wealth even though it is the most influential. Time is also a form of wealth, and one thing that is common with this form of wealth is the fact that it is assigned equally to every single person on planet earth. Others may have more money or better opportunities but one thing we all have is the same 24 hours to spend it however we see fit. So why spend it carelessly? We have to be cautious of how we spend our time and whom we spend it with as it flies fast before our eyes. Time waits for no man so spend it wisely.
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Whatever you find yourself doing is what doing well even if it is a conversation with a friend. One thing people love is a person that listens to their thoughts and what they have to say no matter how funny it may sound. And you will absolutely be amazed by what you can learn by only listening to people speak. Constant devotion to what you are doing is enough to bring out the best in you beyond your imagination.
In the world we live in today, information plays a vital role in all aspects of life, be it your career, personal development, and success, which is why we are all a product of what we feed our minds on. The mind is a strong tool and what we feed it can determine how far we can go in life. If you feed it with pessimism and negative thoughts, that is what you will get but if you feed it with positivity and optimism, that is also what you will get. It is all about being conscious of what you feed on or spend your time on.
As humans, we all have voices that speak within our minds especially when we try to make a choice. This voice could be two in number giving alternative thoughts or contradicting ideas but the only way to override these voices is when we speak to them and listen to what they have to say with a clear mind in weighing the options and outcomes of each voice. This is quite helpful as it will give a better understanding of who we are as people.
A true revelation of the person you are reflects when you are alone and nobody is watching. We tend to exhibit our true selves in the presence of no public attention and concentration. We can pay close attention to the things we do behind closed doors and closed cotton if we are interested in discovering who we are as this will say a lot more than any biography can.
A true lesson that grabbed my attention is the fact that the author mentions we should forget the bad others have done too and also forget the good we have to do for others, as this will help in building a purpose-driven life and give a clear conscience in appreciating the person we are. Forgetting the bad will help to clear the conscience and give peace while forgetting the good we have done will help in not allowing accomplishments to get to our heads.
All right, if you made it this far, here are my 10 key lessons from the book and I highly recommend you try the book out.