By Victor Ochieng’
When you will be on your deathbed set to meet your maker in that land of no return, only three questions will dance in your mortal mind: Did I live wisely? Did I love well? Did I serve greatly?
The Saint, The Surfer and The CEO by Robin Sharma, a beautiful book written in an elegant fictional éclat — explores these three quality questions. It is a juicy story of Jack Valentine, a man whose path in life is somewhat similar to that of Robin Sharma. Feeling incomplete in life, Jack sets out on a quality quest to live a happier, healthier, and more beautiful life. He convenes life-changing meetings with three talented teachers — the saint, the surfer, and the CEO. Through it all, he unearths a fine philosophy that shapes his reality, and ultimately directs his destiny.
Therefore, this treasure trove acts as a good guide that can lift your gift, and make you shine like a star in any sphere. It can transform fears into freedom and wounds into wisdom. This house of gold enshrines life lessons that can guide avid readers to attain mind mastery and management. Reading it to acquire humble, simple, but stupendous strategies: to help you forge relationships in life rife with love and laughter.
The epic peak of one mountain should be the bottom of the next one for you; for human exploration should be a never-ending adventure. Each day brings greater clarity, more certainty, and new blessings. You may not enjoy books that much, but you must strive to love and cherish them. For Judah ibn-Tibbon advised, “Make thy books thy companions. Let thy cases and shelves be thy pleasure grounds and gardens.”
One idea read in a heroic book has the power to transform your life. The only challenge is that we do not know which iconic book contains that one brilliant thought that would cause great awareness and awakening. Therefore, your duty should be to look for that heroic book. Once you find it, have the personal courage to act on it so that the viable ideas therein come to fruition.
That is why I urge you to read this heroic book. For it will place in your humble hands tremendous tools that can aid you become a shining star in your career of choice. Hence, find umpteen ways to inject mystery and mastery in your brief life. The buying of more books than you can read is nothing less than the soul-searching toward infinity — and this useful passion is the only thing that raises us above the beasts that come: rejoice, prance, dance, dash and perish.
As we move through life, we have to juggle a number of different balls. Some balls, like the one that represents careers, are made of rubber. If we drop them, they have the ability to bounce back better — enabling us to build back better. Some balls are made of glass — family is one of those delicate balls. If you drop it — everything shatters like glass. Ugh!
Again, the most grievous goof also carry largest lessons. The unique technique or trick in life is to turn hindsight into foresight in order to reveal insight. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with making and mending mistakes. For that is how human beings grow and glow. We accept to make mistakes. The only important thing is that we should not keep repeating them. In a world where most people live on the outside, strive to live in the inside. In a world where people run away from their fears, purpose to run towards them. Strive to know more about yourself so that you can be more for the world: the humble habitat of humankind.
The best treasures a person will ever discover are those hidden within their heart. The greatest gifts of life are the inner gifts, which manifest to those who wield courage, and can see beyond the sea. It is only when we deeply and emotionally connect to the fact that our lives are short and transient or our hours are limited ― then we can fully live, love, serve, and give every bit of ourselves to our waking moments.
Live like a pencil and you will have a fine life. Many people live their lives like rounded edge. Yet, the exquisite beauty of life behooves them to sharpen their focus, and live to the point. The greatest and glorious masterpiece of human beings is to live to the point. All other things are at most but inconsiderable appendages. No one should live as if they have all the time in this old and wide world. Life is a fragile gift. It should be lived right now. Our world is a very wise place, and our lives unfold according to a series of natural laws that are nothing less than brilliant. We human beings think that our lives are governed by random events and that the people who enter and exit do so, purely by chance, not choice.
You were born to present your gifts to the world. Albeit, the way it is set up, is that before you can shine as a person, you must get to know yourself, examine your limiting beliefs, and analyse false assumptions you have about what you can be. You have to face your fears, and move through them. Open your heart and be concerned about happiness and bliss of other people than that of your own self.
Only when we go into the feelings and longings that most of us run away from, that we shall find our greatest answers. Our feelings wields winsome wisdom. They carry the knowledge of our subconscious minds, which acts as the umbilical cord to the wisdom of the universe. The starting point of enlightenment, a goal that every person should strive for, is inner leadership. Leadership is all about personal responsibility, self-discovery and creation of value in the world by the people we become. The only way to lift your life to a lofty level is to act like a legendary leader, and take full responsibility over your life. For age is not the mark of maturity, but the ability to take responsibility.
Therefore, be a spiritual human being. Be an authentic human being. Live under your noblest personal values. Be true in the way you conduct your life. See the world in a more evolved and enlightened way. To have more of what you desire in your life, you must first become more of who you really are. To become useful and successful, it is not really about doing more, it is about being more. To have a new life, you must first think, feel, and act like a new person. For in life, we ultimately do not really get what we want, we get what we are.
The purpose of life, in so many ways, is to come to terms with our darkness so that we can live in our light. We all have our blind spots — and we need to acknowledge them into the light of awareness. Personal change brings up our oldest and deepest demons. As we grow more into our light, our dark sides manifests and part of us fights to stay small, clinging to our old ways of thinking, feeling, acting. Being true to yourself lifts your life to a new level and awareness. It awakens your best self. William Shakespeare captured it carefully, “To thy own self, be true.” From a metaphorical point of view, when you align your outer world with your inner world, the universe throws its winds beneath your wings. It sends you more of its tremendous treasures.
The secret of passion is purpose. Once you find your calling — that compelling cause that you can give your life over to — your heart will begin to sing, rejoice and dance. You will have more purpose, passion, power and inner peace than you could have imagined. Discovering a powerful dream that you can live your life by will give you immense power, drive, and energy. A powerful dream brings you hope and help. Focus will flood your days because you will know exactly what you have been placed on this prodigal planet to do. The man who succeeds above his fellows is the one who early in life clearly discerns his object — and towards that object habitually directs his powers.
Even genius itself is but fine observation strengthened by fixity of purpose. Every man who observes vigilantly and resolves steadfastly grows unconsciously, into genius. Albert Einstein sagely said, “Everyone is born a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, then it will live the rest of its life thinking that it is stupid.”
The genius of a fish is to swim swiftly in the water. The genius of a monkey is to move from tree to tree with agility of a cobra. The genius of birds is to sing mellifluously while perched on top of trees. Maya Angelou observed, “Birds sing not because they have answers, but because they have songs to sing.”
Your life begins to experience transformation when you begin to follow your heart. It is important to follow your heart because it contains a higher intelligence than that contained within your head. Accessing the wisdom of the heart connects you with the larger wisdom of the world. It opens up doorway into the heart of the universe.
Life is all about striking a beautiful balance. Getting the head and the heart working as teammates, as life partners. Live a life that is wise, yet kind; practical yet spontaneous; courageous yet caring; responsible yet passionate. One of the things you can do to reconnect with your heart is to rekindle the passions that have died within you. Start doing the things that, in the past, filled that big heart of yours. Begin to do what speaks to the passionate kid within you, and tickles you to the core. Rediscover the things that move you and bring tears to your eyes — after all, the place where tears are brought to your eyes is the place where the universe wants you to be.
Every morning you should ask yourself these five questions to help you connect with your deepest wisdom. How would I live out this day if I knew it was my last? What do I have to be grateful for in my life? What one thing could I do today to help make my life extraordinary? What can I do to make today incredibly fun? How can I help someone today?
The reviewer is an avid reader, author and putative public speaker.
