The Secret Letters of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
BY: ROBIN SHARMA
Chapter 1
Jonathan starting a new life as he recently divorced, only can see his child Adam on the weekends as he dropped him off late to school and starting bad habits with work
work was taking over his life as he couldn’t see his child often — Annisha the ex wife now, would be upset when these things happens
Jonathan now a separate dad, went to work with more and more tasks and had always thought of a co-worker, Tessa after the divorce
gets a call from his mother about cousin Julian — needs help
Jonathan doesn’t remember much about Julian except his red Ferrari, remembers he wanted a life like Julian’s
but now his mother is telling him about how Julian sold his Ferrari and quit his high paying job to live a simple life and studied with the monks who live deep in the Himalayas
his mom bought a ticket to Argentina for him and told him that he needed to see Julian — Jonathan still didn’t know why he needed to spend time with a distant cousin when he barely had time with Adam and Annisha
Chapter 2
Jonathan landed in Buenos Aires and met with Julian at a dance studio — he looked a lot younger
confused with so many questions, Julian invited Johnathan in to chat
Julian tells Jonathan his life story as he was a successful litigator in terms of money and status — but was taking a toll on him where he had a heart attack in court one day
Julian tells Jonathan about his journey living with the monks in the Himalayas and how they gave him the talismans
now he wants Jonathan to retrieve them from people around the world as Julian is unable, without reasoning — it will take about a month
Jonathan accepted, he was nervous as it been awhile since he began something new
Julian tells him before he leaves — ‘be joyful. It’s not everyday that you get to save a life’
Jonathan returned home and went to work to ask his boss for the days off
it didn’t go too well as his boss didn’t like the idea of a full month off and said that if they can do without him for a month then probably could do without him forever
realized that his boss didn’t really care for him as if he asked for this time off for his family, his boss would have said the same
one of the best gifts we can give ourselves is to get rid of our excuses
“life itself is a journey after all and what matters the most is not what you are getting, but who you are becoming”
Chapter 3
Jonathan lands in Istanbul to meet with Ahmet but still thinking about work
had to answer messages as work again was not going too well
the golden horn was one of the most beautiful sights Jonathan saw
as he and Ahmet walked around the streets, Jonathan got reminded of his parents how they loved travel and their curiosity — however his dad pasted from aortic embolism and his mom couldn’t bare to travel without him
as Jonathan and Ahmet got on Ahmet’s boat to go back to his village to retrieve the talisman, Ahmet tells him a bit about how Europe and Asia meets in the water but there’s a underwater river — how things are seldom simply what they appear to be
Ahmet asks Jonathan who he is really, getting to know someone may seem hard at first but it’s about the deeper conversations
Ahmet shared that his life was a lot on the water and many of his meaningful moments were on boats surrounded by water
but the sad thing is that most of us understand people for the surface level stuff — often we live our neighbours life, instead of our own
Ahmet gave Jonathan the talisman, one side sun and the other side moon and the folded parchment
The Power of Authenticity: most important gift we can give ourselves is the commitment to living our authentic life
to be true to ourselves, live life on our own terms under our own values and dreams
understand where we have been and know where where we are going
every decision we make, every step we take, must be informed by our commitment to living a life that is true and honest and authentic to ourselves
night and day were different as Jonathan and Ahmet travelling back to Istanbul — goes to show they are both versions are equally real
Chapter 4
Jonathan started to feel like he was ‘becoming’ like Julian said
he reflected on the plane to the next spot and realized that he might not be living his true life
pulled out the notebook and wrote down ‘who am I’ — had difficulty answering that
so he started with moments that were meaningful — on a hike with Annish on a mountain, birth of Adam, major project at work
Jonathan was excited for France and was meeting with a man named Antoine Gaucher — he admitted to the front desk clerk that he was claustrophobic which rarely anyone knows and got a room lower
he explored the streets of Paris and started to see if others were looking like they were living their authentic self
made his way to the catacombs and entering down narrow stairs, his fears of tight spaces got to him
true bravery can happen only in the face of fear — if you aren’t afraid, then how can your actions be brave?
he follows a man and finally gets to a spot where he sees the man leaves and now by himself surrounded by old human bones, he starts to feel a panic attack
then Antoine shows up and they sit down as he works there
‘we grow fearless by doing those things we fear’
Antoine gives Jonathan the parcel and needed to get back to work as Jonathan headed out, he tells him ‘bravery isn’t really something you feel. It’s something you show’
once Jonathan got out of the catacombs he opened the parcel and read the letter
Embrace your fears: what holds us back in life is the invisible architecture of fear — it keeps us in our comfort zones (the least safe places in which to live)
greatest risk in life is taking no risk
life on the other side of our fears lives our strength
every time we step into the discomfort of growth and progress, we become free
as Jonathan headed back to his hotel to clean up, he walked towards the elevator and got in and pressed 4, doors shut. Felt terrified but it was okay
Chapter 5
his next destination was Osaka Japan, a long flight from Paris and was crammed in the middle of the middle aisle
got a text from Julian when he landed stating that he will meet a women named Ayame
Jonathan could not find his baggage and got frustrated with the airlines and in the airport but all the Japanese workers were patient — met with Ayame and was able to help him out
life is a journey — doesn’t matter where you are going, just who you are becoming
Jonathan just got more frustrated and started questioning why he’s doing this
Ayame brought up a question, if Jonathan was worried about Julian as he asked him to collect the talisman — why, but he never really thought about it and was more concerned about himself
so he reflected — he wasn’t really living his true authentic self, he was moving ahead, but wasn’t going where he wanted. It was unhappiness with the texture of his life
needed to embrace his fears — exhilarated by the unknown
they explored the city a bit and Jonathan learned the dinner etiquette in Japan and he realized the difference in culture and respect — then Ayame gave him the talisman
Live With Kindness: no action, no matter how small is insignificant — how we treat someone defines how we treat everyone, including ourselves
must be kinder than expected, more generous than anticipated
every moment in front of another human being is an opportunity to express our highest values
Chapter 6
the itinerary that Julian gave him did not have an end date — Jonathan was not thinking about Julian as he wanted to get home quickly, Julian thought for the best for him as he took time with it
the way you relate to others reveals the way you relate to yourself
next stop is Mexico to meet with Chava Ucan, his wife Sikina allowed him to sleep as long as he wanted
Sikina gave him a tour of the little town and drove him to meet with Chava which he worked at a site studying the Mayan ruins and history
when he met Chava right away he showed him his work and all the history behind the work — went back to their daughters place where dinner was prepped and the children running around
that what made Jonathan think of Adam, he wanted to be with him — how had he not treasure the moments when they were so easily in reach
Chava took Jonathan to the temple of the magician — it was incredible scene and they started to climb up as tourists aren’t allowed
once at the top Chava told him the story of the creation of it where it was a dwarf that needed to create it for the king overnight, the dwraf did it but was a magician — point is that people need to build things slowly and be patience for great things
Make Small Daily Process: the way we do small things determines the way that we do everything — each tiny effort builds on the next then magnificent things can be created
as they made their way down, Chava admits that the story is far from the truth as it took hundreds of years
every big dream starts small
as Chava drove him to the airport he talks about his son Avali, where he’s a doctor now in the city but as a child he asked Chava how to become one, Chava had no idea so all Avali did was take one step after another each day in school and before he knew it he was graduating university
‘the tiniest of actions is always better than the boldest of intentions’
‘results always speak louder than words’
next stop was Barcelona Spain, but as he got to the airport he saw a message from Tessa about getting together
Chapter 7
Jonathan had a flashback thoughts of his father where when he was a child he looked to his dad as a godlike teacher and figure
as he grew older and got teachers that weren’t very good he compared his dad to them
Lluis Costa was the person he met and he was a taxi driver
as they were driving to the hotel they almost got into an accident and Lluis helped out the victims and decided to drive a mother and daughter to the hospital
now that Jonathan got ready, him and Lluis went for dinner and he gave him the note
To Lead Your Best, Do Your Best Work: all labor is a chance to express personal talents, to create our art and to realize the genius we are built to be — our productivity will not only become a source of inspiration to others, but it will have an impact, making a difference in the lives around us
Lluis explained his life story where his father wanted him to be a lawyer, but he loved the tourism scene and really went up quickly in the hotel business and was a manger early on while driving a cab
then he realized that in a office is not what he wanted, he wanted to be driving around the streets of the city having connecting with others
a job is just a job only if you see it as a job
work is a vehicle for discovering more of our gifts, displaying more of our potential and being of use to other human beings
the next morning Jonathan woke up and made sure to go to the gym as his body wanted to stay in bed
him and Lluis walked around the city and he sent a note to Adam about a promise when he gets back this time he’s going to keep it
he called Annisha and Adam and chatted about how Adam got bullied in school that day and a bunch of memories started to flood to Jonathan
Chapter 8
next stop was Canada in Cape Breton Nova Scotia to meet with Mary McNeil
he got settled in with Mary and her husband Angus, told them their story
Mary gave Jonathan the talisman that night and knows all about the journey and the rest of them
she asked Jonathan if he was living his authentic life, the one that celebrates his deepest values and respect his highest dreams
she explains her authentic life as she was a painter and moved to New York to do that as a living — seems like she was however the art scene in New York had a lot of business and she bad mouth another artist
she didn’t know why and realized that there’s people that can create situations that you don’t believe you would be in
she found that art was only one aspect of living her authentic life, as her family was another but barely got to see them in New York
Choose Your Influences Well: we do not move through our days alone or apart from the world around us. So we must always be aware of the things and the people we allow into our lives
an emergency came up so Jonathan had to go by himself around the area to explore and during that he reflected in his relationships with others
he realized that there were not many people and families that lived in this area he was exploring and thought about the people in his life — he was able to choose the people he wanted in his life, before people couldn’t
he went back to Mary’s house and the dinner party was amazing and he spoke to Angus father about his story when he worked as a miner and how dangerous it was but he kept doing what he love with the fellas he loved
goes to show the importance of connections with others
Chapter 9
going to Shanghai next to meet Yu Feng a young man that helped Jonathan as the guide, Mr Gao had a meeting
Jonathan wanted to just go back to the hotel and shower and rest but realized the hotel was the most luxurious
as they went to Mr Gao office tower he recognized some of the actors and directors chatting with Mr Gao
Mr Gao is a investor and he just closed a deal with a large production company
Jonathan realized that this luxurious lifestyle was what he stringed for when he was in high school — but with this trip he’s realizing that might not be the case anymore
realized that Mr Gao doesn’t drive a fancy car — also doesn’t live in a fancy house
Life’s Simplest Pleasures Are Life’s Greatest Joys: most people don’t discover what’s most important in life until they are too old to do anything about it. They spend many of their best years pursuing things that matter little in the end — the more basic pleasures are the ones that enrich us
he’s a rich man but realized that the material things won’t bring him happiness or the things that matter to him which is his family and daughter
money however is a tool and can free us to make decisions about our careers, to choose where we live, and things we want to do — if your in poverty those choices are decreased as your surviving
“the more addicted you are to having, the less devoted you will be to becoming”
one of the best times Mr Gao had was building sand castles with his wife and daughter at the beach in Qingdao
so Jonathan asks him why not quit and spend time with family — his response: work is a pleasure too but it’s more than that, he invests in small businesses to help grow with others and create a better world
making a difference is more important to him than making money
“lasting happiness comes from the size of our impact, not the extent of our income”
“real fulfillment is a product of the value we create and the contribution we make”
self-worth is more important than net worth
many rich people will never have the feeling that they have enough
Chapter 10
travelling to Sedona, Arizona to meet with Ronnie Begay she lived just north of Phoenix
he got emails and updates from work about how the company is in talks with a merger and jobs are on the line
before Jonathan would have panicked but today he was excited for change
he reflected and thought of Kira his sister where she had that acceptance of fear — she wasn’t going to live the same day over and over again and call it a life
he met with Ronnie which was a older lady that has her grand kids and nephews running around the house — they went to watch the sunset she mentioned that the most powerful healing is not the vortex in the area but the people that surrounds her
the secret of life — to love, to be truly alive, you need to love
The Purpose of Life is to Love: how well you live comes down to how much you love — the heart is wiser than the head
he felted the lessons he learned on this trip come together as he wasn’t living his true self, turning his back to his own happiness
he now knows his actions towards his own life as he is going to make the positive changes needed
Chapter 11
next stop was India, in Delhi — he visited the Taj Mahal
Jonathan was exploring the building and saw a taller man in a robe, it was Julian!
he had the last talisman and this one was about legacy
best way to evaluate someone’s greatness is to look at the strength of that person’s influence on the generation that will follow
‘what’s in it for me’ vs ‘what’s in it for the world’
Stand For Something Bigger Than Yourself: every single one of us are here for a reason, a special purpose, a mission. Be significant and make your life matter, be of service to as many people as possible — shift from ordinary to extraordinary
sometimes our contributions are clearly visible to the world and sometimes are less tangible and less measurable — what is important is that we do contribute, make a difference and we leave a legacy
it’s about that influence and impact
Jonathan asked Julian finally who needed the talisman to save — Julian just looked at Jonathan as he was the one that his mother was worried about
you can’t move forward while looking back
must forgive yourself
as they were speaking about forgiveness — Julian tells Jonathan there’s people that wanted to see him, it was Annisha and Adam
he then spent the next 3 days with them and kept the talismans and letters to maybe someday teach Adam
as he returned to work he saw new faces, bosses gone, and he went into new role that he loved. Got back together with Annisha and started a tradition with family time and vacations — first stop Istanbul