Think Like a Monk: The secret of how to harness the power of positivity and be happy now

Think Like a Monk: The secret of how to harness the power of positivity and be happy now

Jay Shetty, the social media superstar and host of the #1 podcast ‘On Purpose’, distills the timeless wisdom he learned as a practicing monk into practical steps anyone can take every day to live a less anxious, more meaningful life.
Over the past three years, Jay Shetty has become one of the world’s most popular influencers. One of his clips was the most-watched video on Facebook last year, with over 360 million views. His social media following totals over 32 million, he has produced over 400 viral videos, which have amassed more than 5 billion views, and his podcast, ‘On Purpose’, is consistently ranked the world’s 1 health-related podcast.
In this inspiring, empowering book, Shetty draws on his time as a monk in the Vedic tradition to show us how we can clear the roadblocks to our potential and power. Drawing on ancient wisdom and his own rich experiences in the ashram, “Think Like a Monk” reveals how to overcome negative thoughts and habits, and access the calm and purpose that lie within all of us.
The lessons monks learn are profound but often abstract. Shetty transforms them into advice and exercises we can all apply to reduce stress, improve focus, improve relationships, identify our hidden abilities, increase self-discipline and give the gifts we find in ourselves to the world. Shetty proves that everyone can – and should – think like a monk.

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Description

2020 has been a tough year for most people. There has been lots of chaos and challenges which have made having calm, balance, and peace quite difficult. In many cases, this has been particularly difficult because of our ways of thinking. There has been lots of fear and negativity and there have been opportunities for us to better connect with our intention and purpose and find greater meaning in life.

Jay provides great frameworks which combine ancient wisdom with the practicalities of living in the modern world. Jay was a Monk for 3 years and he can bring to life stories that show how he developed his thinking and how you don’t have to be a monk to think like a monk.

Jay has had phenomenal success and it is clear that his way of thinking, daily routines, practices, and habits have helped shape this success. He uses lots of anecdotes about his journey and then combines this with references to ancient texts to highlight concepts and practices.

What I love is how humble Jay is in his writing, he applies thinking like a Monk through his writing. The book does not preach, it just lays out several different concepts and puts a “Try this” frame around them. The combination of anecdotes, ancient text references, exercises, and diagrams help to bring out the concepts but most importantly provide a practical framework to use.

Jay is a powerful storyteller and he uses the power of the story nicely in the book. Just like any other self-development book, it does have concepts that you would have seen in other books. However, lots of people read lots of self-development books and know these concepts at an intellectual level but don’t necessarily do anything with them. Lots of people know about Morning Rituals and Gratitude but they still find it difficult to apply these daily.

This book provides some simple but really powerful ways to change your thinking which will help you train your mind for peace and purpose every day. I liked the meditation examples and also the Vedic Personality Test in the Appendix. Again this is provided with a frame to explore and try it out as opposed to being the exact thing you need to do and use.

If you want to have more conscious, purposeful living then I highly recommend this book. Remember though, that reading the book itself will not change your thinking, it will be practical aspects of reflecting and trying out the various concepts within which will support you with your personal growth.