Thursday, March 4, 2021

Think Like a Monk


Think Like a Monk: Train Your Brain for Peace and Purpose Every Day
By Jay Shetty
Simon & Schuster, 2020. 328 pgs. Nonfiction
 
Jay Shetty is a social media superstar and also hosts a popular podcast. In this book he shares valuable wisdom he learned during the years he was a monk. When he made the decision to become a monk, his family considered him a failure. He had just graduated from college and had a promising future in a large company. Instead he decided to dedicate his life to meditation and service. During the long hours of meditation he learned to get to the root of his true fears and to become selfless. In the book, he also talks about the importance of learning to breath correctly, skills for having better relationships, and the value of service.

I really enjoyed this book! I listened to the audiobook on Libby and it is read by the author. It felt more like having a conversation with a really good life coach. A lot of what Jay Shetty shared wasn't new, but the way he explained things resonated with me and made me consider what I could change in my life. I also appreciated that he gave examples of different types of meditation exercises for various situations. He also helped remind me of the importance of writing down the things I am grateful for. The thing I enjoyed most from this book were his personal stories of being a monk. He admitted that it was not easy and he struggled with a lot of the things he was expected to do as a monk, like waking up early, doing menial chores, and serving and loving everyone without expecting anything in return. His main message was that we don't have to be a monk to think like one. We can make small changes every day to retrain our brain and learn a new way of showing up in our lives.
 
AL

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