“Your joy is simply your suffering, unmasked.”-Kahlil Gibran
It’s easy to get caught up in aspects of life that do not bring happiness into your life. Money is one of those topics that, while necessary, can bring you down if you are not where you want to be, financially.
Have you ever wondered what it really takes to achieve happiness? I’m sure at some point in your life, you have heard someone say “Money can’t buy happiness.” While it is certainly true that money is not the only way to be happy, it is one of the eight forms of wealth described by today’s guest, Robin Sharma.
Robin Sharma is a globally-recognized humanitarian who has been helping people realize their native gifts for over 20 years. Widely considered to be among the top 5 leadership experts in the world, Robin’s expertise and work have been embraced by clients ranging from NASA to HP, Starbucks, and even Yale. Robin possesses the unique ability to engage an audience while offering advice and insights that ultimately lead individuals to perform their best work, and organizations to become unbeatable.
In this episode, we will talk about how pain and suffering can lead to incredible personal growth, as well as the eight forms of wealth outlined in Robin’s bestselling book “The Everyday Hero Manifesto.”
With over 20 million copies of his books sold, Robin Sharma is one of the world’s most renowned humanitarians and leadership experts. Inspiring people to reach their true potential and utilize their natural gifts, Robin has helped clients of all types improve productivity and reach top performance.
After working as a lawyer until age 25, Robin no longer found satisfaction or peace in practicing law. It was at this time that he wrote his first book and published it himself at a Kinko’s copy shop, with his mother editing it for him. Robin initially stored 2,000 copies of the book in his kitchen and gave them to friends and family.
It wasn’t until his second book, “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari,” was published that Robin was propelled into the spotlight. Former president of HarperCollins Canada, Ed Carson came across the book in a bookstore and immediately got in touch with Sharma to discuss republication and distribution. Since then, the book and its proceeding series have become one of the world’s most successful publishing franchises.
Not only is Robin a successful author and leadership expert, but he’s also an active philanthropist. The Robin Sharma Foundation for Children raises funds from around the world and donates them to children’s causes.
So, what does Robin have to say about wealth and happiness? Let’s jump right in!
When I last saw Robin, I was coming off of a tough breakup and was searching for inspiration in life. After mentioning I was in a much better place than the last time I saw him, Robin had this to say:
“You know, it’s our suffering that teaches us how strong we are. It’s our pain that teaches us our true power. It’s our difficulties that birth our creativity. It’s when it’s the tragedies that give us wisdom and teach us love. So enjoy your time in the sun.” – Robin Sharma
When things in life bring you down or impact you negatively, it’s easy to fall into a rut and be miserable in your suffering. Robin does an excellent job of explaining why we should be thankful for these tough experiences because they propel us into incredible personal growth.
“We all wanna be less distracted, but I think the missing link to personal mastery is not in the head. It’s not a new technique. It’s doing the emotional healing that releases the blockages, that builds intimacy with who we truly are.” – Robin Sharma
So Robin is telling us that we need to allow our most painful experiences to teach us about ourselves. It’s going to be a lot harder to grow as an individual if you are still hung up on ancient wounds.
“We buy into a story that was taught to us. And then we keep rehearsing the story intellectually, emotionally, physically, and spiritually daily, until it creates brainwashing and a heart washing. We hypnotize ourselves against us for who we truly are. Then we walk out in the world and we see the Mandela, the Mother Teresa, the Rosa Parks, or the kind people on the street or the startup entrepreneurs, or the great artists or the amazing bakers. We say, ‘But they are not cut from a cloth that I can wear,’ and then we resign ourselves to average.” – Robin Sharma
I love how Robin paints this picture. None of us are foreign to the concept of not feeling good enough — I know I have struggled with this in the past! One of the most important first steps you can take is to believe that you can accomplish your goals. If you start anything thinking you will never achieve greatness, you likely never will.
So how do you go from viewing yourself as a victim of your circumstance to viewing yourself as a hero?
We all have habits, whether they are good or bad. We all develop habits that make our lives easier or more comfortable. After all, life is about enjoying your time! However, we sometimes develop habits that impact our lives negatively and keep us from becoming a hero.
Cleaning up your language is a big one, even if it’s harmless. Robin tells us that even if we are saying these words in a positive way, our vocabulary is what we use to signal possibility to ourselves. So if you go around saying to yourself, “I love your work, you’re doing great S-H-I-T,” you are unwittingly harming yourself by calling your craft S-H-I-T.
This principle goes hand-in-hand with Robin’s follow-up point which is to surround yourself with a positive ecosystem.
“This is a big one — saying goodbye to the energy vampires, the dream stealers. Cleaning up the news, cleaning up your diet, working in a light-filled workspace, going to places that make you feel alive, reading books that lift you up versus tear you down. Following people who inspire you.” – Robin Sharma
Reevaluating your circle is something everyone should do. As time goes on, it’s essential to take a step back and look at the closest people in your life and decide what is and what isn’t serving you. Our ecosystem should be supporting us and leading us to greatness, not tearing us down.
I asked Robin what some habits of successful people are that 95 percent of the population are unwilling to do.
“What makes us human is growing every day. And so victims love entertainment, leaders, and heroes love education. … Education is inoculation against disruption …I’ll put it this way… We come most alive when we are curious, and it’s when you read and when you learn, and when you listen to podcasts, like The School of Greatness, and when you just are. You fall in love with trying to get better every day by learning — it makes you feel better. … One thing we could do is more growth versus playing with our phones and chatting.” – Robin Sharma
Excellent point, Robin! We could all improve on being more present in our lives. It seems like the difference between the successful and the victims is having faith in your abilities and wanting to be better — to improve.
Now back to our discussion about the different kinds of wealth.
Wealth doesn’t always mean money. In fact, wealth can mean so many different things! There are 8 kinds of wealth that Robin believes are vital to achieving happiness, however.
Self-Mastery. The first kind of wealth is self-mastery. There was an inscription at the entrance to the ancient temple of Delphi that read “Know thyself.” Not only is self-knowledge and self-mastery an incredible form of wealth, but it is also the secret to joy.
Family. Family is a wonderful form of wealth because it is such an innate part of human existence. Robin explains that the key to having wealth in your family is to create perfect memories that you can remember for the rest of your life.
Health. Robin mentions that he has mentored extremely rich people who, after acquiring monetary wealth, no longer care because they have lost their health in the process. What good is money if you must spend all your time searching for a healer?
Craft. Falling in love with what you do is an important part of achieving wealth — pushing yourself to learn more and be the most you can be.
Money. Wealth can’t be talked about without mentioning actual money! Robin explains that having money allows him to engage in philanthropy and is what led him to create his children’s charity foundation.
Adventure. Even if it’s only a conversation with someone, adventure is important! Robin mentions that humans are naturally nomadic and long to travel and seek new things.
Circle of genius. The next form of wealth is your circle of genius, or the people you surround yourself with. Robin says we must surround ourselves with people whose lives and dreams we want to achieve for ourselves. This involves removing toxic people from our lives too — we can’t have wealth if the people around us are not supportive.
Service. Robin tells us that the final form of wealth is how you can use your abilities to serve people in need. Whether it is to inspire greatness through media, or direct donations through charity, the highest form of wealth is serving others.
Guys, there’s no way I could fit into this post everything Robin had to say in this episode, so go listen for yourselves! If you want to learn more about him, visit his website or check out one of his many bestselling books! Be sure to share this episode with someone you think might need it — you may just change someone’s life!
If no one has told you lately, I just want to remind you that you are loved, you are worthy, and you matter. Now it’s time to get out there and do something great!
To Greatness,
MUSIC CREDIT
Kaibu by Killercats
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