Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day

by Jay Shetty

Treat yourself with the same love and respect you want to show to others.

We are defined by the narrative that we write for ourselves every day.

when it’s dwelling on the past or spinning into the future.

But both nostalgia and remorse can be traps, closing us off from new experiences and keeping us locked in the unresolved past and/or the good old days.

What we don’t want to do is waste time on regret or worry.

The Gita defines detachment as doing the right thing for its own sake, because it needs to be done, without worrying about success or failure.

“Detachment is not that you own nothing, but that nothing should own you.”

Usually people see detachment as being removed from everything, not caring.

look fo...

Actually, the greatest detachment is being close to everything and not letting...

I have no option but to go inward.

When we are humble, we are open to learning because we understand how much we don’t know.

In our eagerness to present ourselves as the greatest and smartest, we hide our true natures.

if you are satisfied with who you are, you don’t need to prove your worth to anyone else.

think about the choices you make when you’re alone, when there’s nobody to judge you and nobody you’re trying to impress.

“You are who you are when no one is watching.”

The ego craves recognition, acknowledgment, praise; to be right, to be more, to put others down, to raise us up.

we find countless ways to judge others unfavorably just because they’re different.

No matter who you are or what you’ve achieved, notice if you are expecting or demanding special treatment because of your presumed status.

“Somebody will find hope merely because we’re having the conversation,”

That is the nature of judgment: It almost always backfires on us in one way or another.

In the act of criticizing others for failing to live up to higher standards, we ourselves are failing

Am I finding fault in order to distract myself or others from my own insecurities? Am I projecting my own weakness onto them? And even if I’m doing neither of those things, am I any better than the person I’m criticizing?

you’re not absorbing the essence of what’s being said. Your ego is champing at the bit, ready to show how clever and interesting you are.

In our desire to show ourselves and others that we know it all, we jump to conclusions, fail to listen to our friends, and miss potentially valuable new perspectives.

There is danger in the words “We’ve always done it this way,” or “I already know that.”

“How many of you, when I shared this, felt you already knew what I was going to

say?”

the conviction that they already knew what they needed to know was exactly the problem...

What if there was an extra piece of that story? (This point itself was the extra piece.)

Don’t live in a world where you start thinking you’re so special that one person is worth your time and another isn’t.

I am stunned.

Low self-esteem is the flip side of an inflated ego.

I’m great at some things and not so good at others. I’m well intentioned but imperfect.

When we remember the good others have done for us, we feel humbled by our need for others and our gratitude for the gifts we have received.

“You’re looking at how they’re behaving today,” he said. “I’m looking at how far they’ve come.”

The desire to be right, to win, comes from your ego’s unwillingness to admit weakness.

When we listen to others, we often one-up them with a story that shows how we have it better or worse. Instead, listen to understand and acknowledge.

Be curious. Don’t say anything about yourself.

Humility comes from accepting where you are without seeing it as a reflection of who you

So often we don’t take chances because we fear failure, and that often boils down to a fear of our egos getting hurt.

ask yourself, “What is going to restore my confidence?”

It won’t grow from an external factor that’s beyond your control.

If you’ve ever pretended you know something, you probably discovered that it often takes the same amount of energy to feign confidence and feed vanity as it takes to work, practice, and achieve true confidence.

The ego wants everyone to like you. High self-esteem is just fine if they don’t. The ego thinks it knows everything. Self-esteem thinks it can learn from anyone. The ego wants to prove itself. Self-esteem wants to express itself.

Instead of worrying what people will say, we filter what people will say.

Instead of comparing ourselves to others, we cleanse our minds and look to improve ourselves.

Instead of wanting to prove ourselves, we want to be ourselves, meaning we aren’t dis...

Accumulating small wins builds confidence.

Break your area down into small wins. Things you can achieve today.