Running his own Race

Introduction: The power of great thinkers' lies not only in empowering individuals but revolutionizing the power of thought. Robin Sharma, a 41-year-old author and public speaker has been an initiator of such a crusade. Robin's books have sold over 1.5 million copies in the past five years and individuals such as Israeli Prime Minister and Nobel Prize winner, Shimon Peres, Michelle Yeoh and Ricky Martin have embraced his books.

Noted Self- Help Guru, Robin Sharma in conversation with Puja Goyal

Source: Vijay Times, Life : CenterStage- 3.

Copyright © 2005 Puja Goyal.

The transition from a lawyer to a writer: I was unfulfilled as a lawyer. It was as if I was leading a pretentious life. I had become a lawyer only to pose good in the society and over time it had lost its meaning. I wanted to know what was missing in life and therefore went on a journey of self exploration.

The books… self help or philosophy: Both! When you know better you do better. Tell me, if an accomplished journalist came to you and told you that if you followed these five points right now, it would make you one of the finest journalists... what would you do? These are simple philosophies of life put together for individuals in the form of a book... When people come and tell me stories about how my books have made a difference in their lives… I am moved and then I know that this is the right thing for me to do.

The concept of The Monk who sold his Ferrari: In my opinion individuals come to India in search for spirituality because it's rich in philosophy, over here, people appreciate depth and the continuous pursuit of the inner meaning of life. This is what The Monk… is all about. The book featured the concept of imparting life defining teachings from a teacher to a student. Most people who have read the book think it is real and that the incident actually happened with me, but I'd like to clarify…it wasn't me. The concepts in the book are my own experiences, but the set- up was imaginative.

Future Plans: My upcoming book is called The Greatness Guide which features ten best lessons life has taught me. I am also working on the movie version of The Monk who sold his Ferrari (expected release date 2006), in which I will be playing the main lead, don't expect to see Brad Pitt in it (he laughs).

Inspiring lessons in life: When I was twenty- one, one of my mentors said "Run your Own Race" these are simple words but have had a deep and lasting impact on my life. It is easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing, and easy to loose yourself in it. You have to live your life on your own terms because at the end of the day, when you are on your own death bed, the only person who is going to be with you is you. And the only person you are going to feel good about is yourself.

In my books I have also reflected on the importance of family. When one dies no one says he died surrounded by his golf mates or business partners, we say, 'he died surrounded by his loved ones'. Similarly, when it comes to children, we have a very little time and opportunity to create a bond between them and us. Once those opportunities are lost, they will never be realized again.

A word For Indian writers: The world needs great ideas. Keep writing!! Don’t give up on your dream, sometimes you have to fail a hundred times to gain success. Are you up to it? People think that Oh! He is a great writer, he must have gone through no troubles, but I have had my share of failures in my life too, I have been through turmoil in my life, a difficult divorce, and am a single parent now… I had started of with ten boxes of self- published books in my kitchen. I would take The Monk… to stores and on the roads and sell it to people individually. My first book seminar was in front of 26 people all of who were my family members… so it hasn't been a smooth ride… you have to learn to hang on.


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