BENGALURU: Julian then reached into his robe and pulled out a shiny silver locket, the kind you might see in a museum exhibit on ancient Egypt.
“You shouldn’t have,” I joked.
“The Sages of Sivana gave this gift to me on my last evening with them. It was a joyous, loving celebration between members of a family who lived life to the fullest. It was one of the greatest, and saddest nights of my life. I didn’t want to leave the Nirvana of Sivana. It was my sanctuary, an oasis of all that was good in this world. The sages had become my spiritual brothers and sisters. I left part of myself high in the Himalayas that evening.” Julian said, his voice growing soft.
“What are the words engraved on the locket?”
“Here, I’ll read them to you. Never forget them, John. They have really helped me when times got tough. I pray that they also bathe you in comfort during times of difficulty. They say: Through the steel of discipline, you will forge a character rich with courage and peace. Through the virtue of Will, you are destined to rise to life’s highest ideal and live within a heavenly mansion filled with all that is good, joyful and vital. Without them, you are lost like a mariner without a compass, one who eventually sinks with his ship.
“I have never really thought about the importance of self-control, although there have been many times I’ve wished I had more discipline,” I admitted. “Are you saying that I can actually build discipline, the way my teenage son builds his biceps at the local gym?”
“The analogy is an excellent one. You condition your willpower just as your son conditions his body at the gym.
Anyone, no matter how weak or lethargic they might currently be, can grow disciplined within a relatively short time. Mahatma Gandhi is a good example. When most people think of this modern-day saint they remember a man who could go weeks without food in the pursuit of his cause, and endure tremendous pain for the sake of his convictions. But when you study Gandhi’s life, you will see that he was not always a master of self-control.”
“You’re not going to tell me that Gandhi was a chocoholic are you?”
“Not quite, John. As a young lawyer in South Africa, he was given to passionate outbursts and the disciplines of fasting and meditation were as foreign to him as the simple white loincloth which eventually became his personal trademark in his later years.”
“Are you saying that with the right blend of training and preparation, I could have the same level of willpower as Mahatma Gandhi?”
“Everyone is different. One of the fundamental principles that Yogi Raman taught me was that truly enlightened people never seek to be like others. Rather, they seek to be superior to their former selves. Don’t race against others. Race against yourself,” Julian replied.
Excerpt from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma, www.robinsharma.com