Think Like A Monk by Jay Shetty

2020 has been a tough year for most people. There has been lots of chaos and challenges which have made having calmed, balance, and peace quite difficult. In many cases, this has been particularly difficult because of our ways of thinking. There has been lots of fear and negativity and there have been opportunities for us to better connect with our intention and purpose and find greater meaning in life.

Jay provides great frameworks which combine ancient wisdom with the practicalities of living in the modern world. Jay was a Monk for 3 years and he is able to bring to life stories that show how he developed his thinking and how you don't have to be a monk to think like a monk. Jay has had phenomenal success and it is clear that his way of thinking, daily routines, practices, and habits have helped shape this success. He uses lots of anecdotes of his journey and then combines this with references to ancient texts to highlight concepts and practices.

What I love is how humble Jay is in his writing, he applies thinking like a Monk through his writing. The book does not preach, it just lays out several different concepts and puts a "Try this" frame around it. The combination of anecdotes, ancient text references, exercises, and diagrams really help to bring out the concepts but most importantly provide a practical framework to use. Jay is a powerful storyteller and he uses the power of the story nicely in the book. Just like any other self-development book, it does have concepts that you would have seen in other books.

However, lots of people read lots of self-development books and know these concepts at an intellectual level but don't necessarily do anything with this. Lots of people know about Morning Rituals and Gratitude but they still find it difficult to apply these on a daily basis. This book provides some simple but really powerful ways to change your thinking which will help you train your mind for peace and purpose every day. I liked the meditation examples and also the Vedic Personality Test in the Appendix. Again this is provided with a frame to explore and try it out as opposed to being the exact thing you need to do and use. If you want to have more conscious, purposeful living then I highly recommend this book. Remember though, reading the book itself will not change your thinking, it will be practical aspects of reflecting and trying out the various concepts within which will support you with your personal growth.

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