Robin Sharma’s The Greatness Guide

Robin Sharma has written an exceptional book titled The Greatness Guide, is a strikingly powerful and enormously handbook that will inspire you to get to world class in both your personal and professional life. It is a must read and should be added to your personal development library. Below are a few paragraphs which will give you a brief insight into what the book is about. There is so much wisdom instilled in this book, it will transform your life if you act upon it.

“Your days are your life in miniature. As you live your hours, so you create your years. As you live your days, so you craft your life. What you do today is actually creating you future. The words you speak, the thoughts you think, the food you eat and the actions you take are defining your destiny – shaping who you are becoming and what your life will stand for. Small choices lead to giant consequences – over time. There’s no such thing as an unimportant day.”

“Each one of us is called to greatness. Each one of us has an exquisite power within us. Each one of us can have a significant impact on the world around us – if we so choose. But for this power that resides internally to grow, we need to use it. And the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets. The more this power gets tapped, the more confident you become. Henry David Thoreau related to this point well when he wrote: I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of a human being to elevate their life by conscious endeavor. The best among us are not more gifted than the rest. They just take little steps each day as they march toward their biggest life.”

“Failure is the price of greatness. Failure is the ingredient for high achievement. Failr faster. Succeed sooner. You can’t win without leaving your safety zone and taking some calculated risks. No risk, no reward. And the more risks you take in the pursuit of your dreams, the more you are going to fail. Too many of us live in what I call the safe harbor of the known. Same breakfast, same drive to work, same conversation, and same thinking for 20 years. If it makes you happy, well, that’s great. But I don’t know anyone who is happy living like that. If you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you’ll kepp getting what you’ve been getting. Einstein defined insanity as doing the same things and expecting different results. Yet most people rule their lives that way. True joy comes when you put some skin in the game and take some chances.”

“Life is certainly full of material pleasures that really do make the journey more delightful. No need to feel guilty about enjoying them. But please don’t forget about those basic beautiful treasures to be loved along the way. Like deep human connections, realizing your best through fulfilling work, exploring the world and experiencing the glory of nature – like a sensational sunset that fills your soul or a full moon set against a star-filled sky. Some of life’s best pleasures are its simplest ones. Enrich your life with more of them and your heart will be happy. And you can start with sweet breezes.”

“Being thoughtful and strategic is step number one as you walk to greatness. Clarity precedes success. By thinking more, you will have a better sense of your priorities and what you need to focus on. Your actions will be more crisp and deliberate and intentional. You will make better decisions and wiser choices. More time thinking will make you less reactive. You’ll become clearer on the best uses of your time (which will, in turn, save you time). And your ‘think time’ will provoke some amazing ideas and inspire some big dreams.”

“Too may among us are afraid to be ourselves. So we give up our dreams to follow the crowd. Tragic. To thine own self be true, wrote Shakespeare. Have the courage to be your true –  and greatest – you. Warren Buffet once said, There can’t be two yous. Genius is not the sole domain of a rare breed of person. Both you and I are entitled to that label and to play in that space – if we so choose. Focus on any area or skill with a relentless devotion to daily improvement and a passion for excellence and within three to five years, you will be operating at a level of competence (insight) such that people call you a genius. Focus plus daily improvement plus time equals genius. Understand that formula deeply and your life will never be the same.”

“How fully would you show up each day – at work and in life – if retreat just wasn’t an option? How high would you reach, how greatly would you dare, how hard would you work and how loud would you live if you knew ‘your boats were burning,’ that failure just wasn’t a possibility? Diamonds get formed through intense pressure. And remarkable human beings get formed by living from a frame of reference that tells them they just have to win.”