The Saint, the Surfer and the CEO A Remarkable Story About Living Your Heart s Desires By Robin Sharma
Introduction This book is a work of fiction. It s a story about a man named Jack Valentine, whose path in life was in many ways similar to my own. Feeling very incomplete as a human being, he set out on a search for wisdom to live a happier, healthier, and more beautiful life. Through a series of meetings with three remarkable teachers, Jack discovered a powerful philosophy to reshape his reality and access his destiny. The lessons Jack learned through his extraordinary adventure will cause you to create wonderful changes in your life as well. How do I know this? Because they re the lessons that have transformed mine. I ve experienced many setbacks along this journey through my days. And yet, each stumbling block has eventually presented a stepping-stone that has brought me closer to my heart s truth and my best life. A number of years ago, I was a lawyer, chasing success and all the material trappings that went along with it, thinking that this was the way to lasting fulfillment. But as I worked harder and achieved more, I realized that nothing ever really changed. No matter how many material possessions I gathered, the man I saw in the bathroom mirror every morning was the same I wasn t any happier and didn t feel any better. The more I reflected on the state of my life, I began to become aware of an emptiness within my heart. I started paying attention to its silent whispers, which instructed me to leave my chosen profession and begin some serious soul-searching. I started to think about why I was here on the planet and what my special mission was. I wondered why my life wasn t working and what deep changes needed to be made to get me on track. I looked at the core beliefs, assumptions, and filters through which I saw the world, and I committed myself to cleaning up the less-than-healthy ones. During this time of intense transformation, I read books on self-help, personal leadership, philosophy, and spirituality. I took personal-development course after personal-development course. I changed my diet, my thinking, and my behaviors. Eventually, the person I evolved into was someone more authentic, harmonious, and wise than the person I once was. I ll be the first to tell you that, in many ways, I m still just a beginner on this journey of self-discovery. The top of one mountain is the bottom of the next for me, and my human exploration is a never-ending process. Even now, as I write these words, I m moving through yet another period of massive personal
transformation and reassessing my most fundamental values, along with the way I view the world. But I try to be gentle with myself. I remind myself that I must be patient and not push the river. Each day brings greater clarity, more certainty, and new blessings. And to me, that s what this beautiful unfolding of life is all about. I hope The Saint, the Surfer, and the CEO touches you at a deep level. If you really want to own this material, it s very important that you teach it. I suggest that within 24 hours of completing the book you sit down and share the philosophy you ve learned with someone you care about. This will clarify your understanding and assist in integrating the lessons into your life. I also hope that you have fun living the knowledge of this book. Bringing a childlike sense of wonder and passion to what you ll discover on the pages that follow is one of the best ways to grow into the person I know you re meant to become. Thank you for giving me the privilege of sharing this work with you. I wish for you a life rich with possibility, joy, and peace. And I hope that you ll do your part to help in the building of a new world. Robin Sharma
Chapter 1: New Beginnings All of us, whether or not we are warriors, have a cubic centimeter of chance that pops out in front of our eyes from time to time. The difference between the average person and a warrior is that the warrior is aware of this and stays alert, deliberately waiting, so that when this cubic centimeter of chance pops out, it is picked up. ~ Carlos Castaneda I had never felt so much pain in my life. My right hand was quivering uncontrollably, and blood was spilling all over my crisp white shirt. It was a Monday morning, and the only thought filling my head was that this was not a good day for me to die. As I lay motionless in my car, I was struck by the silence of the scene. No one in the truck that had just crashed into me even so much as twitched. The onlookers who had gathered at the scene looked horrified. And traffic had come to a complete standstill. All I could hear were leaves rustling in the trees that lined the road next to me. Two of the bystanders came running over, telling me that help was on the way and not to make any movements. One of them grasped my hand and started praying: Lord, help this man. Please protect him. Within minutes, a cavalcade of ambulances, fire trucks, and police cruisers surrounded the accident scene with sirens blaring. Everything seemed to slow down, and a strange sense of peace passed through me as the rescue workers methodically began their work, shining examples of grace under pressure. I felt like a witness almost as if I were watching the entire scene unfold from a high perch above. The next thing I can recall is waking up in a hospital room that smelled like fresh lemons and bleach. I ll never forget that smell. My body was wrapped in various bandages, and both of my legs were in casts. My arms were covered with bruises. I was greeted by a pretty young nurse. Mr. Valentine! I can t believe you re awake! Let me call the doctor, she said while frantically dialing the intercom stationed next to my bed.
When she got off the intercom, I croaked out, Call me Jack, attempting to be casual in what I knew was a serious situation. Where am I? You re at Lakeview General Hospital, Jack. This is the Critical Care ward. You had quite an accident last week. To be honest with you, you re very fortunate to be alive. I am? I asked sheepishly. Un-huh, the nurse replied with a forced grin while she looked at the charts at the foot of my bed. You fell into a coma after a pickup truck crashed into you. The paramedics who brought you in here couldn t believe you survived the crash. Anyway, the only thing you need to worry about now is healing those nasty wounds and your broken legs. You ll be just fine as I said, you re an incredibly lucky young man. Lucky was not a word I would have ever associated with myself but, under the circumstances, I could see her point. I was blessed to be alive. Why am I all alone in this room? I wondered aloud as I looked around. I wouldn t mind some company. You ve only been awake for a few minutes, Jack. Relax and give yourself some time to breathe. Be still. Your doctor will be here shortly he was extremely worried about you. As the hours of that day passed and the barrage of doctors and nurses probed, checked, and encouraged me, I began to fully appreciate how serious my accident had been. The driver of the pickup truck had been killed instantly, and my doctor candidly informed me that he thought I d never regain consciousness. Never seen a case quite like this one, he stated matter-of-factly. But I had a knowing within me that this had all happened for a reason. Everything happens for a reason, and there are no accidents in life I know you ve heard that before. But I ve personally come to know that this breathtaking universe of ours is not only strikingly intelligent in its operation, it s also a very friendly place. This world wants us to live great lives. It wants us to be happy. And it wants us to win.
A quiet voice inside (which first appeared in that hospital room but would go on to comfort me during my most difficult and vulnerable times) informed me that something big was about to happen and that what I d experience over the coming days and weeks would not only revolutionize my life, it would affect the lives of many others as well. It told me that my best was yet to come. My guess is that many of us fail to listen to this quiet yet wise voice within us. There s a place deep inside every single one of our hearts that knows all the answers to our biggest questions. Each one of us knows our truth and what needs to be done to create extraordinary lives for ourselves. Most of us have simply lost the connection to this natural source of pure wisdom because too much noise and clutter dominates our days. But I ve found that when I ve made time for silence, stillness, and solitude, the voice of truth begins to speak. And the more I ve trusted its guidance, the richer my life has become. It was about 9:30 that night when an orderly wheeled another patient into my room. I was grateful for the company and immediately raised my head to catch a glimpse of my new companion. He was an elderly man, probably about 75 years of age. He had thick silver hair that was slicked back in a stylish way and brown spots over his face from what appeared to be many years of sun exposure. I detected from his frail appearance and his labored breathing that this man was quite ill. I also noted that he was in some pain he kept his eyes closed and moaned softly as the orderly transferred him into his new bed. After about ten minutes, the visitor slowly opened his eyes. I was spellbound: His eyes were dazzling blue and revealed a clarity and brilliance that sent a shiver up my spine. I immediately felt that the man before me had a depth of wisdom that was rare in this world of quick fixes and fast lives. I felt I was in the presence of a master. Good evening, he softly whispered in a dignified way. Looks like we re in here together for a while. Yes it s not the greatest place to spend a Friday night, is it? I replied with a warm smile. My name s Jack, I said, raising my hand as a greeting. Jack Valentine. I was in a pretty serious car accident about a week ago, and the verdict is that I ll be in this bed for a while. I ve felt alone all day, so I m glad to meet you, sir.