Interview with the renowned author, regarding his new book: “Manifesto for everyday heroes”.
© Provided by El Espectador
Robin S. Sharma was born in 1965 and resides in Toronto, Canada. He is the author of several internationally successful books and is a recognized expert in leadership and personal development.
From the first words of his new book, “Manifesto for everyday heroes” (Grijalbo label), one encounters a powerful wave of optimism regarding human nature. It says that we can all be heroes and aspire to excellence. What evidence do you have for such optimism?
Well, the evidence is in watching human beings in action, Aldo. The evidence is in seeing human progress. Look what they have innovated, what they have created. Look at what they’ve overcome, whether it’s Amelia Earhart, or Hedy Lamarr, the great inventor, whether it’s Elon Musk, Nelson Mandela, or Mother Teresa. So human beings really do have a choice; we can resign ourselves to victimhood or we can take a step towards heroism. And yes, there are these great leaders that I have mentioned, but I also believe that every human being has the opportunity for everyday heroism. That might be the sweeper who sweeps the streets just like Beethoven composed his music. It might be a barista in a coffee shop. Everyone else complains and is negative, but everyday heroes find that within them they radiate positivity and do their job beautifully. So the evidence is in my experience, my reading, my study, my work with many of the most successful leaders in the world.
In fact, in the book you tell beautiful stories of some of your encounters with these everyday heroes. So what is an everyday hero? Who is an everyday hero and what does it take to become one?
An everyday hero is essentially someone who, in a difficult or easy moment, begins to live his promise, does wonderful work, radiates possibility, builds relationships, does good for himself and his family. And they make the world a brighter place in the process. In my book, I share the story of a lonely man I met in a European city, heating chestnuts. He was an immigrant. He lost his business, he got sick. He lost everything. But instead of complaining, blaming and excusing himself, as so many people do, he went to buy some chestnuts, a stove, and roasted them and sold them to passers-by. To me, that’s a fantastic example of everyday heroism. In a world where so many people give their power to make changes and improve their lives here, he was almost midnight in a blue wool hat, roasting chestnuts. I think it’s a good example of everyday heroism.
Yeah, it’s a very moving story, one that I think a lot of people, especially in this time of pandemic, can relate to. When I read that story and the entire book, the synthesis I made for myself is that “Manifesto for Everyday Heroes” is really a guide to authentic living. What is an authentic life for you?
An authentic life is working every day to make myself a better human being, personal mastery or personal development work. An authentic life is to trust my instinct more than my intellect. An authentic life is rich in bonds with family and strangers. So obviously connecting deeply with my family, but also treating strangers with love, kindness, or respect. An authentic life for me is pushing your best work out into the world. It’s seeing the good and the bad, enjoying the sunny moments, using my suffering to make me stronger. An authentic life is living according to the values that are important to me, such as honesty, courage, kindness, dominance. And I think ultimately an authentic life is that our lives are pretty short. I believe that authenticity is coming to a place where you live for a cause that is bigger than you. I think that it is not only an excellent way to improve the world, it is one of the best formulas for happiness.
You were a successful practicing attorney, but increasingly dissatisfied with your career. He entered an existential crisis. At what precise moment did you decide to remake yourself? What was the straw that broke the camel’s back?
There was no precise moment, actually. It was a transformation by a thousand cuts. You are right, I became a successful lawyer, but I was very empty. I had done everything that society said I should do to feel successful, happy, and at peace, but I felt empty. There was an anguish that grew inside me, a lack of meaning, which led me to start investigating. So, I started interviewing happy people. I started reading the books of the most successful people in history. I tried acupuncture, hypnotherapy, meditation, prayer, all of these different modalities, and made a huge change in my life.
One of my mentors, Steven Gilligan, says that there is a first part of life in which we try to fit in, and then there is a second part in which we become the authors of our life, in which we create a life in our own terms.
I think the turning point in anyone’s life is when you stop following the crowd and start thinking for yourself, when you start trusting that quiet whisper that leads you in the direction of the life you want to live and which is better for you.
Many can relate to your experience. There are people who feel trapped in their lives and yet cannot take the step you took to get back on their feet. What makes the difference between someone who makes this leap and someone who doesn’t?
Well, I think consciousness is the DNA of transformation. Once we become very intimate and aware of the brevity of life, and when we realize that the greatest danger is to remain in the safe harbor of the known, and that is where we can stay, ending our lives with our hearts broken. When we realize that the biggest risk is not taking risks, we begin to make changes.
When someone decides to walk down the path of change and authenticity, how do you make sure you stay on that path and don’t back down?
It’s a great question. One of the oldest and most proven ways to maintain new habits or a new life is to have a support group. And so doing personal work accompanied by a group is very powerful. The book has so many tactics. So picking some habits or skills and doing it with what they call a group of experts is very powerful.
Personal and spiritual growth is not a linear progression. We encounter obstacles and challenges. How do you deal with the difficulties that life presents?
Well, there are many different ways to deal with a difficulty. It really depends on the size. Our culture suggests that if we don’t feel happy every day, there is something wrong with us. No, it means we are human. In my book I dedicate a chapter to trauma, which can be caused by the loss of a loved one, a divorce, a global pandemic, an illness, the loss of a job or business, a spiritual crisis. What society says is to avoid trauma and run from it as soon as possible. Instead, by befriending trauma and seeking growth in trauma, and judging trauma not as bad, but as a gift to help you grow, you actually exploit difficulty and use pain to purify yourself, build wisdom build courage We learn how strong we are when we are on our knees.
You write that this might be your last book and that your dream is to open a small restaurant where you cook for your guests. Do you feel like you said everything you had to say?
I’m in a creative vacuum right now, Aldo. If I die today, I feel like I have written a very honest, very philosophical, very authentic, very tactical book on what it takes to develop and do to realize human genius, live a beautiful life, and make the world a better place. And so, right now I’m not feeling very creative. I think if you’ve done your job well as an artist and creator, you should be empty following doing very challenging work. You have to feel empty.
What is the lesson that this time of pandemic has taught you, a lesson that represented a turn or a breakthrough in your life?
I used the time, in addition to writing the book, also for a lot of personal healing. I have been on a very intense healing journey for 22 years, and I deepened that significantly in the pandemic, through meditation, prayer, journaling, reading, through a lot of silence and stillness. I tried to find an opportunity to use stillness for my creativity and plenty of time to prepare meals for my family, improve my Italian cooking skills, read more books, listen to more music, and really reflect. But obviously I think a lot of people have changed because of the pandemic. We all know regarding the great renunciation, that is, numerous people are leaving their cities, their countries, their jobs, their relationships. People want to be successful, but they want to avoid losing their soul in the process. I think that people are recognizing the importance of spending time with family and doing things that make them happy. I think a lot of people are waking up.
So, he’s optimistic.
I would say that I am a practical optimist.