On Revamping Thought Patterns and Habits: Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty

My Personal Rating:

At the age of 21, Jay Shetty — a podcast host, purpose coach, and best-selling author with a bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science, turned down all the fancy corporate job offers. Despite coming from a middle-class Indian family with only three career options: doctor, lawyer, or a failure; Shetty, with unwavering determination, joined the ashram as a monk in Mumbai, India, wherein he spent three years meditating for 4-8 hours, studying ancient scriptures, and serving others in nearby communities. 

But one doesn’t need to go that far to find purpose, Shetty reassured in Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day — a self-help nonfiction book that instantly hit the New York Times best-seller list right after its release date in September 2020.  

In this intriguing masterpiece, Shetty proved that experiences, whether good or bad, are part of a larger narrative and happen for a higher purpose. His bachelor’s degree potential did not become a waste. 

Through his background in Behavioral Science, passion for studying and sharing wisdom, and to quote, “have always loved drawing from funny and contemporary examples to relate monk philosophy to our daily lives,” he was able to make people feel less alone. And this fast-paced, less scary world, he wrote a book that is riched with timeless wisdom, ancient teachings, some scientifically proven facts, inspiring quotes from teachers of life, relatable anecdotes, and his very own actual monk experiences. 

And with supplementary reflection exercises for self-evaluation that, if sincerely put into practice, can help manage the multifaceted aspects of life effectively, be it internal or external.

Reading this book and answering its deep life questions are just one thing. To think like a monk is to go through the initiation of attaining spiritual awakening; thus, adapting a monk mindset is a step-by-step chronological process, a three-part journey with eleven interconnected chapters. 

The aim is to let go first — external influences and internal obstacles, from guilty-pleasures and the noise of opinions, expectations, obligations to negative attitudes and emotions such as fear. And then to move on to the second — to grow out of limiting beliefs and unhealthy habits and make room for a purposeful, productive life; and finally, to give service to humanity, which is the true meaning of life, the end goal. 

A large part of this process requires a deep sense of self-awareness, and this is perhaps why the first stage must be the hardest. It makes sense that the first step entails stripping ourselves from these distractions to uncover our fundamental values, intentions, and thought and reaction patterns. Shetty advised to always get to the root of things. 

It’s also monk-recommended to practice meditation and gratitude daily. In one of the try-this exercises, Shetty suggested a new morning routine with an ingenious acronym called TIME. 

It’s a must-have habit of beginning the day with thankfulness, insight (by reading a paper or a book or listening to a podcast), meditation, and exercise. As far as the second stage is concerned, this is how it is supposed to be; breaking bad habits and forming new ones. 

The point is, although none of these tools of life can entirely get rid of the problems nor figure out our true purpose in a snap, it’s still worth a shot to try them. Even just to overcome the mental chatter, ground us back to the present moment, or at least improve our mood — particularly those who constantly contemplate the past and future, those who chronically indulge themselves with guilty-pleasures and worldly possessions, and those who lost themselves in the labyrinth of existential crisis. 

Therefore, this book deserves to be read, recommended, and rated a five-star in the spirit of love and gratitude.