We recently caught up with renowned leadership expert and international bestselling author, Robin Sharma, for an exclusive interview in New Delhi where he spoke about his writings, spirituality, and more.
In the candid interview, Robin Sharma shared that he wakes up at 5AM every day and practices MVP, which is meditation, visualization, and prayer before starting his day. When we asked him how would he define spirituality and what importance does it play in his life, he replied, “Well, MVP– meditation, visualization and prayer– I think it has so much more to do than manifesting. Meditation is scientifically proven to extend your life, it grounds us, it builds mental focus in this age of broken focus syndrome. Visualization– you mentioned athletes, most great athletes, they visualize; F1 drivers visualize, NBA stars visualize. And then P, prayer. Prayer to me is a great way to set your intentions and to do your best to live the values you want to live by.”
Elaborating further, Robin Sharma said, “So how do I define spirituality? I think we have our egoic selves, that is the scared part of us, the insecure part of us, the human part of us. The egoic self is what’s in it for me, the egoic self is how can I fit into the tribe and society, how can I be liked online and offline, the egoic self is how can I keep myself small so I don’t live my dreams and get hurt. And then I think we have a higher power and that’s not necessarily God or the universe, I believe our higher powers just are our better selves. I talk about it in my book ‘The 5AM Club’ and some of these protocols in my other books. It’s really about turning down the voice of the egoic self and listening to the silent whispers of your stronger self, that’s the part of you that has the instinct to build a business or build a better life.
“The truer part of you knows to be loving, kind, decent, and ethical! And so, spirituality for me is: Number one, getting to know who you truly are, underneath the layers of doubt, fear, scaredness and the hypnosis of society giving us these programs to be limited and not loving, and not daring, and not be great leaders. Spirituality also to me is about living for something bigger than yourself. Think about Mahatma Gandhi, I know you know this but, he died with under 10 possessions. I’ve been to Mother Teresa’s mission in Calcutta and I saw her bedroom– she had nothing in there, just a bed and a wooden desk. And so, spirituality is getting to a place where you devote your life to something bigger than yourself. That doesn’t mean you have to be Mother Teresa or Mahatma Gandhi! It means if you’re a rickshaw driver, you say ‘Okay, I’m making a living but I’m also going to find a way to leave people better than I found them and that’s going to be my mission’. So that to me is spirituality,” he said.
Robin Sharma also said that spirituality to him is living your values and life to the fullest. “And the final thing I’d say, spirituality is living your values. Not just reading a book about living your values and being the kind of person you know in your quiet moments you want to be. Spirituality is very practical; it has to do with leadership. Spirituality is ‘Okay, here’s the person I want to be as a leader, a human being, and here’s the life I want to create’. Then you put down your phone and social media and you go out there and live it every day. One philosopher in India said ‘Let your life be your message’,” the author told us.
Robin Sharma is best known for his international bestseller ‘The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’, which has inspired millions of readers worldwide. His upcoming book ‘Wealth Money Can’t Buy’ is expected to release in April 2024.
What role does spirituality play in your life and how does it help you? Tell us in the comments below.
Robin Sharma on what true wealth means to him
Watch Robin Sharma on spirituality: For me, it’s getting to know who you truly are