Are You Ready to Succeed?

Srikumar Rao's book, Are You Ready to Succeed? Unconventional Strategies to Achieving Personal Mastery in Business and Life is an attempt to help the reader adjust his or her mental paradigms about life. Not specifically a spiritual based book, it none the less focuses on the meaning of life.

A very practical book, Rao outlines 21 exercises to help the reader adjust and correct their own mental models about life and the world around them. Some of these exercises I've seen recommended in other places. Such as #7 and #8 "Appreciation and Gratitude #1 and #2." Or #12 -- "The Other-Centered Universe." Or #14 -- "List Your Accomplishments." Or #17 -- "Your Ideal Job."

Other exercises he recommends were completely new to me. Such as #2 -- "The Alternate Reality." Or #5 -- "Eating Mindfully." Or even #13 -- "Doing Nothing."

In Are You Ready to Succeed?, Rao explains that changing your thinking patterns takes time and practice. Some of the exercises can be done once and then periodically reviewed and revised. Such as "Your Ideal Job," "My Mental Models," or "How To Create Miracles in Your Life."

Other exercises must be done repeatedly and regularly to gain the most benefit from them. Such as "Present Moment Awareness," "Eating Mindfully," or "Appreciation and Gratitude."

Exercise #10 is probably my favorite. I've been trying to teach this basic concept to people for a decade. And Rao provides and illustrative example of what I've been trying to teach.

Exerise #10 is called "Good Thing? Bad Thing? Who Knows?" It's based on a Sufi tale that you can read here:

There is a very old Sufi story about a man whose son captured a strong, beautiful, wild horse, and all the neighbors told the man how fortunate he was. The man patiently replied, "We will see." One day the horse threw the son who broke his leg, and all the neighbors told the man how cursed he was that the son had ever found the horse. Again the man answered, "We will see." Soon after the son broke his leg, soldiers came to the village and took away all the able-bodied young men, but the son was spared. When the man's friends told him how lucky the broken leg was, the man would only say, "We will see."Gratitude for participating in the mystery of life is like this.
Source: http://www.lifebalanceinstitute.com/

The point of the story is that something may appear to be a good thing to you or a bad thing to you based on your expectations and cultural preferences. But that it's not possible to know for sure until later when you see what the ultimate consequences are.

In my opinion, I should realize that everything is good in the eyes of God. He is in control of all things. He works out all things for my good (Romans 8:28). Whether or not I ever see it or recognize it. Because I'm not on the earth to serve my own desires and expectations, but God's (Isaiah 43:4-7).

Therefore, whatever it is, it's all good for God's purposes.

I could go on, but this is getting long and I want to post it.