The Saint, the Surfer, and the CEO: A Remarkable Story about Living Your Heart's Desires - Softcover

Sharma, Robin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1401900593 ISBN 13: 9781401900595

Publisher: Hay House LLC, 2003

Synopsis

"Release any concerns that you have about this path you’re about to walk on, and just go into it with the curiosity of a child, knowing that you’ll come out on the other side as a new person, or to be more accurate, far more of the person who you truly are and have been created to be." Jack Valentine seemed to have it all. He made good money as an adman, and looked good doing it. He had a hot apartment, cool friends, even a slick car—at least until the hectic Monday morning a truck smashed into it, sending the critically injured Jack to the hospital. Everything happens for a reason, though, and Jack’s reason reveals itself in the silver-haired cancer patient who becomes his roommate one evening. The elderly man, Cal, shares his life story—one not dissimilar to Jack’s—of material wealth masking a gaping hole within. Cal ultimately found salvation through philosophy ("the love of wisdom"), and now offers to help Jack by prepping the younger man for the Final Questions we all must face: Have I lived wisely? Have I loved well? Have I served greatly? Presenting Jack with three plane tickets, each accompanied by a map marked with a red X, Cal sends Jack to meet with three great teachers, each of whom will help Jack answer one of the Final Questions—just as they once helped Cal. First, in Rome, Jack will meet "the Saint." Then a haunted beach in Hawaii introduces him to "the Surfer." And finally the grandeur of New York City sets the stage for his last encounter: with "the CEO." Along the way, Jack will learn to do his interior work, discover that our negative traits offer gateways to higher versions of ourselves, and understand that figuring things out in your head can distract you from the powerful whispers of your heart. Join Jack on his journey and step into the you that you were always meant to be.

About this title

About the Author

Robin Sharma is one of the world’s premier thinkers on leadership, personal growth and life management. The bestselling author of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, ISBN: 0062515675, sold 40,000 in US; Who Will Cry When You Die?, ISBN: 1-4019-0012-7; and The Saint, the Surfer, and the CEO hardcover, ISBN: 1-4019-0016-X. and four other books on self-transformation. Robin Sharma is in constant demand internationally as keynote speaker at the conferences of many of the most powerful companies on the planet including Microsoft, Nortel Networks, General Motors, FedEx and IBM. He is a resident of Ontario, Canada. For more of Robin’s knowledge, visit robinsharma.com, one of the Web’s most popular resources for success in business and in life.

From Publishers Weekly

Jack Valentine is having a very bad day. He's chronically unhappy, unfulfilled and broke; his girlfriend has left him; and he's just been hit by a truck. Still, when he wakes up in a hospital covered in bruises, he's certain it's all happening for a reason. As Jack recovers, his dying hospital roommate, who happens to be Jack's long-lost father, imparts some final advice: the only three questions that matter are whether one has lived wisely, loved well and served greatly. He sends Jack on a journey around the world to meet three teachers (the saint, surfer and CEO), who guide him through a spiritual transformation and help him answer the three questions. Sharma, a motivational speaker and "life coach," has attempted a spiritual allegory ... la Paulo Coelho's classic, The Alchemist. Unfortunately, Sharma's book lacks any narrative drive, the characters are thinly rendered and the dialogue is almost comically wooden ("You're getting to be a pretty good surfer there Jack." "It's become a passion of mine Moe"). Readers seeking Sharma's brand of advice (e.g., "see your life as a fantastic growth school" and "be true to yourself") will lose nothing simply turning to the last page, where the book's lessons are laid out in 10 succinct bullet points.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Hay House LLC
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 1401900593
• ISBN 13: 9781401900595
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240