15 Thoughtful Quotes From Think Like A Monk by Jay Shetty

We are so held up by what others think of us that we rarely think of what we want for ourselves. In the bid to please others and to reach the standards they set for us, we lose our own unique identity and everything that makes us special.

When we filter out the unnecessary voices of everyone who is trying to bend us to their will, we learn more about ourselves. It is when we look within instead of the world around us that we will truly understand ourselves.

When we constantly evaluate ourselves against the standards that others have set, we’ll always be disappointed. Try to distance yourself from the rest of the world and only then will you find your inner voice. The more you gaze at yourself from the narrow lens of others, the harder it will be to find yourself.

The only person you need to concern yourself with is your own self. You do not have to worry about everything around you. When you decide to spend less time obsessing over others, you will naturally find more time to think about yourself.

If you truly love and believe in what you are doing, you will find happiness and satisfaction in it. If you have to force yourself into loving what you do, then you’ll always dread going to work. Only if you really believe in the value of your work and its place in your life, can you really be satisfied.

Your intention matters just as much as your passion. If you do something for all the wrong reasons, you’ll never really be happy. Find the right reason that motivates you and that’s what will bring you happiness.

You may not be able to get everything that you wanted. Not everything in life comes easy. To think you can be anything you want is foolish, but look within yourself and you’ll see the person that you already are. Aspire to be and improve what you are and that’s more than enough for a lifetime.

Opening your mind is when you look at the same things but find a new perspective. Every time you look at something, try to look at it from all the possible different angles and you’re sure to learn something new.

Attachments only bring you sorrow and grief. It makes you weak and imprudent. To really gain control of your mind, you need to introspect, understand yourself and detach yourself from all the unnecessary things in life.

The bigger your ego is, the deeper your fall will be. Learn to break your ego. All it manages to do is to hold you back and make you a daft and rude person. In the end, you will have to suffer the consequences for your mountain-high ego.

Only you have control over your heart. Only you have a say in what you feel and how much you will feel. Do not give the reins to your heart to anyone else but yourself. The amount of joy you feel and the pain you will accept should only be decided by you.

Sometimes, recovering from a failed relationship is the most difficult thing to do. You might have given them your all, you might have seen a future with them, and yet, things ended abruptly and unexpectedly. But that is never the end. Heartbreak is only an opportunity to find yourself again and rise back up stronger.

The tragedy of life is that it doesn’t always give you what you want. It happens so often that the people you love do not love you back. And most times, you fail to see and return the love of those who love you.

Happiness can never come from the unhappiness of others. If you try to inflict pain on others, if you wish them sorrow and grief, you’ll never find happiness from it. The secret to true joy and happiness is making others happy.

The world is so much like a mirror. If you search for the good in others, you’ll be able to find the best in you. And vice versa: If you search for the bad in others, the worst in you will be inadvertently amplified. We see what we look for, we get what we give.