The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams and Reaching Your Destiny

The lighthouse in Yogi Raman’s fable symbolizes the virtue of living life with purpose. The light of a lighthouse is focused and illuminating; likewise, wise people “know what they want out of life, emotionally, materially, physically, and spiritually” and set “goals for every aspect” (74) of life. Achieving these goals energizes us to keep thriving and fulfilling our life’s mission, or dharma. Learning discipline to fulfill one’s purpose by using our inherent gifts to help others and improve the world is the highest good one can achieve. The Sages of Sivana created a plan for fulfilling one’s purpose, including visualizing a positive result, applying positive pressure on oneself to succeed, and setting timelines for achieving every goal. 

The Sumo Wrestler is the third symbol in Yogi Raman’s fable representing the Japanese philosophy of kaizen, or “constant and never-ending improvement” (94). Julian instructs John that only by mastering oneself can a person hope to help others. This involves doing important things that we are afraid to do, which takes courage. Kaizen requires daily practice; the Sages of Sivana passed down Ten Rituals of Radiant Living to Julian, including daily quiet time and waking up early, that Julian shares with John.

The fourth symbol in Yogi Raman’s fable, the Pink Wire Cable, represents living a disciplined life. The sages gave Julian the gift of a steel locket engraved with the following message regarding the importance of discipline and willpower: “Through the steel of discipline, you will forge a character rich with courage and peace. Through the virtue of Will, you are destined to rise to life's highest ideal and live within a heavenly mansion filled with all that is good, joyful and vital” (147). It is necessary to build good habits by committing to a series of smaller, healthy, and edifying actions and rituals because “small victories lead to large victories” (156) and, like the many wire threads that comprise one strong wire, we fulfill our purpose through a series of regular actions in the service of reaching our one true destiny.

The Gold Stopwatch is the fifth symbol highlighted in Yogi Raman’s fable and represents time. Because time is fleeting, mastering time and maximizing our use of time becomes critical if we want to fulfill our life’s purpose. Julian learned about the “Ancient Rule of Twenty” from his mentor, which states that only 20% of the things we do “will yield real, lasting results” (164). Therefore, Julian implores John to live a priority-driven life and never sacrifice the important things for the menial things. The best policy is to live every day as if it was your last.

The fable’s Fragrant Roses, its sixth symbol, serves as a reminder to be of service for others; “the quality of your life will come down to the quality of your contribution” (174). Engaging in acts of kindness without the expectation of reward enriches your own life. Julian urges John to adjust his paradigm, or perspective, regarding his role in the world. Rather than selfishly accumulating goods for oneself, Julian learned from the sages that there is “only one real reason for your being here […] To give yourself to others and to contribute in a meaningful way” (175).