The Journey Of Life: 100 Lessons From Around The World – A Review

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“One thing life taught me: if you are interested, you never have to look for new interests. They come to you. When you are genuinely interested in one thing, it will always lead to something else.” Eleanor Roosevelt

Recently, a dear friend gave me a book she had received at a fundraising event and once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. It was Sharon K. Sobotta’s The Journey Of Life: 100 Lessons From Around The World; described as “a tapestry of universally applicable lessons.” Even though the book was published in 2007, the beautiful pictures, powerful stories and wisdom she shared in this inspiring book remain timeless and universal.

♥ No matter where you go or what you pursue, strive to always live with integrity

♥ Embrace the art of vulnerability as a spiritual practice

♥ Engage in activities you are passionate about

♥ Step out of your comfort zone whenever you can

♥ Find a creative outlet to express yourself

Another point that makes this book endearing is Sharon’s personal history; the road that led her to write The Journey Of Life: 100 Lessons From Around The World. She grew up in a working class home with a father who struggled with manic bipolar depression; her mom held the family together. A High School scholarship took her to Japan and started her lifelong love for travel. As she approached the end of her 20s, a series of events propelled her into publishing this book and it is filled with stories and 100 lessons gleaned from the lives of the generous souls included in it.

♥ Use your knowledge and talents to help others

♥ Experience Bhangra

♥ Seek unconventional and unpractical knowledge

♥ Develop a weekly ritual with your friends

♥ Don’t let wounds from the past paralyze you in the present

“Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.” Sir James Mathew Barrie

♥ Approach life as a checkerboard, not as a ladder

♥ Take risks

♥ Take public transportation

♥ Embrace the unpredictability of life

♥ Never let yourself be a victim of circumstance

The quote “Life is a long lesson in humility.” by James M. Barrie is apropos when we look at or think about our own life’s journey. I’m sure all of us can find vignettes to share with each other. Sharon interviewed over a 100 people from all walks of life for her book and that is how the 100 lessons were gathered. We get to read about the extraordinary stories shared by a variety of people from Michael Moore, Fidel Castro, Rebecca Walker, Anoushka Shankar to many regular folk. Throughout this post, I have shared the 100 lessons with you, but encourage you to borrow or buy the book and read the lessons and the accompanying stories. They are beautiful…

♥ Imagine the world through the eyes of children

♥ Love unconditionally and without fear

♥ Be inquisitive

♥ Communicate with strangers

♥ Do what you can to make the world a better place

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.” Henry David Thoreau

♥ Think and act outside the box

♥ Mobilize, mentor and motivate

♥ Be willing to change

♥ No matter what you do in life, vow to always have fun

♥ Never forget where you came from or who inspired you along the way

The Journey of Life, is divided into eight chapters that spell out the word EMPOWER U. Each chapter covers a particular theme and features lessons learned and contributions from a wide range of people; famous and non-famous. The chapters are: Engaging in Life; living passionately and nourishing your soul, Mobilizing, Mentoring & Motivating; inspiring others and setting an example, Practicing What You Preach; staying in touch with your roots and living your ideologies, Overcoming Obstacles & Stereotypes; being the best that you can be, Waiting; understanding the virtues of patience and compromise, Empathizing with the World; relating to people from all walks of life, Reciprocating; mastering the art of giving, taking and appreciating, and Universal Truths to Live By.

♥ Be positive

♥ Be introspective

♥ Be a role model

♥ Be eclectic

♥ If there is no path leading you where you’d like to go, create your own

♥ Inspire and be inspired

♥ Always do your best

♥ Always stay true to yourself

♥ Before complaining, take action

♥ Read and internalize Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements

♥ The most important lesson I learned in life is….. (here’s one for you to complete – Do share!)

There is always More Below…

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” Oprah Winfrey

♥ Define success not by how much money you have, but by the way you live your life

♥ Strive to understand issues from multiple perspectives

♥ Meditate

♥ Travel to learn about yourself and the world, not to escape

♥ Treasure your friends

♥ Act on your dreams

♥ Make yourself happy first

♥ Communicate openly and honestly

♥ Put karma into practice

♥ Believe in yourself

After traveling around the world to interview people, document their responses/stories, and write the book, Sharon said that, for her, the most important life lesson she learned from her experience was that … Life is “more about the journey than the destination, more about the process than the end product, and that every single person has a story to share.”

♥ Challenge racism, sexism and all forms of oppression whenever you have a chance

♥ Challenge yourself to overcome stereotypes

♥ See every struggle as a blessing in disguise

♥ Be resilient

♥ Be persistent

♥ Don’t judge people whose perspective is vastly different form yours

♥ Be open-minded

♥ Don’t assume that everything you hear is true

♥ Bloom where you are planted

♥ Appreciate the place you come from, no matter where it is or how it is perceived

“There is a place that YOU are to fill that no one else can fill — something YOU are to do that no one else can do.” Plato

♥ Appreciate difference

♥ Make friends from all corners of the world

♥ Strive to lead a life of balance

♥ Take things one day at a time

♥ Wait. Patience is a priceless virtue

♥ Live in the present

♥ Go with the flow

♥ Never take significant others for granted

♥ Don’t get stressed about small things

♥ Always stay open to all possibilities in life

Reading the list of lessons learned, what struck me was how sensible and yet full of wisdom the lessons were. Typically, most of us go about our business living these tenets without thinking about them. We know that to act a certain way brings us clarity and peace of mind. But it is even more remarkable when we attach the lesson to a face, a person, or a story, and then the message becomes quite profound.

♥ Be in tune with your surroundings

♥ Empathize, don’t sympathize

♥ Find commonality with everyone you encounter

♥ Never impose your ideologies on others or assume that your way is better

♥ Respect other cultural and religious aesthetics and practices

♥ Treat others as they’d like to be treated, not as you’d like to be treated

♥ Envision the world from the perspective of others

♥ Learn a second or a third language

♥ Listen more and talk less

♥ Have faith in others

“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive…” Eleonora Duse

♥ Stay connected

♥ See the world in all shades of gray

♥ Break unhealthy habits and cycles

♥ Be reciprocal

♥ Use your birthday as an opportunity to count your blessings and as an excuse to let others know how much you appreciate them

♥ Commit random acts of kindness whenever you have a chance

♥ Appreciate sisters and brothers

♥ Always give others the benefit of the doubt

♥ Be generous

♥ Never take small things for granted

♥ Live every day to the fullest with no regrets

♥ Appreciate the simple things in life

Since publishing the book, Sharon has gone from being Director of the Women’s Resource Center at Saint Mary’s College of California, to managing editor of Nirvana Woman magazine, to building a blog radio presence where she continues to inspire and engage in interviewing people and writing meaningful stories. She also maintains a dedicated website for the book and related projects; interculturalencounters.org The rest of the Life lessons are listed below … however, do read the book with all the stories, you won’t be disappointed. This is highly recommended reading, and a great holiday gift for friends and family. What are your thoughts? Have you read Sharon’s book? What life lessons would you add to the list? How do you view the journey of life you are on? Do share! Thank you.

♥ Be humble

♥ Never underestimate the power of a smile

♥ Aim to live a border-less life

♥ If you lose a loved one, remember how they lived, not how they died

♥ Never let fear paralyze you

♥ Learn to put yourself first

♥ Live graciously

♥ Strive to celebrate life every day

♥ Follow your inner compass

♥ Learn the art of compromise

♥ Never sacrifice yourself, your goals or your dreams for the sake of others

♥ Know that you are capable of inspiring someone with your story, your experience or your dream

For More: Women’s Lives & Issues

Positive Motivation Tip: Every day, we engage life and there are profound lessons we learn that we can share. Acknowledge, Share, Cherish them.

Related articles

PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: Photo of Sharon Sobotta’s book via Amazon.com Other photos St Isidore de Labrador Church via Wikipedia Or Life is short by Swanksalot, Every journey by Melody Campbell, Life is a Choice by L. J. Matthews, Life is… by sirwiseowl via Flickr

Until Next Time…

Ask. Believe. Receive. ©

Elizabeth Obih-Frank

Mirth and Motivation

Positive Kismet

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