The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

that you can change your self-image, just like you can change
everything else in your life if it is not serving to enhance it.
Mantras are a great way accomplish this objective."
"And when I change my inner world, I change my outer
world," I said dutifully.
"My, how quickly you learn," Julian said, giving me the
thumbs-up sign he had used so much in his former life as a star
litigator.
"Which leads us into the Ninth Ritual of Radiant Living quite
nicely. This is the Ritual of a Congruent Character. It is sort of an
off-shoot of the self-image concept we were just talking about.
Simply stated, this ritual requires you to take daily, incremental
action to build your character. Strengthening your character
affects the way you see yourself and the actions you take. The
actions you take come together to form your habits and, this is
important, your habits lead you to your destiny. Perhaps Yogi
Raman articulated the formula best when he stated: 'You sow a
thought, you reap an action. Reap an action, you sow a habit. Sow
a habit, you reap a character. Sow a character, you reap your
destiny.'"
"What kinds of things should I do to build my character?"
"Anything that cultivates your virtues. Before you ask me
what I mean by 'virtues,' let me clarify the concept. The wise
people of the Himalayas believed strongly that a virtuous life was
a meaningful life. So they governed all of their actions by a series
of timeless principles."
"But I thought you said they governed their lives by their
purpose?"
"Yes, this is quite so, but their life's calling included living in a
manner congruent to these principles, ones that their ancestors