As I am working with Sunil Prashara of PMI on his book, he told me that he wanted his book to be a mix of the “3D CEO” and “Why Is God Laughing?: One man’s journey to joy and spiritual optimism”. Combining leadership with spirituality. How cool is that? I am a fan of Deepak too. Recently finished “Metahuman”. An awesome book.
Why God is laughing
Why God is laughing is very different. A spiritual book that will make you laugh out loud. Using the spiritual journey of a comedian that has just lost his father.
Jokes
Two examples of the jokes (I think they are funny)
- A middle-aged woman drops dead of a heart attack. When she gets to Heaven, God says, “There’s been a terrible mistake. You’re not due to die for another forty years.” The woman wakes up and goes home. She figures she’s got such a long life ahead of her, she might as well look good. So she goes in for plastic surgery— facelift, boob job, tummy tuck, the works. Two months later she’s crossing the street, and a bus hits her. This time when she gets to Heaven, she says to God, “What’s going on? I was supposed to live another forty years.” And God says, “Mabel, is that you?”
- God and the Devil were arguing about the fence that separates Heaven and Hell. “Your side’s falling down,” said God. “Just look at it.” “So what?” said the Devil. “We’re both responsible for keeping up our side. Mine is perfect.” The Devil shrugged indifferently. “So what are you going to do about it?” “If you force me to, I’ll get a lawyer and sue you,” said God. The Devil only laughed. “Give me a break. Where are you gonna find a lawyer?”
The journey itself is simple. The themes are fear, ego and addiction. A very simple version of “Breaking the habit of being yourself “.
Fear
Fear is a liar. Fear’s main tactic is to make illusion seem real. The world turns into one big dentist’s waiting room with everyone anticipating the next thing that hurts. Fear is a terrible predictor of the future. Nothing is as unreliable as fear, and yet people rely on it over and over again. As long as you live in fear, the world is a threat. You should know that you are safe.
Ego
Ego has trapped you in a vicious circle. It feeds you what you want. It keeps you moving from one desire to the next. Every day something new to chase after. Let go. You are good enough. You have nothing to prove.
Addiction
You are addicted to yourself. Stop craving the next fix. What you need is al inside you.
Your soul
You have bought into the illusion that you are a person searching for his soul. The reality is that you are a soul playing the role of a person. Once you truly get that, you won’t be a prisoner anymore. You’ll be free. There’s nothing to fear, nothing to lose, nothing to be attached to. You won’t recognize your old self anymore. You will get to be who you really are.
Ten principles
The best part of the book is the chapter about the path to joy and the ten principles of spiritual optimism. The path to joy is to discover that meaning is the very basis of life. Spiritual optimism is also an inner experience. It is based on the love, beauty, creativity, and truth that a person discovers at the level of the soul. Where intuition resides.
Intuition
It’s a common misconception that intuition is at odds with science. Einstein himself said that what separated him from atheists was that “they cannot hear the music of the spheres.” You use your intuition every day to confirm that you are alive, or that daisies are pretty, or that truth is better than a lie. The path to joy consists of making your intuitions deeper and more accessible.
Here they are
1. THE HEALTHIEST RESPONSE TO LIFE IS LAUGHTER.
This first principle serves as an antidote to fear and sorrow by encouraging you to experience life as joyous.
2.THERE IS ALWAYS A REASON TO BE GRATEFUL.
This second principle is an antidote to victimization. It establishes that you are seen and provided for. The more you notice the truth of this principle, the less you will believe that you are a victim. The purpose of gratitude is to connect yourself to a higher vision of life.
3.YOU BELONG IN THE SCHEME OF THE UNIVERSE. THERE’S NOTHING TO BE AFRAID OF. YOU ARE SAFE.
The third principle is the antidote for insecurity. It tells us that fear can be totally convincing, yet there is no truth to it. Fear cannot be trusted. On the spiritual path, you can completely recover from such anxiety. Realize that what makes you safe is a higher intelligence that resides within you. Potential dangers are illusions.
4.YOUR SOUL CHERISHES EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE.
The fourth principle is the antidote for feeling undervalued. It states that your worth is absolute, and that everything that happens to you— whether it feels good at the time or not— is part of a divine plan unfolding from the level of the soul.
This is where meditation proves most useful. When you meditate, you shift your focus. Instead of paying attention to the surface of the mind, which teems with constant change, you go deeper to experience silence. In its silent depths, your mind knows everything that’s going on. Time collapses into a single focal point, where the one unshakable thing you know is “I am.” Silence, it turns out, is the womb of creation. Therefore, meditation is a creative event through which you are reclaiming authorship of your life. Now there is no difference between sitting in meditation and living in the world. Both are expressions of awareness, the one silent, and the other active.
5.THERE IS A PLAN, AND YOUR SOUL KNOWS WHAT IT IS.
The fifth principle is the antidote to meaninglessness. In a divine plan, everyone has a part. And because God is within you, you yourself have an absolute right to choose your part in the divine plan.
6.ECSTASY IS THE ENERGY OF SPIRIT. WHEN LIFE FLOWS. ECSTASY IS NATURAL.
The sixth principle is the antidote to inertia. It states that infinite energy is available to you. At the same time, the ego also shuts out higher energies. These are the subtle forces of the soul: love, compassion, truth, and the knowledge of God. The kind of energy you can call upon at any given moment, however, depends on your level of consciousness. Everything you imagine comes into being spontaneously, as easily as the thought itself. There could be no other way since, in unity, a thought and a thing are one and the same. Read “Ask and it is given”
7.THERE IS A CREATIVE SOLUTION TO EVERY PROBLEM. EVERY POSSIBILITY HOLDS THE PROMISE OF ABUNDANCE.
The seventh principle is the antidote to failure. It tells us that every question includes its own answer. The only reason a problem arises before its solution is that our minds are limited. You act without effort. You feel joy in what you do. Your actions bring results. In Nature, every challenge is met with a response.
The questions to ask are
- Am I acting easily, without struggle?
- Do I enjoy what I’m doing?
- Are results coming of their own accord?
If the answer to any of them is no, you are on the wrong track.
8.OBSTACLES ARE OPPORTUNITIES IN DISGUISE.
The eighth principle is the antidote to inflexibility. It tells us that obstacles are signals from the consciousness that we need to change direction, to take a new tack. If your mind is open, it will perceive the next opportunity to do so. The ego’s world presents a massive obstacle to spiritual growth. The secret is to abandon old habits and trust in spontaneity. By definition, being spontaneous cannot be planned in advance. The secret? Wait, drift, and obey.
9. EVOLUTION LEADS THE WAY THROUGH DESIRE.
The ninth principle is the antidote to hypocrisy. Desire has become a huge problem for modern people. To heal this schism, we need to realize that God makes no demands and sets no particular limits of any kind, on thought, word, or deed.
10.FREEDOM IS LETTING GO.
The tenth principle is the antidote to attachment. Be alert. Don’t ignore your feelings when you are angry or anxious. Be objective. If you identify personally with negativity, you will never let it Detach from the specifics. Energies get stuck to particular situations. Take responsibility. This goes hand in hand with detachment. Your energy is yours and nobody else’s.
Don’t expect anyone to do it for you. There is certainly such a thing as divine guidance, but the road to freedom is through the self. Let your body participate. Letting go isn’t just a mental process. In fact, you have metabolized your past and given it sanctuary in your body. Read “The biology of belief“.
Explore and discover. Nothing is more fascinating than finding out who you really are, and what you are really about. Value freedom above everything. We all hear two impulses inside ourselves. One says, “This is what I want to do,” the other says, “This is what I’d better do.” The first is the voice of freedom; the second is the voice of fear.
Spiritual leadership
If you read this book, then read Metahuman and follow that with “The quantum leader” and you will understand that leadership and spirituality are interlinked. Should be interlinked. Image applying the 10 principles to a business.
