The Legend of the Monk and the Merchant

Just finished reading The Legend of the Monk and the Merchant.  It reminded me of Og Mandino and his scrolls.  The author is Terry Febler and has a great message in the book.  I try to be objective with each book I read and make sure I get the most out of it.  Personally, most of this book was too religious for me.  I do believe in giving back but I don't think it revolves around giving money to a church.

What I didn't like was that I felt like I was being preached to for most of the book.  If I was going to write a book for a church congregation that encouraged them to give to the church, it would be similar to this book.

What I DID like was some of the messages related to business. I'll mention two that I especially liked.

1. Take responsibility for problems that are the result of your own bad decisions.  Don't displace the blame.

This message was appropriate to me because I have made some mistakes over the years. Specifically, I have made many mistakes in the past year and have lived by this principle.  My business has grown and overcome obstacles because we always take accountability when we cause problems.  Sometimes we lost money.  Sometimes we lose a customer.  But many times I have found that we develop a stronger relationship with the customer and they appreciate us not trying to displace blame.  A powerful message and a task that is often times harder than it sounds to actually do.

2. See challenges at stepping stone, not as obstacles.

I feel like I have faced more challenges in the past year than in the other 26 of my life!  I'm sure that is perception but it has been exciting for me, because it means I have a lot going on.  If I wasn't working hard and trying to grow a business.  If I wasn't working hard to develop myself.  If..... I wouldn't have many challenges at all.  And I would be in the same place 5, 10, 15 years down the road.  And I know that's not what I want!

So for those of you with more of a traditional church or religious belief, this is a great book and you will really enjoy it.  For an agnostic business owner like myself, you will appreciate the principle taught in the book!