'The Sun and Her Flowers', Rupi Kaur

Rating: 6/10

Overall Thoughts

'The Sun and Her Flowers' is divided into five chapters, each reflecting a floral theme, and it takes you on a journey of wilting, falling, rooting, rising and blooming.

Wilting is essentially about breakups, and it signifies a person's heart shattering.  Falling is its downfall, and is portrayed by Rupi Kaur as the process of coming into terms with yourself and the first attempt at achieving recovery.  Rooting is the process of regaining strength and self-worth.  The author's experiences as an immigrant who moved from Punjab to Canada is strongly reflected in this chapter.  Rising is about finding love and relationships.  And finally, Blooming is about self-love, self-actualisation, and feeling comfortable within one's own skin.

The author's writing has definitely grown and evolved since 'Milk and Honey', and this book felt much more personal.  In 'The Sun and Her Flowers', her poems contain controversial and difficult subject matters such as immigration, refugees, mental illness, rape, abuse and sexual empowerment, as opposed to only talking about feminism and love.  

Favourites from 'The Sun and Her Flowers'

"in order to fall asleep
i have to imagine your body
crooked behind mine
spoon ladled into spoon
till i can hear your breath
i have to recite your name
till you answer and
we have a conversation
only then
can my mind
drift off to sleep"

.....

"it isn't what we left behind
that breaks me
it's what we could've built
had we stayed"

.....

"love does not look like a person
love is our actions
love is giving all we can
even if it's just the bigger slice of cake
love is understanding
we have the power to hurt one another
but we are going to do everything in our power
to make sure we don't
love is figuring out all the kind sweetness we deserve
and when someone shows up
saying they will provide it as you do
but their actions seem to break you
rather than build you
love is knowing whom to choose"

.....

"you cannot 
walk in and out of me
like a revolving door
i have too many miracles
happening inside me
to be your convenient option"

.....

"you call to tell me you miss me
i turn to fact the front door of the house
waiting for a knock
days later you call to say you need me
but still aren't here
the dandelions on the lawn
are rolling their eyes in disappointment
the grass has declared you yesterday's news
what do i care
if you love me
or miss me
or need me
when you aren't doing anything about it
if i'm not the love of your life
i'll be the greatest loss instead"

.....

"where do we go from here my love
when it's over and i'm standing between us
whose side do i run to
when every nerve in my body is pulsing for you
when my moth waters at the thought
when you are pulling me in just by standing there
how do i turn around and choose myself"

.....

"you are waiting for someone 
who is not coming back
meaning
you are living our life
hoping that someone will realize
they can't live theirs without you"

.....

"i do not weep
because i'm unhappy
i weep because i have everything
yet i am unhappy"

.....

"you must remember it too
how the rest of the city slept
while we sat awakened for the first time
we hadn't touched yet
but we managed to travel in and out
of each other with our words
our limbs dizzying with enough electricity
to form half a sun
we drank nothing that night
but i was intoxixated
i went home and thought
are we soul mates"

.....

"why am i always running in circles
between wanting you to want me
and when you want me
deciding it is too emotionally naked
for me to live with
why do i make loving me so difficult
as if you should never have to witness
the ghosts i have tucked under my breast
i used to be more open
when it came to matters like this my love"

.....

"i say maybe this is a mistake.  maybe we need more than love
to make this work.
you place your lips on mine.  when our faces are buzzing with
the ecstasy of kissing you say tell me that isn't right.  and as
much as i'd like to think with my head.  my racing heart is all
that makes sense.  there.  right there is the answer you're
looking for.  in my loss of breath.  my lack of words.  my
silence.  my inability to speak means you've filled my
stomach with so many butterflies that even if this is a
mistake.  it could only be right to be this wrong with you."

.....

"it has been one of the greatest and most difficult years of
my life.  i learned everything is temporary.  moments.  
feelings.  people.  flowers.  i learned love is about giving.
everything.  and letting it hurt.  i learned vulnerability is
always the right choice because it is easy to be cold in a 
world that makes it so very difficult to remain soft.  i learned
all things come in twos.  life and death.  pain and joy.  salt and
sugar.  me and you.  it is the balance of the universe.  it has
been the year of hurting so bad but living so good.  making
friends out of strangers.  making strangers out of friends.
learning mint chocolate chip ice cream will fix just about
everything.  and for the pains it can't there will always be my
mother's arms.  we must learn to focus on warm energy.
always.  soak our limbs in it and become better lovers to the 
world.  for if we can't learn to be kind to each other how will
we ever learn to be kind to the most desperate parts of 
ourselves."

'The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari', Robin S. Sharma

Rating: 8/10

Overall Thoughts

This is the sort of book that will add value and essence to your life. It will give you direction when you're going through hard times and are at your lowest point.  It makes you ponder about your life and guide you to ask yourself, "am I happy with my life right now?" "what is my life purpose?" "how can I achieve happiness?"

The book essentially discusses the Seven Virtues of Enlightened Learning, which are:-

1. Master your mind
2. Follow your purpose
3. Practice kaizen
4. Live with discipline
5. Respect your time
6. Selflessly serve others
7. Embrace the present

Each of these Virtues are discussed in some detail in separate chapters, each of them with a number of concepts and habits to develop.  Though these may not be new concepts, the Virtues explained in the book are easily applicable to one's life.

'The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari' is one of the best self-help books I’ve read to date.  It’s rare to find a book that offers a story and a plethora of inspirational quotes, which actually make you think about your life. 

Lessons from 'The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari'

1. Every event has a purpose and every setback its lesson.  I have realized that failure, whether of the personal, professional or even spiritual kind, is essential to personal expansion.  It brings inner growth and a whole host of psychic rewards.  Never regret your past.  Rather, embrace it as the teacher that it is.
2. I've also come to see that success on the outside means nothing unless you also have success within.  There is a huge difference between well-being and being well-off.
3. Investing in yourself is the best investment you will ever make.  It will not only improve your life, it will improve the lives of all those around you.
4. It is only when you have mastered the art of loving yourself that you can truly love others.  It's only when you have opened your own heart that you can touch the hearts of others.  When you feel centered and alive, you are in a much better position to be a better person.
5. To live life to the fullest, you must stand guard at the gate of your garden and let only the very best information enter.  You truly cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought - not even one ... the ones who do more than just exist, the ones who fan the flames of their human potential and truly savor the magical dance of life do different things than those whose lives are ordinary.  Foremost amongst the things that they do is adopt a positive paradigm about their world and all that is in it.
6. There are no mistakes in life, only lessons.  There is no such thing as a negative experience, only opportunities to grow, learn and advance along the road of self-mastery.  From struggle comes strength.  Even pain can be a wonderful teacher.
7. Find out what you truly love to do and then direct all of your energy towards doing it ... Once you find out what your life's work is, your world will come alive.  You will wake up every morning with a limitless reservoir of energy and enthusiasm.  All your thoughts will be focused on your definite objective.
8. There is nothing noble about being superior to some other person.  True nobility lies in being superior to your former self.
9. It doesn't matter what other people say about you.  What is important is what you say to yourself.  Do not be concerned with the judgment of others so long as you know what you are doing is right.
10. The purpose of life is a life of purpose.  Those who are truly enlightened know what they want out of life, emotionally, materially, physically and spiritually.
11. The real source of happiness can be stated in a word: achievement.
12. Concentrate every ounce of your mental energy on self-discovery.  Learn what you excel at and what makes you happy.
13. When  you decide to start concentrating your mind on your life's main aims, your mind starts to filter out the unimportant and focus only on the important.
14. Have a clear vision of your outcome.  Create positive pressure to keep you inspired.  Never set a goal without attaching a timeline to it.
15. Never do anything because you have to.  The only reason to do something is because you want to and because you know it is the right thing for you to do.
16. What lies behind you and what lies in front of you is nothing when compared to what lies within you.
17. The only limits on your life are those that you set yourself.
18. Ensure that your daily schedule includes a mandatory period of peace.
19. Words affect the mind in a pronounced way.  Whether they are spoken or written, they are powerful influences.  While what you say to others is important, even more important is what you say to yourself.
20. 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.
21. Focus only on your priorities, those activities which are truly meaningful.  Your life will be uncluttered, rewarding and exceptionally peaceful ... unless you reduce your needs, you will never be fulfilled.
22. Failure is not having the courage to try, nothing more and nothing less.  The only thing standing between most people and their dreams ifs the fear of failure.  Yet failure is essential to success in any endeavor.  Failure tests us and allows us to grow.  It offers us lessons and guides us along the path of enlightenment.
23. The most meaningful things in your life should never be sacrificed to those that are the least meaningful ... failing to plan is planning to fail.
24. Being engaged in a pursuit that truly challenges you is the surest route to personal satisfaction.  But the real key to remember is that happiness is a journey, not a destination.
25. Never put off happiness for the sake of achievement.  Never put off the things that are important for your well-being and satisfaction to a later time.
26. Life doesn't always give you what you ask for, but it always gives you what you need.