The Everyday Hero Manifesto summary

Hero: it’s a word that gets thrown around a lot.

We read about heroes who storm burning buildings to rescue others or those who land planes in frightening conditions. Heroes like Mahatma Gandhi or Rosa Parks stand up to oppressors while others surmount the odds to rise to dizzying heights in sports, music, and the arts.

But a hero doesn’t always have to be loud and public. Author and motivational speaker Robin Sharma wants readers to know that within each of us lies a heroic force. Anyone who consistently strives to live their life with beauty, honor, self-respect, joy, bravery, and creativity can aspire to the title of everyday hero. Becoming a genius does not require hitting the genetic lottery. It’s a goal attainable by anyone willing to put in the work to get there.

Take the author, for example. He decided in his 30s that he wanted to live his life in a better, richer, more meaningful way, so he set out to teach himself how. Every day, he woke up early while his family slept, and studied ways to improve his productivity, confidence, and happiness. He attended conferences, hired coaches, and worked with experts until, three years later, he felt transformed. He wrote a book to share his journey, calling it The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari.

There was just one problem. He didn’t know a single thing about publishing. His mother, a teacher, edited the book, and his father, a family doctor, drove him to the copy shop to print out his first few copies. The copies were hard to read. Editors discouraged him. Hardly anyone showed up to his first reading. Yet he persisted, self-belief rising above all external discouragement.

And then, one day, when he was in his local bookstore signing the six copies of his book that he’d given the store owner on consignment, a man approached him, curious about the title of his book. Robin eagerly filled him in, using this opportunity to pour out to the stranger all his enthusiasm, hopes, and dreams for the book and its message.

As luck would have it, that man was the president of the publishing giant Harper Collins. The rest, for anyone familiar with the blockbuster status of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, is history.

The moral of the story? Well, there are a few.

One is that the capacity for great work lies in all of us, and it’s our job and even our duty to find it, polish it, and let it shine. Second is that your act of heroism requires self-belief and commitment to excellence that can’t be denied. And finally, it may take time for things to work out, but if you handle your journey the right way, you will reach your destination.

But the very first lesson for becoming the everyday hero of your life? Don’t wait. “Action delayed is greatness betrayed,” is a saying Robin is fond of quoting.

On that note, let’s get started on our journey.