# 5 Lessons Life Has Taught Me

An episode of [The Daily Mastery Podcast by Robin Sharma](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1521068608), 8 Oct 2026, 8:11.

Audio: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1182776/episodes/19911919-5-lessons-life-has-taught-me.mp3

To be human is to have a clear (or hidden) purpose within your soul that only you can do. That only you can see. That only you can complete. I wish you find it and then make this genius real. I'm truly super excited over the upcoming release of my new book The Robot and the Gardener: Being Fully Human in an Artificial Age (Penguin Random House). It's a parable and it's different (by far!) from any book I've ever written. You can join the list here if you'd like to be among the first to receive any updates. FOLLOW ROBIN SHARMA: Instagram Facebook YouTube

## Transcript

What are some of the best life lessons I've learned in 61 years or 60 years on the planet?
First idea, life lesson. Believe in you and no one believes in you. Such a simple idea.
Believe in you when no one believes in you. Sometimes you're going to be an army of
one. People will be laughing at you. You've got to believe in yourself, in your disruptive
vision. Until the people around you start to believe in you. Second life lesson that I've
learned and it comes with a limerick of sorts. I know how strange that sounds, but just
bear with me. And the second life lesson is a red flag is a red flag. So for my son's, my
son is 31 but first 25th anniversary birthday we went to Los Angeles and we
happened to be sitting in this wonderful Italian restaurant. And, a gentleman walked in
and sat next to us, and we just started having a conversation. And this man was just a
titan of business. But he was also a source of great wisdom. And he he said to me, he
goes, a red flag is a red flag. One of the best things he'd learned from life. And so I
offered that to you, especially in relationships, whether it's business or personal. A red
flag is a red flag, and you could lose 10 to 20 years of your life because you hoped that a
red flag was a green flag related to that. On the second point, Maya Angelou said it really
well. When someone shows you who they are, believe it. And here is my limerick that I
composed in the early hours of this morning. I once knew a thief. I wanted to think it was
just a belief. One night, when the time was right, they did what thieves do, leaving me in
grief. Third lesson life has taught me. You teach people how to treat you. You teach
people how to treat you. If someone is not respecting your boundaries, if someone is
disrespecting you, etc. etc., you have allowed that to happen. You remember the the brain
tattoo victims make excuses, leaders deliver results. You've also often heard me say
victims are about complete blame and excuse. Leaders are about a PR absolute personal
responsibility. So this third point is about APR absolute personal responsibility. You teach
people how to treat you, and if someone is not treating you well, it's because at some
level you have allowed them to treat you that way. Fourth lesson that I've learned in these
60 plus years. And it's so simple my friends. But daily reading is a top leadership habit
and a library is a great legacy. Let me repeat that daily reading is a top leadership habit
and a library is a great legacy. The simple idea of reading everything that you can get
your hands on is so powerful. In this world where so many of us have developed. It goes
back to that book, The Shallows. So many of us have developed superficial brains
because we're living in an age of such distractions, such noise, such superficial content.
And if you're not careful, that's going to cause your brain to be become a very superficial
brain. And I think great leaders are paid for their ability to think deeply about very
difficult problems. And so reading just a very process of reading not only slows down
your brain, but it develops the facility to go deep and to be thoughtful about ideas. And so
I would encourage you at least 30 minutes a day reading at least 30 minutes a day. Make
make it a practice for my kids. One of my legacies. I'm going to give them my books. I
buy books when I travel the world. I'll pick up a book in an airport bookshop and a local
bookshop, and that's going to be one of the gifts I'll give to my kids. Fifth lesson. Life's
too short to be around energy vampires and dreamstealers. And it's so important to
remember that you do become your conversation. Write down a list of the three people
who steal your joy. This is a very, It looks like an innocuous exercise. It's really very
powerful. On the left hand side, the three people who, every time you share an idea, they
almost subconsciously find a way to minimize your idea, whether it's a marathon,
whether it's taking a trip, whether it's climbing a mountain, whether it's forgiving
someone whenever you share it, it's almost like a default. And it often happens in
business as well as in your personal life. You share a big idea that you're excited about,
and as soon as you share it, almost like a default they go into, here's why it wouldn't
work. And personally, you share something you're excited about and they automatically
find a way. And here's the key. Here's the litmus test. They make you feel bad about what
you just shared. And I would really encourage you to to let go of those people. So you
spend much less time with those people. Watch what happens to your mindset, your
emotional life, your happiness, your peace. When you start to systematically let go of the
people who degrade your joy. And then on the right hand side of the ledger, the people
who add to your joy, who feel your joy, the three people and keep those people closer.
And I always get asked the question, what happens if the people who steal my joy? What
if it's my mother? What if it's my brother? And I would say, it's your life and you, you
have choice and you can say, I'm not going to. I know it sounds extremes, but you can
say, I'm not going to talk to my brother ever again. That's up to you. Or you could say
selective association. It could be once a week or once a month, but not every day. But
you can figure it out. I will tell you, though, being around people who fuel your joy and
who get you who understands you is a very powerful way to stay in that reality distortion
field. To use the term of Bud Tribble at Apple, when he talked about people entering
Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs is presence.

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