The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman

 

About

This book tells the story of Dan Millman, a young man in his junior year at the University of California who is training to become a world-champion gymnast. Late one night, something provokes Dan to end up at a local gas station managed by a 94-year-old man who refers to himself as Socrates. Socrates becomes Dan’s mentor and takes him on a journey to becoming a warrior – but not the one Dan’s been training to be in the gym.

The Pro:

• If you are like me and feel that you need to be reading business books but want to be reading non-fiction – then this is the book for you. Now, this isn’t your typical business book. It is probably referred to as a spiritual book but I’m going to refer to it as a book that you should read to better prepare for living life.
• The book is more specifically called Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives. And that is does. I would read this book on my lunch break and no matter what I was dealing with mentally or emotionally the wise words of Socrates always managed to put me at ease. It is a book that I will read again and it is a book that will give people clarity in their life, both personally and professionally, and the decisions they make. It is thought provoking and somewhat life changing, which shines light to the reason it was made into a movie (which I have yet to see).

 

The Con:

• The book starts off rather slow. If you haven’t read a super helpful blog post (cough cough) that told you this book was worth it, you might lose interest quickly. Don’t lose interest. Once you have an understanding of where the story is headed, you will soon think about the book throughout the day and be eager to get back to reading it. This book is a lot like some TV shows, it takes awhile for the character development to progress enough that you are hooked.

 

Important Takeaways

“The warrior acts and the fool only reacts.”

“You can control your efforts, not outcomes.”

“Anger is a powerful tool to transform old habits and replace them with new ones.”

“I saw that I had never learned how to enjoy life, only how to achieve. All my life I had been busy seeking happiness, not finding it.”

“The secret to happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”

 

Rating

I gave this book a solid and easy A rating. Like I said, this book was almost an escape for me from a hectic and crazy workday. I wish I had my own Socrates to follow me around and remind me that the bad things that I think are happening to me are actually only happening because I let them. I’ve never read a spiritual book and have never intended to, but the way this book made me feel has opened up that possibility to find more like it. This book can be best referred to as mediation for those who can’t mediate.