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Saturday, December 21, 2013

The Ace Awakening




Exactly a year ago, I blogged about Murali Murthy's book The Ace Principle that listed 15 success principles to Absorb Comprehend and Excel (therefore ACE) in every area of life.

It is a brilliant book that helps understand the meaning of life and living, and helps setting
up a plan to achieve one’s objectives in life. Many authors would settle down into easy obscurity after having their first book published, or at least rest of the laurels for a while. 

Not Murali. Within a year, he’s back with another ace – The Ace Awakening – 8 Milestones to scale the peaks of life.
 
The book begins by a simple observation by the author: 

“Each year, I trek over 60 kilometres across one of the most inhospitable terrains in southern India and join thousands of people from around the world who overcome extreme challenges to climb five peaks in the attempt to reach the summit of Sabarimala.


As I write this book, I have successfully climbed Sabarimala 26 years in a row.


Why did I want to climb a mountain?


On my very first trip to Sabarimala, that question was answered. Because mountains are majestic and inspire awe. They tower and loom above us. They outscale us. When we climb a mountain, we participate in its majesty and awe. Some part of its aura enters our life story and imbues it with meaning. It is not that we become as great as the mountain when we scale it but, rather, its greatness becomes part of us. That power which loomed over us at the foot goes inside us at the peak.”


Murali shares his experiences of trekking and overcoming extreme challenges to successfully climb five perilous peaks, and describes his personal journey using his experience of reaching the top of the mountain as a metaphor to the challenges in life we all face. 

The result is an illuminating enumeration of eight milestones that will serve as a guide to everyone on the journey to reach the pinnacle of excellence in life.


Murali Murthy reading from his book
The eight milestones are:

  • Identifying a life purpose
  • The insight and the understanding
  • The research
  • The mentorship
  • The journey begins
  • The uncompromised long route
  • At the peak
  • The next peak
Each of these milestones is a stage in the journey to the shrine of Sabarimala, one of the most important temples in India, and also in the world, reportedly attracting over a 100 million devotees annually. And each of the milestones is accompanied by an insight that translates the mountain trekking experience into a scalable life goal.


With the permission of the author, Generally About Books is reproducing one the insights from the book – insight that accompanies Milestone 7: At the Peak.


See the blog entry below:

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