What The Romans Know About Greatness | Robin Sharma

Hi, it's Robin Sharma, author of the Leader who Had no Title, founder of the Titan Academy. And I'm so happy that you're here with me on this master session, because this one is all about four life lessons from Rome. And I'm going to get personal here because a number of months ago, I went to one of my favorite cities on the planet, which is Rome. And it was one of the single best trips I've had to Rome in terms of my creativity, in terms of my product productivity, in terms of my learning about what's most important in life and in terms of just having a fun time in the moment. And I wanted to sort of share with you four reflections or four lessons that I learned from Roam that I truly hope will be valuable to you in terms of increasing your productivity exponentially, increasing your happiness terrifically, and improving the overall quality of your life, which is a nice segue into the first life lesson, quality wins. Now, just be with me on this idea, because when you look at Italians, they're all about quality. In my hotel room, I stay at the same hotel in Rome. Every time I go, I get the same room at the same hotel because it overlooks this courtyard, which is incredibly inspiring. And there's a coffee table book in this hotel room. And it was something about Italian quality. And it talked about Ferrari, it talked about the Italian coffee makers, it talked about the great Italian chefs, it talked about the great Italian footwear. On a previous visit, I used to stay at the former home of the footwear maker in the family, where the man made footwear or shoes. But the point is simply this. As I went through the pages of this coffee table book, it really occurred to me that one of the things that makes Italy great is their devotion to world class quality in a world where there's such a dilution of quality. And I believe on this first life lesson, quality wins. I was reading an article the other day about this brand called Moncler. You probably have seen Moncler, it's become a fashion empire. But the backstory behind Moncler, it used to be this French ski apparel company. And so the founder, his name is Raffini, he had just sold his other company and he was looking for a great brand, a great company to buy for his next level of game. And he used to be a skier when he was a kid. And remember, you know, When I was 14 and 15, my mom and dad used to make me wear these Moncler ski jackets. And so he approached Moncler and he purchased the company. And then he brought his Italian aesthetic to Moncler, and he shifted it from a pretty good ski manufacturer to this iconic fashion empire. And if you see Moncler, their jackets and their shoes and their. Their hats and their handbags, I mean, it's very Italian now, and it's. It's sort of street chic, uber cool. And it's really a badge of honor for a lot of people who love the brand. And what I'm really suggesting to you is the Italians have this ability to take brands and make them truly iconic. I've started wearing Keiway jackets again. And every time I wear a Keiway jacket, people go, yeah, I had one of those when I was five years old, you know, but what happened to Keiway? Again, purchased by an Italian who found a brand that was maybe in the doldrums, maybe it was sort of stagnated, and they injected next level quality, next level style. And now it's. If you walk around Europe, you see a lot of people, you know, the people who are the cool people. I'm not saying I'm so cool, but the people who are cool, who are into the urban chic, they're rocking the K way. And so the first point I want to offer to you that I learned from a recent trip to Rome, the Eternal City, is that quality wins. We live in a world where people are. They're forgetting about the power of quality, whether it is a coffee maker, whether it is a car, whether it is a jacket, whether it is a pair of shoes. You know, when you're producing anything and that you're releasing in the world, make sure it's of the highest quality. Second thing that I learned from this recent trip to Rome is art inspires. So I remember running one morning, and it was a sunny day in late December, and it was just one of those unforgettable runs. Why? Because in one morning, I ran past the Coliseum, and then I went past the Trevi Fountain, and then I went over to the Pantheon, and literally, I went to these incredibly legendary sites. But I was inspired by the art of the architecture, and I got so many ideas. I was so energized. And what I'm suggesting to you is if you are stuck, if you need more energy, if you want a creative burst, if you want to unchain your brain so you get your next level of ideation that you bring to your career to really rock your industry, spend more time in art. I mean, take a trip to Rome, go to Trevi Fountain, go to the Pantheon, run past the Coliseum and just being around. Go to the Vatican City and look up at Michelangelo's masterpiece. And just being around. The best of human possibility through their art will shift you from where you now are to where you want to be. Third thing I learned from this recent trip to Rome is that laughter connects. So I was walking through downtown Rome. It might have been via. It might have been Via del Corso. I found this little shop, and it was just sort of like a little pop up shop. And I walked in and I met this young man. His name was Roberto. And Roberto was from.

I forget where he was from. It might have been Tuscany. But what he would do is he would bring fresh cheese into this little shop and sell it every single morning. What I loved was he worked with great love, like a lot of Italians. You know, you talk to the great Italian chefs, they'll say, I'll say, why is this so good? They say, because I cook with love. And so one of the things I learned from Roberto is he just would bring this cheese. And I said, you know, I'm not really hungry. I want to go for a workout. He said, no, you have to. He was so hospitable. But on this third point about laughter connects, he made me laugh. He became my new best friend. I still connect with him now all the time, you know, and he will say, oh, I'm just leaving the countryside and I'm bringing some fresh cheese to my store. And what are you next? Coming to Rome. But that time where we connected at his shop and he made me laugh, connected me to the importance of relationships. I mean, we live in a world where we've commoditized relationships, where a lot of us are so consumer driven and so busy chasing these shiny toys that society sells us on the measures of success that we have forgotten how to smile. We've forgotten the awesome miracle of two strangers in a cheese shop in Rome connecting as human beings. You know what I've realized? That's true riches. That's true luxury. If you. Emerson said, without the rich heart, wealth is an ugly beggar. And then the final thing I learned from this trip to Rome was life is incredibly beautiful. You know, I mean, there's such a seduction with filling your life with all these things. I have never just sharing very openly, as I always want to do in these mastery sessions. I've never been so disinterested in things. I've never cared so little about fame and fortune. And the irony is, as I care less about getting known.

My impact just soars. I'm so much more interested in producing my best work to help as many people as possible. I'm so much more interested at being fully present to sunsets. I'm so much more interested in giving my undivided attention to my loved ones. Because the greatest gift you can give your loved ones is the full nature of your presence. That shows you that you value them. That shows love. That's what kids want. They don't want more toys. They want you to be fully there. And I guess what I'm saying on this final point is life is incredibly beautiful and the greatest of pleasures are the simplest of pleasures. I mean, this founder of Montclair, he said, you know, I love Italy so much. He's got a place on Lake Como. And he said, I love.

Spaghetti pomodoro. It's the simplest of dishes. He said, you know, it's just fresh pasta, basil and olive oil. But to get the right, to use his word, to get the right calibration of those simplest ingredients so that you get the perfect spaghetti pomodoro takes mastery. So life is beautiful. Keep it simple. Enjoy the moment. I hope I've been of service to you. Go take a trip to Rome with your family and your loved ones. Go check out the great pasta. Go for a nice walk or a great run and you'll fall in love with that great city just as I have. I'll see you in the next Mastery session. Stay great. I'll talk to you soon. Hi, it's Robin. I invite you to subscribe to this podcast and definitely go over to Robin Sharma.com for more information. Tools Resources Mastery Elite performance and living a world class life.