Bestselling author Jesse Itzler could easily be voted the least likely to sit still. The successful entrepreneur, endurance athlete and father of four only knows one speed: FULL BLAST. He's also one of the most unconventional people you'll ever meet. So, when Jesse felt like the world around him was getting too hectic, he didn't take a vacation or get a massage, he moved into a monastery and gave himself a self-imposed time-out.
In LIVING WITH THE MONKS, the follow-up to his New York Times bestselling LIVING WITH A SEAL, Jesse Itzler takes us on a spiritual journey like no other. Jesse doesn't believe in traditional resumes-he believes in life resumes: collecting experiences and creating memories. His life is full of business success and adventure. Jesse went from being a rapper, to starting the world's largest jet card company (and selling it to Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway/NetJets) to running 100 miles non-stop in under 24 hours, to becoming an owner of the Atlanta Hawks basketball team. And now, it's all about to slow down.
Thinking all monasteries are like the ones he sees on TV, Jesse arrives at the New Skete religious community in the isolated and snowy mountains of upstate New York with a shaved head and a suitcase filled with bananas. To his surprise, New Skete monks have most of their hair. They're Russian Orthodox, not Buddhist, and they're also world-renowned German shepherd breeders and authors of dog-training books that have sold in the millions.
As Jesse struggles to fit in amongst the odd but lovable monks, cheesecake-making nuns, and the strange professional intern in the cell next to his, self-doubt begins to beat like a tribal drum and he questions his motivation to embark on this adventure, missing his family and phone. But in the end, Jesse discovers the secrets of the monks and their wisdom, the power of shutting off, being alone and taking time to simply think.
Equal parts memoir and road map to living a less stressful and more vibrant life, LIVING WITH THE MONKS is an illuminating, entertaining, and unexpected trip for anyone looking to feel calmer and more controlled in our crazy, hectic world.
