The Easy Resolution

There’s a great story told by wise yogi:

"A king asked his ministers to bring many beautiful things to a park. The King then invited his subjects into the park to take whatever their hearts desired.  Some took Apple Ipads, others took Be Present yoga pants, one man found a pair of Phish tickets for 12/31/10, and one woman found a pair Christian Louboutin shoes. There were diamond earrings and Rolex watches and brand new Porsche Carreras...the King's subjects struck the jackpot!

As the King sat on his throne in the middle of the park watching his subjects celebrate their new possessions, a poor woman entered and said to the King, “But are you sure? We can take anything?” The King responded, “Anything your heart desires.” And the poor woman said, “Then I will take you.”

And from that moment, the woman took possession of the King and all of the King’s possessions, his entire Kingdom.

*****

As we turn the corner toward a New Year, consider very carefully your New Years Resolution. So many people make the mistake of saying “I wanna lose weight,” or “I want to make more money,” or “I want my marriage to improve.” Of course, those are wonderful resolutions but are they any different than taking the t-shirts, concert tickets, or designer shoes when you can instead take the King himself?

The present moment is the single most important possession. When you have that, you have everything. When you lack presence, nothing else matters.

In 2011, I encourage you…stop beating around the bush. Take the whole kingdom and RECLAIM THE PRESENT MOMENT NOW!

Following are 5 ways that living in the moment will instantly improve your quality of life:

1. When we live in the moment, we are better lovers because we are able to feel with grace and courage the full spectrum of emotion. Love is a blend of good and bad, high and low, happy and sad. As a wise one said, “You cannot be sensitive to pleasure unless you’re also sensitive to pain.”

2. When we live in the moment, we do better in our careers. People want to work, help, and support those who make them feel good. If you are a scattered, rattled head case, people will avoid you like the plague. If you are relaxed and rooted in the moment, if you make people feel happy and comfortable, they will go out of their way to help you. Maya Angelou said, “People never remember what you say, and they never remember what you do, but they always remember how you made them feel.”

3. When we live in the moment, we are better parents. Children thrive in positive, peaceful energy. “Children don’t need your presents, they need your presence.”

4. When we live in the moment, and are present with our struggles, failures, and challenges, we gain perspective. Oliver Goldsmith said, “Aromatic plants bestow no spicy fragrance while they grow; but crushed or trodden to the ground, diffuse their balmy sweets around.”

5. When we live in the moment, we don’t take life so seriously. As the great Jack Handy said, "Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died of tuberculosis."

By David Romanelli (http://livinthemoment.com/)