There’s an old Zen story about a middle-aged man who had fought his way up the corporate ladder, his marriage fell apart; he was estranged from his children, bored with his money and physically sick.
Then someone told him there was a wise man who knew three secrets to a happy life. The man quit his job, sold his home, and began the quest to find the wise man with the secrets of happiness.
He traveled throughout the world, and enduring many hardships, but at last he was rewarded. He found the wise man, sequestered high on a mountain, and knelt before him. “I have traveled a long way and endured many hardships, Master,” he said. “Please tell me the three secrets of a happy life.”
“Most certainly, replied the Master. “The first secret of life is to pay attention.”
The man was delirious. He could most certainly do that! “And what else, Master?” he begged.
“The second secret of life,” said the wise Zen Master, “is to pay attention.”
The man could scarcely believe his ears. But the wise old Master made it even clearer. He closed his eyes and said, “And the third secret of life is to pay attention.”
Most stress is caused by “living in a dead past or an unborn future.” Guilt from the past. Fear of the future. Healing is in the present.
When you begin to understand the importance and practice of being in the moment, aware of the actions and the people around you, life suddenly takes on a whole new dimension.
When you pay attention to your surroundings you enjoy them more. Your internal clock slows down; your natural creativity has time to be unleashed, and opportunities magically appear. Invisible opportunities surround us all the time. In order to see them, we have to pay attention.
Life Is Made Up of Moments. Be Present. Stay In The Moment. Pay Attention.
