A great cartoon appeared some years back. It showed a woman sitting on a rock daydreaming about Mr Right. “Someday my prince will come,” she muses happily.
A man on a white horse rides behind her and announces, “I am here.”
“And he will be tall and handsome and charming,” she continues oblivious to her visitor.
“Ma’am?” the prince repeats. “It’s me. Prince Charming.”
“And he will have a great sense of humor and he will be a great lover……”
” Listen to me!!! Prince Charming pleads. I am already here!”
“And he will pick me up and carry me off and we will live happily ever after…..”
At which point the prince shrugs his shoulders in defeat and turns and rides off. In the final frame of the cartoon, the woman is still staring off into space, sighing, ” Yes, someday my prince will come….”
Are you too busy living in the future or the past to notice the happiness and opportunities that already exist in the present? Happiness will not arrive on a white horse at some vague future date to rescue you from your illusions.
To enter the world of real magic, open your heart to each second, each hour, each experience, and let it guide you to the precious peace of the present moment.
Of Lolly’s many awards and accolades, Lolly was designated a Top-50 Leadership and Management Expert by Inc. magazine. Huffington Post honored Lolly with the title of The Most Inspiring Woman in the World. Her writing has appeared in HBR, Inc.com, Fast Company (Ask The Expert), Huffington Post, and Psychology Today, and others. Her newest book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness has become a national bestseller.
Monica Diaz
11. Oct, 2009
As coaches we encounter this all the time. A bit like the tin man, most people already have what they need within themselves. So whether it be the Price, or just the courage to live the way you want to, you need not wait, just step into it, recognize it, be open. Thx for the reminder!
B
11. Oct, 2009
I am 55 years old and never married. Just about the time I figured my “prince” would never come, I decided to give it one more effort. I sat down and wrote an “intention” of the man I would like to partner with… very specific. Less than a year later, he shows up – to help with the community garden I was creating – and he is pretty much the embodiment of my “list.” He also is 17 years younger, so at first we both thought the other couldn’t possibly feel the same way because (I thought) I am too old and (he thought) he is too much younger. We got past that (although I am still self-conscious in public) and now we share an apartment. Happy ending? Nope… getting what you wish for can be a lot more work than in your fantasies. I am having to learn trust, patience, openness, compromise… and lots of other tough stuff, the most difficult being trust. So even when you shake yourself from reverie and recognize your “prince,” you may not have a true view of what you want. I am not unhappy, but am a bit shell shocked. And yet, I recognize this for the wonderful opportunity to grow as a human being that it is. So, there you go…
Misty
13. Oct, 2009
Wow! I am moved both by the post and by B’s comment.
Thanks, Lolly, for this post.