20100102

A resolution for the new year (and decade?)

One good resolution for the new year is to seriously examine "the seven timeless virtues" detailed in Robin S. Sharma's book The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. The seven virtues are represented by corresponding symbols within this mystical fable:

You are sitting in the middle of a magnificent, lush green garden. This garden is filled with the most spectacular you have ever seen. The environment is supremely tranquil and silent. Savour the sensual delights of this garden and feel as if you have all the time in the world to enjoy this natural oasis. As you look around you will see that in the centre of this magnificence stands a towering, red lighthouse, six stories high. Suddenly, the silence is broken as a loud creaking door at the base of the lighthouse opens. Out stumbles a 9 foot tall, nine-hundred-pound Japanese sumo wrestler who casually wanders into he centre of the garden. he Japanese sumo wrestler is almost totally naked. He has a pink wire cable covering his private parts.

As the sumo wrestler starts to move around the garden, he finds a shiny stopwatch which someone had left behind many years earlier. He slips it on, and falls to the ground with an enormous thus. The sumo wrestler is rendered unconscious and lies there, still and silent. Just when you think he has taken his last breath, the wrestler awakens, perhaps stirred by the fragrance of some fresh yellow roses blooming nearby. Energised the wrestler jumps swiftly to his feet and intuitively looks to is left. He is startled by what he sees. Through the bushes at the very end of the garden he observes a long winding path covered by millions of sparkling diamonds. Something seems to instruct the wrestler to take the path, and to his credit he does. This leads him down to road of everlasting joy and eternal bliss.

Here are the virtues and the symbols:

Virtue 1: Master your mind
Symbol: The magnificent garden

Virtue 2: Follow your purpose
Symbol: The towering lighthouse

Virtue 3: Practice Kaizen
Symbol: The sumo wrestler

Virtue 4: Live with discipline
Symbol: The pink wire cable

Virtue 5: Respect your time
Symbol: The gold stopwatch

Virtue 6: Selflessly serve others
Symbol: The fragrant roses

Virtue 7: Embrace the present
Symbol: The path of diamonds

These are virtues worth devoting one's time developing if one is to achieve "a life overflowing with inner peace, joy and a wealth of spiritual gifts".

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