The Master Storyteller(A Japanese folktale)
Many years ago, there was an old storyteller—a master of his art—making his way through the countryside. As the sun lowered in the sky, he knew, from the grumbling in his stomach and the aching in his bones, that he needed to find a place to rest that evening and, even more importantly, a meal. His prayers would soon be answered, for there at the foot of the hill was a dojo, a school of swordsmanship where young, aspiring samurai could study under a master swordsman. The custom in those ancient days was to earn a meal and lodging for the night by engaging one of the students in a duel using wooden swords. The old man looked thoughtfully at the dojo and then felt the age in his bones and the weariness in his muscles and knew what a duel would mean to a man of his years. After a moment, a smile crossed his lips and he walked to the door of the school and knocked.A young swordsman answered the door. “Grandfather, what can I do for you tonight?”The old man smiled and said, “I am here to challenge the master of this school.”The young man laughed and said, “Grandfather, why don’t you challenge one of our first year students?”“No, I am here to challenge the master.”“Why not one of our second year students?”“No, I insist on meeting the master in a duel.”The old man was brought into the training hall where all the students looked on with curiosity at this frail, old storyteller who had challenged their teacher. You see to challenge the master, a samurai, was to fight a duel with swords of steel, a duel to the death.Word was sent to the master of the school, a swordsman whose reputation was known throughout Japan. He came to the hall and bowed to the storyteller.At his side, in his obi, he carried the long sword, the katana of the samurai. He signaled for one of his students to hand a sword to the old storyteller. The storyteller placed the katana on the floor in front of him and never glanced at it again.The master of the school finally spoke. “I accept your challenge. Please take up your weapon and we shall begin.”Slowly, the swordsman drew his sword to strike. As this happened, the old man finally spoke.“Once, a long time ago, there was a small village near a beautiful stream at the foot of a mighty mountain. At the end of the village there was a cottage where an old man lived. Every day he would go to the stream and listen as the fish told him the stories of the places they had traveled, the people they had seen, and the stories they had heard on their journey. Then the old man would go to the village and tell his friends his new stories as they drank their morning tea. This …”As the old storyteller was speaking, the master of the school lowered his sword and bowed. “You have defeated me,” he said to the weary traveler.The students shouted. “How could he have won? He never struck a blow.He never even picked up a sword.”The samurai turned and looked at them and smiled. “How many times have I told you that to win in battle you must stay in the present, you must stay in the moment. This man took me to a place far away and long ago. He could have slain me at will.”And so it was and so it will be for all those who tell tales and stories from their heart, and all those who listen.

How much do we all lose everyday just because we are not living in the present?Playing to and capitalizing on your strengths is a must for success. For the story teller his stories were his strength. And he used his stories to win bread for himself. Do we know our strengths? Do we make the most of it?
The biggest lesson we learn from this folktale is that be it professional world or personal world, to win we must stay in the present, WE MUST STAY IN THE MOMENT!
This sounds simple but it difficult to achieve. More often than not we end up living in the future or dwelling in the past. We are too worried about what may happen tomorrow or we keep thinking about what had happened in the past.
In professional world this means loss of opportunities. One who is not in the present will never be able to perform at the best of his/her abilities. The individual will not be able to grab the opportunities that come his/her way. There will be lack of efficiency and the pace of growth will slow down.
Just think of those instances where you had to repeat the same instructions to someone who was not paying attention. Instances where someone missed on a critical point and the work had to be re-done. Instances where multiple meetings were held, discussing the same topic because participants were not able to be ‘in the moment’ to take a concrete decision. These are just few examples of how much we end up losing professionally just because we are not in the moment.
There are repercussions in the personal sphere as well. If we don’t live in the present we end up being unhappy. We do not enjoy small moments of happiness life has to offer. We ruin our relationships by not paying attention to our dear ones.
It definitely works wonders when we start living in the present.
Living ‘in the moment’ is the key to success – personally and professionally!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Abhishek Ratna is the author of Amazon Bestseller - No Parking. No Halt. Success Nonstop!
About the book:
A self-help book for success at work! No Parking. No Halt. Success Nonstop!  has 50 career lessons for today's 20teen generation.
Practical and comprehensive, the book often stretches to the point of 'cunning without harming'. Interspersed with quotes, stories and humor, it also breaks a few myths. The author treads the fine line between ethical and non-ethical. The author is able to convince the reader about the necessity for professional success.
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This series ‘Life Lessons from Folktales’ brings to you best of folktales from all over the world with the purpose of teaching you valuable and simple lessons for life.