Happy New Year! The year 2014 was an exciting year for the authors of My Paris Story, the book, both as a group as well as individually. Many of us had huge successes that we have discussed on our own websites and blogs. I encourage you to look at our Author Page and check them out.

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January is always a time to reflect and look closely at what has been achieved in the previous year, as well as to look forward to what we would like to bring into our lives in the coming year. We know that many of our readers have a special connection with Paris – whether you wish to move to Paris at some point or you just love to live vicariously through those of us who live here already. Our book is a testament to how that can become anyone’s reality – even for those who have never foresaw a move here.

So what do you wish to create in 2015? A newfound zest for life? Greater confidence in yourself? More opportunities for discovering new things about yourself? A deeper spiritual practice? These are all noble goals and I’m guessing at least one of them is close to a goal you already had in mind for 2015.

But what if we really zeroed in on what you might be seeking through these or any other number of goals… What if we just said, ‘screw it, let’s just surrender’? You see, nowhere in My Paris Story do you find a story of one of us fighting to get to Paris. We all just let go, some earlier in the process than others. But without the surrender, there was no release of resistance to allow the full expression of the Universe to come to fruition. Let me give you an example… You’re in yoga class, all stretched out reaching in opposite directions, doing what you feel is your best for a strong Virabhadrasana II, but there’s this crick in your front leg. No matter how much you try to push through it, there’s no comfort in the challenge of the pose. And then, out of nowhere, you release it. You surrender to the pose and the effervescent feeling of being in it, of being in the moment accepting where your body is, and enjoying the ride. And suddenly you are there recognizing that in the blink of an eye and with the simple decision to stop struggling, you’ve arrived at a powerful and challenging pose that is euphorically satisfying.

I encourage you to release the resistance you have to the desires you’ve conceived of for 2015, and ride the joyful wave of being alive and letting go to the present moment.