A Parable To Understand What Presence Can Do For You

Presence is Power.

So heres the story that I heard. Completely paraphrased by Myself ;)

When Buddha was first becoming a big name, people were quite skeptical of him. They would make statements most people would make if they don't understand something. So this one guy goes "I'm going to hang with the Buddha for a little, maybe I can break him, see if this guy is the real deal". 

This man meets with the Buddha and stays with him for a couple days. The entire time he would be rude, and put down the Buddha for anything. "Why are you looking at me?!" "Why are you giving me this gross food?!" Anything along these lines. The Buddha only came back with kindness.

The skeptical man goes and asks at the end of his stay "Buddha, all I have been is nasty, rude, and ungrateful; And you have only been generous and kind? Why is that Buddha?"

The Buddha goes "If someone gives you a gift, and you don't accept it; whom does it belong to?"

This opened my eyes to sooooo many things. They gift belongs to the one who gave it! So if someone gives you anything negative, or something you don't like, don't accept that "gift". And they will feel the full brunt of it.

An example of this happening to me recently was in college. I went to the bathroom, and as I was walking out, a classmate walks in. He notices my nice posture and that I am bulked up. So he basically tries to mock it and do some silly moves. I literally just watch him. Completely unreactive. Just staying to my frame from before he was even there. He gets super awkward and nervous and yelps a little "Hi" with a hand wave and walks off.

That is how powerful this is. People will try to break you down when you are on your path. But you must believe that your path is true. Much like how the Buddha kept to his morals and convictions on what he believed in. You must too. 

Haha I go on tangents but I get really passionate about bettering myself and helping others. 

I hope this different angle may turn on a light bulb in your head.