BE PRESENT
When are you MOST present and when is it MOST IMPORTANT that you are present?
For me, I’m most present when I’m doing something I REALLY love... like playing my guitar & singing, dancing around the house with the kids or out in the ocean with the waves & my board. None of these things I’m really any good at but all I am able to immerse myself in wholeheartedly and I find myself MOST present when I’m doing these types of activities.
I believe it’s MOST IMPORTANT to be present when I’m around others. Especially my family, friends and of course my clients. People need real connection.... spending time with someone physically when you are mentally somewhere else is not really spending time with them at all. When your not fully there you can’t give your relationships what they really need. You can’t pick up on signals and body language and your just not going to be giving off the right vibe that makes people feel like they are worthy of your time, understood and appreciated. There are many things that stop us from being present. In my opinion the main two are:
1) Stress (overthinking the future or the past and getting caught up in our minds)
2) Technology (phones/devices/tv). We all know how it feels to have a friend absorbed in their online world whilst trying to have a conversation (not judging.. I’m as guilty as anyone for thinking it’s no biggie to flick off a quick work message whilst with friends and family) I think our kids notice it the most when we are on our phones instead of being present with them!
So now that we may have recognised a few things that are keeping up from being present the most important thing is that we try to change these things in our lives.
Personally I use meditation as a tool to help me stay grounded and less in my head and more in the real world (this is a working process of course) I also have boundaries around technology.. I have PHONE OFF times in my week and house rules around when the TV is aloud to be on. I do my best to be aware of my screen time whilst around my friends or at social occasions. These are all small things but I think they help me to live a more present life in such a future focused world.