Many of us function by default out of a production-based mindset.
This mindset can mislead us by setting our attention primarily on endpoints and outcomes, causing us to approach the world from a quantitative lens. We measure our life by tasks accomplished, actions taken, and external output.
But when we consider our actual experience of life day-to-day, we notice that it has another dimension; one that is qualitative. It’s easy to pass through our lives checking off tasks and reaching goals while neglecting the real qualitative experience of life in front of us.
This is why we need to step back every once in a while and intentionally expand our sense of Presence.
Presence is our capacity to take in our experience of the moment before us. Some of us have greater capacity than others to do this, merely because many of us have too heavy a bent toward production, such that we can’t slow our minds down long enough to set our attention on the present moment. This is a capacity we need to focus on, because it’s likely that most of us have never taken the time to grow in it.
If we’re not paying attention and enjoying life’s contents, we may very well miss all the good parts while we focus on the next upcoming finish line. Practicing growing in Presence may help us to see that fullness depends much less on what gets done in life, and much more on whether or not we experience life as it occurs.
We may find as we grow in Presence that it is the most direct doorway into a fuller life.
It doesn’t matter how much happens in a movie, if you’re not paying attention and enjoying its contents. We find through Presence that fullness depends much less on what gets done in life, and much more on whether or not we miss life as it occurs.
All the best,
Steven Lawson
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
- Chinese Proverb
GOING DEEPER
How Learning to Stay in the Present Moment Will Make You (and Your Business) Better - Entrepreneur
Practicing Presence often times requires us to pause to fully take in and consider all of the things going on around us. In a productivity-centric world like the one we live in, taking time away from completing the tasks in front of us can feel counter intuitive to living the fullest version of our life, but as explained by Ashley Notarmaso via Entrepreneur, that misconception is far from the truth. LINK
The art of being present in relationships - Medium
Not only does the practice of Presence help us achieve more in the physical sense, it also can be immensley helpful in growing the relationships and closeness that we have with those we care about most in life. As Zach Beach lays out in this Medium piece, the more present we are, the more likely we are to cultivate deeper connections with those that we love and and learn more about them than we may have thought we ever could. LINK
How to Live in the Moment: 35+ Tools to Be More Present - Positive Psychology
Hopefully you agree with us about the importance of Presence, but you may hear the advice "be more present" and not know where to start. If you relate to that feeling, here are a list of 35+ practices you could begin integrating into your life right away. Challenge yourself and pick at least one or two of these and see how you feel after a week of comitment to it. It may incline you to integrate even more in the future. LINK
Featured Art: 39-Courage-Test For Children, Nina Leen
