C. Fraser
Being Present – please!
How simple is this? Be present with people and just see what comes of it. In our rush, rush life there are significant 
moments that we can easily miss if we are always thinking about the next place we have to be.
This week I had three live presentations to clients and some 30-40 appointments (in person and many telephone interviews with new clients). It was a pretty packed week and I was feeling the tension as I ramped up for the week.
By Wednesday I had finished two of the presentations and I was ready for two days of back-to-back appointments. And then it struck me – am I being present, or am I getting caught up in thinking/worrying about what was coming up next?
When we are present with people we invest in the moment; there is little consideration for the future and no judgement of the present. It simply is, what it sounds like: in the present.
As Emerson once said, “With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now.” Yet, notice how people are living as they stand in line for their Starbucks Venti-jolt or when they are walking down the street. Are they ‘there’ or are they off in some future worry or ‘to do’ list? My wife admonished me yesterday for calling her as I walked to the book store. After a couple of minutes of suffering her recriminations I had to (finally) agree – I should have been just walking.
Question: when do you catch yourself worrying about the future more than enjoying your moments?
“I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.” – Albert Einstein
After spending about a month with my 11 month old son on paternity leave, I got to really focus on just the moments and reclaim some life balance. Now that I’m back to work again I have to remind myself to keep that balance and not lose my soul…. thanks for the reminder, Hugh.
I love the quote from an unknown source that says “Life shouldn’t be measured by the number of breaths you take, but rather by the number of moments that take our breath away.”
We will never fully experience those “wow” moments if we don’t live in the present.