The Business of Being Present

There is much said and written about “being present” in a moment. Not allowing our minds to fret forward or replay events, but instead to just experience fully the here and now.

Much good can come from being present.

You will become a better leader. Why? Doesn’t good leadership require you to look forward and plan based on the experiences of the past? Well yes. But none of that matters if you aren’t really listening and focusing on information in the present. And no good decision can be made when your spirit is stretched beyond its limits without time to gain the calm center where rational thinking takes root. So learn to be present, and let me know how it affects your decision making and your leadership. I am cheeky enough to think I know the answer already.

You will become a better friend, parent, spouse, employee… How? Because being present requires you to listen. To listen without leaping to conclusions. To listen without the filter of all that you think you already know. Each time you bring yourself fully into the present, you’re bringing yourself to a fresh place.Yet, too often, our moments and hours become a blur as we rush through with all our efficient sense of self packed into a blaze of time managing efficiency, or our panicked selves running from the hounds we are sure are at our heels.

While reading the book A New Earth with a group of three other women, we spent some time reflecting on how hard it is to really become still and centered in a moment. One of the women, Dr. Michelle May, MD, said it helps her to be aware of the pulse at the tip of each finger. Have you ever realized you can feel your blood moving through your fingertips? Stop and take a deep breath. Place your hands palms up in your lap. Still your mind for a moment and wait until you can feel it.

So…were you able to do it, or did you just keep reading because you’re in a hurry? I know we don’t control time. We do control how we use it. If you pull yourself into the here and now through a few deep breaths, you’ll feel time in your fingertips. What you do with the adjusted attitude that brings you is up to you. I hope you choose to use the present to plant seeds of goodness. It’s all at your fingertips.

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