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Snap out of it!
Like every day, I had a really awesome conversation with one of my friends via Skype. We always have super stellar conversations over Skype even though we live in the same city, and approximately twenty-five minutes away from each other. As he started to dive in to a really long story from a particular part of his life, my attention started to drift and I began to day dream. It’s not because what he was saying wasn’t particularly interesting (it was in fact very interesting) but what he was talking about had sparked a particular memory or thought process. I instantly shifted my attention from him to myself. I started to picture everything in the back of my mind and within just a few seconds I lost track of the conversation and had to ask him to retell part of what he already said so that I didn’t miss any valuable information to understand the entire story.
In short, I wasn’t being present at all in our conversation. Not being present resulted in me missing a vital part of the conversation as well as taking a bit of value from him by possibly not looking or sounding interested when I in fact was. That could seriously hurt our friendship, especially if I am always losing presence every time we talk.
You are only promised right NOW
We spend so much time of our day day-dreaming or thinking of our next move, which in hindsight you end up losing the ability to take advantage of your present opportunities. We tend to resort to feelings of guilt, loss, or regret when we focus on our past, and then get lost in the fears of tomorrow or our futures. The past no longer exists, and tomorrow is never promised.
Living in the moment is about learning how to really appreciate your life. This is all we have and not being aware is taking away from your ability to succeed faster. To take the opportunities you have now by the reigns and making every moment count. You can create anything you want in this moment. You chose to read this blog post, and you can choose to click on a link. You can choose to grab a piece of paper and write down your goals. You can choose to go for that run you have been putting off for the past week. All you have is NOW. So take every opportune moment to do something great and to be present to those people you care about. Be present to your conversations, and give people your undivided attention. You may even learn something. Be present to your dreams and your aspirations. Be present to your body and your surroundings.
Your presence is a present
Take a time out for yourself and just sit. I really love meditation, yoga, and running. All of which possesses meditative qualities. Meditation is a great way for you to gain awareness of your thoughts, and once you are able to acknowledge those thoughts you are able to let them go, or bank them for another day. Sometimes we don’t take enough time to state of mind. When you are chatting with a friend take time to really be present in the conversation so you are able to contribute and build that connection. When you run, feel the pavement underneath your feet and the wind dancing off your skin.
Being more present doesn’t just help build better relationships but also better well-being, and in the end will make you even more successful in all aspects of your life.
J
Jamie,
Great article! I had / have at times the same moments that you had with a friend over the skype – I was lost in my own world and had to ask to repeat the same information he or she said to me since I was trapped inside my own thinking!
PS. Sports that you mentioned are awesome, I never tried yoga before but sure I ran lots before and still due at time to time. I heard that a yoga is really good by being spiritual?
“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
~Buddha
Just another killa 😉
Jamie, I loved it!
In my experience, any solo physical activity can help me achieve this state! Would it be possible for you to expand on *how* to reach the state of being present, or the eradication of extraneous/harmful thoughts? I think that this could be extremely valuable to readers 🙂
Max – Thanks for the comment! Yoga is phenomenal for a lot of reasons. It’s a personal journey for everyone. Some people just do it for the physical benefits, as a way to get fit. But a lot of people get in to the spiritual side (non-denominational, all religions) and the meditation. It’s a whole new world, and its something I have found a lot of love in. I always feel really grounded and present when I am doing yoga. You should def hit it up! I think everyone needs to experience it! You have to go twice, at least. Then let me know how it went.
Shark- You are totally right! I’ll elaborate on the “how” – watch out for that post in the near future 😉 Thanks for the feedback. <3
[…] going with the flow wherever we go without thinking about the time being spent. That’s good, living in the moment is very important, however we also find ourselves limited in the people we have time to spend with, […]
Wow, this is really good. I really like it! Coincidentally I am currently listening to the french-canadian song Etre Sans Age:
Esclave du temps
…
C’est à toi, rien qu’à toi
Ton histoire à raconter
C’est à toi, rien qu’à toi
C’est ton intimité
Slave of time
…
It’s up to you, nobody else,
your story to tell (play out)
It’s up to you, only you,
it’s your intimacy!
Thanks for commenting Matthew. 🙂