Be Present

What could you do more of?

Something that eats at the back of my brain, is my presence to my wife, my family, and my job.

I wish I could be more present, I wish I could find the time, energy and availability to be present as much as my presence is needed. Does stress play a factor in our presence? By focusing on the here and now, we let go of anxieties about the future or regrets about the past.

In today’s fast-paced world, we’re often pulled in a thousand directions. My business needs me and my attention all the time, I don’t feel my current business is where is should be or where it could be, and I blame myself for this. I need to be more present and take better control of all the aspects within running a full scale restaurant.

Presence isn’t just a trendy mindfulness term; it’s a way of truly experiencing life. When we’re fully present, we’re not just physically there but emotionally and mentally engaged. This sadly, is something I am guilty of not doing when it comes to my business, my wife, and my family.

I’ve done the deep dive into myself and I really don’t have an answer as to why my presence is something I cannot find. As far back as I can tell I’ve always been a loner, someone who has a wide array of friends from all ages, but never really fit in and always felt like I was on the outside looking in.

Improving relationships, building trust, and increasing productivity are all benefits of being present in life. But how do we allow ourselves to be present?

For me it’s limiting the amount of tasks I tackle at once. Multitasking gives us a feel of productivity, when actually it scatters our focus. Technology boundaries are important and we all need to put our phones down, shit the lap tops and walk away from the television. If you want to truly be present in your life you need to set times when you can check emails, check social media, respond to text messages, after that set time put your phone down and engage with your surroundings.

Be present with the people around you. Whether you’re at a family gathering, a meeting, or just spending time with friends, engage in the conversation and resit the urge to mentally check out or pick up your phone and start browsing your social media.

There is a challenge that we are not all up to, and that is the challenge of being present. Life is full of distractions, and some moments can be painful or uncomfortable. In these instances, it can feel easier to escape into our thoughts or scroll through our phones. Being present takes practice and is a gift we can give ourselves and others. It’s not about perfection; it’s about progress. The more often we make the choice to be here now, the richer and more fulfilling our lives become.

So the next time you have that urge to start Facebook scrolling aimlessly with zero focus, take a pause, a breath and set the phone down and bring yourself back to the present moment.