Today I want to share a communication I got from one of my colleagues on the Academy of Comprehensive Esthetics forum. June is not a dentist. She is a Ph.D. who focuses on development and performance. She's very smart.
Enjoy!
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So Glad to Be Here
Perched in her high chair, the toddler seemed extremely thoughtful. She must have something big on her mind. As a matter of fact she did, because when her mother asked her what she was thinking about, she said, "I'm thinking about my pancakes."
That thought seemed all too appropriate, perfectly sensible, and somehow funny since she was at that very moment eating her pancakes. Why did it seem so humorous?
Quite often we aren’t thinking about what we’re actually experiencing. The toddler was thoughtfully focused on her pancakes, being right here, right now, in the present – a sound, practical, and unusual way for many people between the ages of four and ninety-four to live (The young and the old are often the best practitioners of what some call “being present.”)
Many of us spend much of our time hovering around somewhere outside our present experience. We may be worrying about something bad which could happen in the future or feeling depressed about something that’s already happened. We are quite unaware of what is actually happening now.
We are often so unaware of what is going on with us and around us at this particular moment that we live our present on auto-pilot. That happens to me.
A number of years ago I was on my way to work. I parked my car. When I started to get out, I realized I was not in the parking lot of my present workplace, but rather in place I had worked previously.
Test yourself. How many of these “unpresent” situations or similar ones are happening to you?
I experience some emotion and may not be conscious of it until some time later.
I break or spill things because of carelessness, not paying attention, or thinking of something else.
I tend to walk quickly to get where I’m going without paying attention to what I experience along the way.
I forget a person’s name almost as soon as I’ve been told it for the first time.
I get so focused on the goal I want to achieve that I lose touch with what I am doing right now to get there.
I find myself listening to someone with one ear, doing something else at the same time.
I snack without being aware that I’m eating.
If you’re like I am. A good dose (or two) of “being fully present” would be useful.
According to psychologists, in addition to helping us get where we want to go, being present helps us feel healthy, happy, and aware. It's an antidote for stress and worry (and can also improve our relationships and help us perform better).
I'm not suggesting that we live every moment in the present (though some people do recommend that), but for most of us a bit more thinking about our pancakes, when we are in fact eating our pancakes, could make for more enjoyment of our pancakes – that is… our lives.
This month let’s use the toddlers' and old folks' cure for anxiety, depression, and unhappiness (which I am personally calling “thinking about my pancakes”) by being more present - right here, right now. We won’t be upset if we notice that our attention has skittered off. We won’t beat ourselves up if we find ourselves in the past, the future, or our old parking lots. We’ll just smile and gently bring ourselves home.
Our life is an experience we don’t want to miss.
How might being “more present” help you move up To The Good Life?
June Darling, Ph.D.
President of Summit Group Resources, An Executive and Personal Coaching Company specializing in organizational and personal development, peak performance, and happiness.
President of Summit Group Resources, An Executive and Personal Coaching Company specializing in organizational and personal development, peak performance, and happiness.
