Staying in the Present Moment
How often are we distracted by the future or past?
Last week I read an article about research showing how “people spend half of their lives not focused on the present.” It’s probably not a surprising statistic to most of us since our modern lives feel so rushed. The article was a good reminder for me to reflect on whether I am being truly conscious of my thoughts and how much time I spend thinking of anything other than what’s going on at that very moment.
An analogy popped into my head: On an average day, I feel like I’ve got a radio and a TV playing at the same time. I’m always thinking about the future (what if…) and the past (this happened; could it happen again?). All that noise makes it hard to fully engage and bring my full self to things I really care about.
So I focused on bringing to my consciousness the TV/radio static that’s always playing in my brain. I had a beautiful moment a couple days later where for a while I felt truly present. I became aware of every step I took, every action I was taking, and viewing my thoughts as a passing river of noise (instead of jumping into the river with all the noise). I felt peace. And it was surprising how I suddenly started noticing details that I’d overlooked because my brain/ego was so distracted all the time.
Do you ever have a moment like that? Where things that seems so familiar suddenly seem new or you see them differently? I started noticing things in my home—little details—that I was surprised hadn’t called my attention until that moment of mindfulness. As I washed dishes, I truly felt the water and sponge—without thinking about what I needed to do next. As I brushed my teeth, I noticed every detail of my teeth, the toothbrush, and all the textures and sensations. It’s amazing how grounding ourselves in what we’re doing can make even mundane activities seem new and remarkable.
I’m also very sensitive to being present right now because I’m about to be a first-time mom. Feeling my little guy kicking and wiggling around inside is a miraculous experience. I know it’s going to go by very fast. So I want to be present for this experience and enjoy every minute (even if he is becoming quite the Karate Kid as he grows!)
Not long after that mindfulness moment I had last week, the brain noise took over again. But I’m not discouraged because I know I have the ability within me to create and expand those mindful, truly conscious, moments. As conscious leaders, becoming more conscious or mindful of being in the present is a skill that can pay huge dividends for our health and the wellness of our teams.
Consider some ways you can become more conscious of being in the present. How could such a practice help your team? Would they be more creative? More connected?
As the mindfulness researchers noted, "A wandering mind is an unhappy mind." One of the greatest gifts conscious leaders can give to ourselves, our family, our colleagues, and our community to be present and cultivate a happy mind.
Work happy. Live happy. BE happy.
Meredith
The way we work and build teams is rapidly changing. Leaders often feel unprepared to navigate the transition. As a conscious leadership coach, consultant and communicator, Meredith helps leaders and their teams create new ways of working and relating so they can prepare for the future by consciously co-creating it.
Contact her to develop your conscious leadership and transform your organization into the workplace of the future.
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