Being Present

Being in the moment, present and involved is something I’ve been thinking about a bit. There are so many distractions in the modern world and having the discipline and concentration to manage oneself is correspondingly difficult. There are plenty of nice philosophical writings on this and it’s definitely worth looking them up, however for me it’s pretty simple – past is gone, future is ahead and right now is the only time I can act. Sure my actions now will impact the future so it’s important to be mindful of that, but the focus is on now. For example right this moment there is one action I am taking, one place my focus is set to – writing this post. And isn’t it amazing how much brain power and energy we can bring to a single action in the moment when that is our only focus?

It seems to me that the amount of energy brought to bear on an action is directly related to the focus one has. If your focus is scattered and you’re trying to do too many things at once, then the energy available (which is finite) gets sucked away and all actions suffer as a result. I had two unpleasant jobs to do yesterday – both fiddily and with negative outcomes if I stuffed up. I took the time to absolutely focus on them and ended up with great outcomes for both. Afterward I was tired and a bit cranky but very happy with the results. It’s a lesson we are able to learn constantly – and while I write on focus at the moment, being present now is the driver and director of that focus. So even with a million things to do, we can be present and work through each thing in its own time, getting it done and done well.

I had my little boy “helping” yesterday and that certainly slowed things down and it can be frustrating. I don’t get much time with him – work can be demanding so yesterday’s efforts were planned to have him involved. Being present with him was great. We had a very good time, even though I ended up a bit tired and cranky!

It’s a beautiful day here today so I’m out to get amongst it. I think I’ll leave the phone and other technology in the house so I be more present in the sun. In the past I’ve found a conscious choice like this has really enhanced the day. I hope the sun is shining for you too.