Have you ever heard the phrase, “being present”? Being present, or experiencing mindfulness, is a state of active, open attention on the present. Instead of life passing you by, you seize each moment and awaken to your current experience. Issues from your past and anxiety about the future starts to fade away as you focus on the present.
The world is a stressful environment, we have projects to work on, bills to pay, children to raise, our futures to consider, among everything else! This may cause high levels of stress and distraction during your daily life. Imagine yourself kayaking down a beautiful calm river with your family, but thinking about the long drive home and projects due the following week. This literally robs your mind of a wonderful experience and may even affect others as they sense your disengaged demeanor.
Giving focus to the present provides a number of benefits to your life. It’s a mind shift that may not come easy, but with discipline will allow you to realize the power of being present and living life.
The Power of Being Present
You will find a number of benefits by practicing mindfulness. With enough discipline and application to the right circumstances, you may see improvements in the following areas.
Reduced Stress
Our minds are constantly at work. We dwell on the past, analyze the present, anticipate the future, and consider all possible scenarios and outcomes. This can lead to enormous amounts of stress if not kept in check. Bills, appointments, kids, pets, errands, debt….even writing this list makes me feel anxious! If you don’t keep these thoughts in check, they will raise your level of daily stress.
By focusing solely on the situation at hand, the stresses of life will begin to fade away. You’ll no longer stress about the long drive home or what’s for dinner because that’s in the future and is of no concern in the present moment. The reduction in stress will not only help you focus, but reduce your cortisol levels which are known to cause high blood pressure, weight gain, mood swings, among others. Live in the moment and let stress slip right off your back.
Increased Productivity
You’re at work and receive a high priority project that needs immediate attention among all your current responsibilities. It’s an overwhelming amount of work that’s creating stress and distraction from the task at hand. This can lead to lower levels of creativity and productivity, resulting in sub-optimal work.
This is just one example of how distraction can lower your level of productivity. By focusing solely on the high priority project and ignoring outside stressors, you’ll produce higher quality results in a shorter period of time. Stressing about other/future projects not only increases your stress, but distracts you from doing your best work. Zero in on what needs to be done and watch your productivity skyrocket.
Improved Interpersonal Connections
Have you ever had a conversation with someone who seemed distracted? You find them looking at their phone, not making eye contact, talking to others, etc, it’s not a great feeling, right? Maybe you’ve seen parents who spend time with their kids, but are constantly distracted by work and other responsibilities. This may seem harmless in the moment, but degrades the personal connection.
By giving full and complete presence in every interaction, you will build stronger interpersonal connections. People will appreciate your attention and feel like they have been heard. They in turn are more likely to respond in a similar fashion and create a stronger bond.
Being present is imperative in regards to business/customer interaction. People want to feel like they have been heard, that their concerns are your concerns. By showing presence and genuine concern for their well-being, you will build amazing connections that lead to ever-rising business success.
Improved Experiences
We all work hard for a living and many of us only get about 3 weeks a year of paid time off while working a typical 9 to 5. When the time comes to take a week long vacation, many find themselves checking email, taking emergency calls, and staying in touch. The problem with this is that it’s distracting from your personal time/vacation. Imagine messaging coworkers while on a beach in Hawaii with your significant other. You’re not only degrading that time together, but you’re missing out on the present experience.
Taking the time to be present in all your experiences allows you to take it all in without distraction. Life is an experience and being mindful to those experiences will allow you to get more out of it. It’s like going to a movie theater and hearing someones phone ring every 10 minutes, ruins the experience, right?! Live in the moment without distraction and you’ll gain from every experience.
Improved Self-Awareness
We’re human beings and we all experience an array of emotions throughout our lives. Have you ever felt an emotion and stopped to wonder why? Many people become emotional and immediately react, not giving much thought to the situation. One example that comes to mind is road-rage.
We’ve all seen the crazy person on the road tailgating, speeding, cutting people off, etc. It’s easy to become angry at that person and subsequently start the day on a negative note. By not being mindful of your own emotions, you let them affect you negatively and affect others around you.
If instead, when feeling a particular emotion, you stop and become mindful of the situation, you have options. You can become angry, or you can realize the situation doesn’t deserve any reaction. You have a choice! When you are present with yourself, you control your emotions, they don’t control you.
Living a Mindful Life
As you can see, living your life with presence produces a number of benefits; reduced stress, increased productivity, stronger personal connections, improved experiences, and strong self awareness. This will not only help you in your personal life, but with any business venture you may pursue. You’ll produce better products/services, keep stress to a minimum, build strong business and customer relationships, and keep your cool when things take a chaotic turn.
So in closing, take the time today to be present with your friends and family. Seize the moment and capture the full experience while you can, because you’ll be able to look back on a lifetime of great experiences.
What are your thoughts, do you find life more enjoyable while focusing on the present? Leave a comment below!
