Being productive is the holy grail of personal development, the magic bullet to achieving our goals. We are offered so many tools to improve our ability to be productive, from fancy time management techniques to any of the latest apps to supervise our every waking moment. But what if the biggest move you could make in improving your productivity had nothing to do with any complicated strategy, but rather a simple shift in your state of being?
‘Being present’ is not just some hippie idea about sitting in a circle and singing Kumbaya.
Being present is about this question – “Are your thoughts and your actions on the same page? Or are you acting on autopilot while your thoughts are off somewhere else?”
In the following image of a guy drinking his coffee, the definition of “presence” is pretty clear – his thoughts and his actions are united in the same space…
As much as I like the image of this guy drinking his coffee, we often are given the wrong messaging about ‘being present’.
The images we are given about being present tend to always look something like this: “sit and meditate”, “do your breath-work”, “go to a yoga class”. And while none of this is exactly ‘wrong’, it easily misses the point.
Think about that guy mindfully sipping his coffee. His actions and thoughts are one. He’s not lost in yesterday’s worries or tomorrow’s to-do list, his mind is engaged with the action that he is busy taking. He is not on autopilot reacting from old programming and this is the point – can you use meditation and yoga and breathwork not as an escape from “the real world” but as a way to practice how to interact with the reality of your everyday life?
Being consciously present really means that you are able to see the situation as it actually is. You’re able to see your old programming reacting in the same old way, and you’re also able to consciously decide whether the old reaction is the right one for this moment, or whether you want to try a new response.
“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the whole earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
“Meditation helps us to get out of our thoughts about the future and really be in the present moment.” – Tara Brach
“We wait for things to be different in order to feel okay with life. As long as we keep attaching our happiness to the external events of our lives, which are ever changing, we’ll always be left waiting for it.” – Tara Brach
“Stopping the endless pursuit of getting somewhere else is perhaps the most beautiful offering we can make to our spirit.” – Tara Brach
“There are some things we can’t choose, but in being present we can choose how we want to relate to them.” – Tara Brach
Being present really is the most productive state that you could possibly be in.
Today’s meditation is an exercise in presence, specifically becoming present with our physical senses. What do I see, what do I hear, what do I smell, taste and feel? And can I keep my mind engaged with what it is that I’m doing?
The point of the exercise is to carry that presence into the next thing that I’m doing. Paying attention to my senses or drinking my tea reverently is a great tool for reminding me to be present, but only being present while I meditate or drink my tea is not the point… the point is to carry that presence with me to my computer screen, to the boardroom and the dinner table too.
Here are some guiding mantras from Tara Brach to keep your present-moment practice thriving:
- Stop waiting for things to be different. Happiness isn’t found in some future utopia. It’s cultivated in appreciating the present moment, even the challenging ones.
- Let go of the chase. The constant striving for something else creates an undercurrent of dissatisfaction. Embrace the present moment, just as it is.
- Choose how you relate to your experiences. Life throws its curveballs, but you get to choose how you respond. Being present allows you to make conscious choices, not get pulled around by circumstance.
By cultivating present-moment awareness, we unlock a hidden wellspring of productivity, creativity, and connection. Remember, it’s not about achieving some unattainable state of zen, but about bringing a mindful focus to the simple act of being alive, in this very moment. So, take a deep breath, savor your next sip of coffee, and embrace the power of being present.
Have a great weekend peeps!
– pierre –
Today’s LIVE meditation is: Come to your senses.