Learning to Be Present

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learning to be presentIn today’s world, even though we seem to always be connected, we have become disconnected from each other. We go about our days with our head down checking our emails, updating our Facebook status, tweeting, texting, you name it. We are completely consumed with what is going on in our own world that we forget about others. Complimenting this is our “instant gratification” society. We want everything now! We don’t have time to wait. This is why when you are out and about you see customers being rude to customer service associates and businesses being rude to customers.

Learning To Be Present

Next time you are running errands, take notice to how many people hold or don’t hold the door for the person behind them. I bet that more don’t hold the door than do. Why is this? It is not because they are intentionally trying to be rude, but because they are so consumed with what is happening in their world that they ignore the outside world. I bet that in some cases, I just described you. The question becomes how do we get out of our own little world?

You Have to Make the Decision

The best way to do this is to be more aware of your surroundings. Take some time to slow down. Start learning to be present. You don’t have to answer or look at every email the second it comes into your inbox. Waiting 20 minutes to check your email isn’t going to suddenly stop the world from spinning. By eliminating these outside distractions, you can focus more on the situations you are in, rather than those that you are dealing with. You will be learning to be present.

When you do the above, everything around you changes. While it might be hard at first to delay checking your emails or Facebook account, as the days go by, it will become easier. You will begin to feel more relaxes because you don’t “have” to do 50 things at once. You need to take control of situations and life and not let them control you.

Please read my follow up to this post, Living Life Behind a Lens.

2 thoughts on “Learning to Be Present”

  1. In our modern world so many people want instant gratification. Learning to live in the present is key. Always rushing, and doing things like you mentioned, checking email every second a new one pops up are not only incredible waste of time but doesn’t give you time to concentrate and take time for the things that really matter.

    -SJ

  2. Its pretty hard to be present nowadays with all the blinking screens, the beeping and all the instant notifications, we are simply living behind the screens and experiencing most of our lives there instead in the reality of the grind of life.
    I believe it takes a consious effort extricating ourselves from this mill and chosing to experience life more authentically and living each moment as it happens instead of through videos, tweets and FB updates.

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