Just a few days ago, I traveled to Orlando to attend a conference. I arrived mid-afternoon and found myself out of a dreary Michigan “summer;” suddenly poolside on a 90-degree Florida day with the sun on fire. The water temperature was perfect, and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. It was an incredible out-of-time moment.
Not a minute later, I turned to a couple of my colleagues from HealthRise and said “Wouldn’t it be better if…” and then I stopped myself mid-sentence. What just happened? I asked myself. There I was, second-guessing a perfect slice of time.
Over the years, I have learned the curse that lies in talking about what you wish or want something to be. When we say or even think about what could be better or what isn’t right, we are laying a trap in which we can’t help but get caught. Whether you’re in the meeting of your life, entertaining clients or hanging with your kids, you must stay present.
Being present means catching those “I wish” or “I want” moments and crushing them before they take hold. Being present means seeing the happiness a popsicle brings to my boys and not worrying about those sticky purple hands. Being present means you can take each moment as it comes without anticipating what the next will bring. And I know it’s a cliché, but to quote Kung Fu Panda: “Today is a gift, that’s why it’s called the present.”
As my experience suggests, this is not a perfect science. Sometimes your mind will go off on a “what if” scenario. When it happens (and it will), your practice of being present will be the thing pulling you back to the moment where your attention needs to be. Over time, you will get better and better at “staying awake” and putting yourself back in the hunt.
When you are awake and aware and in the moment, you are prepared to hunt down whatever you are after; targets become clearer, and life becomes Technicolor. When you are present, every detail of every moment crystallizes instantaneously, food tastes better; the sun shines brighter. And you get to live every day like a hunter; senses enhanced and ready to hit your targets.
