5 Ways to Be More Present in Your Daily Life
“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.”
In today’s fast-paced, electronic driven world it is so easy for us to auto-populate, auto-mate, and auto-pilot. As a society we have never been more connected and yet mental illness, addiction, burnout, and suicide rates are at an all-time high. We are so busy chasing the next success, the next accolade, and the next goal that we are deeply disconnected from both ourselves and the world around us.
When is that time you had dinner with your whole family and no cell phones?
When is that last time you looked up when walking down the street instead of looking down reading emails?
When is the last time you left work early and went home to be fully present with your kids?
When is the last time you truly listened to someone when they were talking?
Busy has become the world’s favourite excuse. We can find a million reasons why we need to be doing the things that we’re doing. Why someone needs that thing to be done “right now”. Why the meetings, the lunches, and the client events are far more important than moments of stillness and reflection.
But are they really?
Your presence is the most influential thing about you. The energy that you give off when you step into a room. The way you make someone feel seen and heard when they are speaking to you. The way you empathize with others and lead with an opened heart. The way you are so deeply connected to yourself that others instantly feel connected to you.
Your presence is your power.
So how do bring more presence into our daily lives?
Here are 5 habits to start practicing today.
1. Spend less time looking down, and more time looking up. The next time that you are walking from meeting to meeting, look up. Smile at someone as they are walking by. Say hello to a stranger. Notice the people around you. Give someone a compliment. Being present is taking the time for connection and that can be done in the smallest, most mundane moments. Don’t spend so much time looking down that you miss life around you.
2. Communicate with intention. How often do you listen to hear? Most people only hear the first 30 seconds of what someone is saying before they begin to create a response in their mind. They are so focused on what they are going to say in return that they don’t even hear what the other person is saying to them. The next time you are having a conversation, keep your full attention focused on what the other person is saying. Listen to hear them. And then wait 30 seconds before you respond. You’d be amazed and what people will share when you give them the space to talk.
3. Live with Purpose. 90% of people live on auto-pilot. You’ve been there. One moment you’re leaving the house driving to work and the next you’re there. You have no idea how you even got there. You go from one task to another without hesitation because you’ve done it a million times. You go to bed at night wondering, “where did the day go”. Slow down. Take the time to be mindful of the activities you’re doing. Take a few extra minutes to sit and sip your coffee. Turn off the radio when you’re in the vehicle and really listen to your kids. Step outside at lunch and wonder at nature. Living on purpose is living with intention. It’s taking the time to be fully present in your life. To slow down and be mindful of even the smallest moments.
4. Find time for stillness. Meditate. Find the time to stop doing everything else and just be fully present with yourself. No emails. No phone. No to-do list. Nothing but you. Meditation allows us to calm our thoughts, get fully grounded and present in the moment, and connect to ourselves on a deep and profound level. As a bonus, it also helps us reduce stress-levels, sleep better, find clarity in our lives, improves our memory, and increases creativity. Meditation is the ultimate superfood for your mind. Take the time to practice for 5 minutes a day and watch the magic happen in your life.
5. Find things to be grateful for. When you slow down enough in your life to pay attention and notice things that you are grateful for, not only are you practicing the art of mindfulness, but you are creating space for more amazing things to come into your life. Practicing gratitude allows you to slow down and appreciate the good things in your life and around you. Awareness allows you to be present in the moment. Bringing these two together is a powerful way to start shifting your energy and impacting your life.
Finding the time to be more connected and present in your daily life doesn’t mean that you give up on goal chasing, throw your phone in the garbage, or quit your dreams, it simply means that you are taking the time to be here, enjoying the now. There is so much magic in the moment you are living because it is the only moment you have. Don’t wake up one day wishing that you could go back in time because you missed so much. You are here now, so be here now. Be present. Embrace the simple moments. Look up and see what’s around you. Enjoy this life you are living and every moment in it.
Stacey Foley
IMMA & CPD Certified Meditation & Mindfulness Teacher & Speaker
Women’s Spiritual Life Coach
Host of the Soul Work Podcast