Monthly Mindset, May 2021: Presence
PRESENCE
The ping of an email or Teams message disrupts your work. The washer/dryer melody indicating completion interrupts a conversation with a friend. Splitting time between your day job and your passion, or simply the feeling of being overwhelmed.
We’re all guilty of not living in the moment. Our daily slew of notifications, responsibilities, and plans constantly yanks us back to reality when all we want to do is hold steady. It’s like living life in constant flux, never truly dedicating 100% of our minds to one single thing because of a mostly self-made set of stimuli.
This is not the only crutch associated with not living in the moment. Oftentimes, our hopes & dreams can be cumbersome instead of aspirational. Thinking too far in the future makes you lose sight of the task or opportunity at hand. It’s usually what rests directly in front of our eyes that we callously miss.
This month, I’m working on presence. I want to give my undivided attention to the things I set out to do. I want my presence known at my place of work, as well as the podcasting world. I want to cherish the moments I spend with friends and family, understanding that the time spent is not only special, but also finite. I want to reengineer my thinking so I have the presence of mind to differentiate decisions that affect now vs. later. All in all, I just wanna live life frame-by-frame and not worry so much about the entire plotline.
…
Plenty of situations in my life are lived so in the moment that I fly by the seat of my pants. The inability to look ahead is oddly therapeutic. To me, it means I’m taking things a step at a time, ensuring each brick is properly placed to form a solid structure. That’s why when people ask me where I want to be in five years, I say “it’s tough to say.” That’s just the damn truth. How would I know? Or why would I want to?
Inversely, there’s a bucket reserved for the things I can’t help but investigate the crystal ball for. These thoughts marinate and fester before the desire for a Quantum Leap becomes problematic. You can dictate your future by setting yourself up for success, but you cannot control your fate. I tend to be an internal locus of control guy, but with age, I’ve realized there are outcomes I can’t foresee. Learning to be comfortable with that undoubtedly leads to heightened focus, because at the end of the day, if I grind on my tactics, the rest will fall into place.
Lastly, I’ve got a vacation on the horizon. Y’all know the deal; we’re going to The Keys. For my students out there, you don’t just get to uproot your life to do the shit you really wanna do. You must plan it methodically. You clear it with work, coordinate with friends in different states with different schedules, help handle logistics, and pay a lot of money while doing it. It wasn’t easy, so for the first time in my life, I’m going full vacation mode. I’m going to completely ignore all the things that nip at my heels and do nothing but spend quality time (and devour rum buckets & Mahi). I will be more present that week than any other time I can think of, because when I look back, there was always something or someone to think about.
FUCK THAT!
I’m pouring up with DB & the boys on a boat and living each minute to its fullest. I’ll even get some family time beforehand. A young man do be graduating, and my lil niece is speaking words now. The time is precious, so I shall be present.
Don’t worry, I’ll bring down the mic. TTS isn’t a responsibility; it’s a way of life.
If The Keys are a model for being present, I sure hope it influences the rest of my days. I’m on the hunt for peace of mind. I think it’s crucial at this time of the year to stop and smell the roses. I believe dedicating this month to “presence” is the key to future growth. The summer will be far more tenacious, but I’ve got to allow myself this time to not live 10 minutes ahead. I’ll work on being present. Will this positively affect my iPhone screen time? Probably not. But hey, a man can dream.