Are You Present in the Here and Now?

“The past is history, the future is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why they call it the present.” While I don’t actually know who to attribute this quote to, I can’t deny that I like it. I like it a lot. Sure, it sounds a little Hallmark-ish, a little sappy, but there’s truth in it. I mean there is nothing that can be done about the past – it’s gone. And the future may or may not unfold as you imagine. But the here and now, the present – this is a powerful place to hang out.

Unfortunately, the world in which you find yourself is a very, very busy one. There are numerous expectations to be met and therefore plans must be made in order to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks. So the question that I often find myself holding is this: how do you stay fully present in this moment, even while you engage in whatever preparations are required for the future, no matter how distant?

I find this question particularly relevant at this time of year. It’s rather ironic, because in so many traditions the coming weeks are a time of “being patient”, of waiting, of celebrating the here and now. But in North America, recent holidays such as thanksgiving (in Canada), Halloween and Remembrance Day are barely over and already Christmas plans are well underway. I’m guilty of jumping on that bandwagon, I admit it. While I haven’t actually started Christmas shopping, I have contemplated lists, asked people for gift suggestions, scheduled some holiday get-togethers – and there’s still 6 weeks to go!

Having played with this question for a long time – many years, in fact – my sense is that the key to being fully present while planning for the future lies in creating space for both, and, allowing the present to be your primary focus. There’s something about taking the time and doing what you need to do to anchor yourself completely in this moment, so that when you make your plans for the future, you’re still here. It’s about holding your focus in the now, knowing that you’ll be able to do the same in the future, when the future becomes the present (and it will; just give it time).

I know it seems somewhat paradoxical. I mean how do you focus on this moment, when you’re making plans for the holiday party that’s happening in two weeks? Well, here are just a few strategies to help keep you anchored:

• Before starting a task, close your eyes and go inward. Focus on how your body feels right now.
• Root yourself; feel your feet firmly planted on the ground beneath you, and imagine a string travelling through your core, from the tip of your head, through the middle of your body, anchoring you to the present time and space.
• Quickly (but consciously and deliberately) inventory 5-10 things for which you are grateful right now, in this moment.
• Focus on your breath which, after all, is totally happening right now. Nothing brings you to the present moment quicker than this. Maintain your focus for 5 full breaths, filling your lungs completely, and exhaling fully.

Once you’ve engaged in any or all of these strategies, you’ll be able to feel yourself completely engaged in the present moment. You’re here, and nowhere else. And with this solid anchor, you can venture forth and make your plans, knowing that your anchor will do what it’s supposed to do, which is keep you in this space.

Bottom-line: right here, right now is where you’re meant to be. Yes, life is moving along at a somewhat alarming speed. There is much to be done. And, doing whatever needs to be done while keeping yourself fully grounded in the present experience will serve you far better than fast-forwarding through your life. Stay focused, stay grounded, stay present. Stay in the here and now.

Turning the Focus Outward

A couple of years ago, one of my mentors told me and a group of fellow leaders, “whenever you’re feeling stuck, turn your attention outward and create from what’s out there.”  This statement has stayed with me, obviously.  Today, it seems to be making itself heard yet again.  I’m not sure why.  I’m not feeling particularly stuck — I’m actually motoring along and accomplishing a whole lot.  I am, however, noticing an uneasiness in my gut.  Not sure what it’s about at all which, of course, is heightening the uneasiness.  And my tendency is to try and figure out the whys and wherefores thereof.

What I’m realizing as the uneasiness continues to build is that I absolutely could keep trying to figure it out.  I’ve got a story that says if I figure out what’s causing the uneasiness, I can address the causal factor and move on more efficiently.  This may in fact be the way to go.  There’s a bigger something, however, that’s telling me to stop focusing on me, and start looking outside of myself.  Not for an answer to what ails me, but rather to address whatever needs exist outside of myself.

You see, leadership requires one to engage in a delicate balance of being aware of internal needs and external needs simultaneously.  What I’m realizing is that sometimes, when keeping the focus on one area isn’t leading to a solution, it might actually be beneficial to turn the focus onto another area and address what needs addressing out there.  This isn’t about going through life with blinders on, or ignoring very real needs.  Instead, this is about providing space where it’s needed, allowing supposed issues to simmer and either evaporate or crystalize before attempting to implement a solution that may not actually fit.  After all, a solution that doesn’t fit just ends up being just another problem, you know?

Bottom-line: sometimes you just need a fresh perspective.  And sometimes, that perspective is most easily accessed when you deliberately turn your focus away from whatever problem is at hand.  It’s very much akin to what Albert Einstein once said:  “problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.”  If you want to solve a problem or resolve an issue, you’ve got to move your thinking to a new level.  And sometimes, that means turning your focus outward.

Laser-Focus + Soft-Focus = Mission Accomplished

I’m sitting here at the start of my first official summer work-week.  In many ways, it’s no different from any other work-week — client calls, meetings, writing, speaking, networking — these are the things in my calendar.  There’s an energetic difference, however; a difference that arises from the fact that my entire family is home (I work from home and usually have the space to myself), heightening my awareness of the fact that it is summer and there is a world of sunshine to be enjoyed just outside my patio doors.  Essentially, if I didn’t keep my eye on the ball, it would be really easy to get distracted and lose my focus.

As I sit here, contemplating the week — and weeks — ahead, I’m finding the idea of “focus” an interesting one.  It strikes me as a bit paradoxical, especially in the work context.  I’m having a sense that achieving success or accomplishing anything requires that I simultaneously maintain laser focus AND hold a big picture.  There’s a way that I’ve got to keep my eye on the ball, for sure, and at the same time allow my eyes to be aware of more than the ball.  Why?  Because if my eyes are on the ball and the ball  alone, I may actually miss vital details that could enhance my ability to achieve whatever it is I’m striving for.

As a leader, holding the vision is essential.  Focus on the vision is imperative.  Moving past distractions is key, in order to get to where I’m going and bring my leadership vision to life.  That being said, I cannot allow my focus to diminish my awareness of the rest of the picture.  In fact, there’s a way that holding a soft focus on the periphery while simultaneously holding a sharp focus on the object of my intentions makes that object even clearer. I’m thinking of a photographic effect here, where the primary subject is crystal clear, and the surrounding details are all fuzzy — and yet, the softer focus of the surrounding details doesn’t actually distract you from the primary subject — instead it almost enhances it.  That’s the power of holding the whole picture — you can be aware of it all, but with intent.  The awareness of the whole doesn’t distract you from your objective; instead it allows you to hold it with more deliberate attention.

Bottom-line: if there’s something you’re wanting to accomplish or achieve, you’ve absolutely got to stay focused.  And, it’s important that you’re not so focused that you miss the rest of the picture.  As a leader, you’ve got to hold it all — some of it lightly, some of it sharply, and all of it completely.  That’s the way that your objective will actually be achieved.

Working Through a Migraine

Okay, I’m not really sure if it’s a migraine or not.  What I do know is that it’s a wicked headache — settling just behind my right eye.  The intensity of it ebbs and flows, so that in some moments I feel able to plow ahead with what needs to be done, and in others I just want to crawl into bed.  Truthfully, my original thought this morning was that I would get the kids set for the day, send them off to school and then snuggle back up under the covers.  Instead, I actually ended up having quite a productive morning, all the while being absolutely aware of the throbbing, sharp sensation behind my eye.

Granted, I did cancel one meeting that would have required me to drive; getting behind the wheel seemed like an unsafe choice.  Typing with my eyes closed I can do; driving with my eyes closed, not so much.  But other than canceling that meeting, I got a lot accomplished.  I submitted a speaker application for an upcoming conference (which felt akin to expanding my comfort zone — the conference is outside my usual geographic locale); I signed another executive client; I forwarded foundation session packages to new clients; I completed required billing; I did some marketing email.  All in all, surprisingly productive.

So what’s my learning out of all this?  I guess it’s something along the lines of “I can only do what I can do in any given moment, and what I can do is actually more than I might think” — something like that.  Because when I awoke this morning, I didn’t anticipate getting anything done.  And now, half-way through my workday, I’ve actually accomplished a fair bit — things are actually crossed off my to-do list, and it’s only Monday, and I’ve had this headache.  I know what the learning is; it’s the Wayne Dyer quote from this morning — “Be in the now. See how doing the Tao at this moment brings  big results by paradoxically staying small and simple.”  That’s the learning; small, simple and now is the stuff that matters.  Especially when you’ve got a migraine.

Focus Outward

Those of you who’ve been following along know that my last few posts have been about finding ways to “move past” something, anything really.  Yesterday, in an effort to reconnect with some of my learnings from last year (because they were good and I know that!) I chose to reread segments of my journal.  More specifically I read segments from my “leadership” journal, “leadership” being the 10-month course I invested time and energy in.  Here’s the reminder I got out of that:  when you’re feeling stuck, take your focus off of yourself and create from what’s out there.  In other words, take your focus outward.

AS often happens for me, I was moved.  Because I could totally resonate with the energetic veracity of that instruction.  I know that what keeps me stuck is keeping my focus on me, my fears, my angst, my distress whatever it may be related to.  So when I put my focus outward, my attention gets drawn away from those things, and gets put instead on the things that matter most: what’s needed out there and how I might meet that need.

Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t about ignoring personal needs at all.  Indeed noticing your own needs and meeting those is vital.  But when you’re so focused internally that you can’t move, it really is time to put your focus elsewhere.  And what I know for sure is that whenever I can put my attention outward, particularly when I can do it from the perspective of service, I will get unstuck.  Which is a good thing.