A Tip For Presence Right Now!

Take a look around you. Where are you giving half attentions? It's really easy to do, especially with those people that we take for granted. Our mind endlessly wanders our attention into "no-mans land" dreaming or thinking about abstract thoughts that have nothing to do with what is front of us. I know this has happened to me once or twice : ) over the years. What snaps us back into presence? It could be something physical like bumping your knee or twisting your ankle, it could be someone calling for your attention, it could be a phone ringing or a firetruck going by. Something brings us back into PTC or Present Time Consciousness. 

A key question is, where was I? Where was my mind wandering and why is that getting more attention than the very thing that is right in front of me? My actual reality is taking a back seat to some fantasy or illusion that is being created by my mind. Does my spouse, partner, cousin, friend, grandmother, or kids not deserve my up most attention, my PTC and why would I not want to be fully present with them?

Find novelty in situations to hold your presence.
It's easy to hold your attention with a novel interaction with someone who you haven't seen in years. But it's not so easy when you see them day in and day out. We need to be looking for novelty. Maybe it's a way they smile, or a giggle, or the way they move, or their sweetness, or something you haven't quite immersed yourself in lately.
Presence takes training. It takes a keen desire to bring greater awareness to your present situation. It takes a desire to want to change, blended with a gratitude and love to be present with who or what is right in front of your nose. Our brains are not wired for presence as our attention is being pulled in a thousand and one directions throughout the day. So this daily training often spills over to our relationship life, with challenges to maintain a focus and presence, as the mind wanders to wonder what else needs my attention. Again, especially with those who we take for granted. This is the work of PTC so good luck optimizing your relationships, presence and love for what is in front of you.

-Dr. Steve