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Presence Brings Presents

Do you ever wonder how people can be genuinely happy with very simple lives? 

How can the custodian who cleans the same rooms, empties the same trash cans and takes the same bus to work every day be happy with their redundant life when the business CEO who travels the world making mass amounts of money needs a therapist to discuss the shortcomings in theirs?

How can children who barely receive Christmas gifts be happy playing with a hand-me-down doll when there are kids who are complaining because they only have the iPhone X?

The answer, my friends, is PRESENCE.

Now, the word PRESENTS is pronounced the same as PRESENCE, but you only need one to be truly happy.

People who have lots of PRESENTS (expensive toys, designer clothes and the latest technology) usually struggle to be truly happy, because they are always left wanting more. However, people with PRESENCE (enjoying the moment with peace of mind) are always capable of being truly happy, because they know they have exactly what they need.

Being truly present in the moment is a surefire way to enjoy your life more and open your heart to love and gratitude. 

Even though it’s a very simple concept, pure presence can be a difficult state to achieve.

Pure presence can be described as truly enjoying and appreciating the present moment with utmost focus on the task-at-hand.

Being present improves focus and performance, reduces stress, bolsters gratitude and improves relationships. It can enhance every part of your life, because it’s applicable to every second of your life.

There are an infinite number of reasons to be grateful every day and by training your brain to realize this more often, you are setting yourself up to be more conscious of your motives. 

The only thing we are truly promised in this life is this exact moment, so we might as well be fully attentive of it. 

While you’re reading this blog post, how many other things have you thought about to distract you? The answer is probably at least a few, and that is totally fine. It’s the awareness and bringing our attention back to the present that strengthens our brain to be able to achieve this more often.

You can try it for yourself. The next time you’re completing a job or activity, find the present moment and truly focus on what you are doing. I bet you’ll find that you complete the job more effectively and efficiently. 

Once you become aware of it, you can always bring your attention back to the present despite what you’re doing. It’s extremely difficult at first, but your brain will improve the more you recognize fleeting thoughts and bring attention back to the current second.

By clearing your mind of outside distractions, it becomes easier to think, perform and actually improves creativity and focus. Your brain is a muscle that needs trained just like your biceps and hamstrings. 

A great way to improve presence is through meditation. The basic parameters of meditation are clearing your mind and focusing on your breath. By doing this, you’re improving your ability to bring focus back to the present moment. 

Even if you don’t want to meditate, you can achieve presence through awareness. Become cognizant of your thoughts and how they are impacting your focus and emotions.

If you’re struggling to find the presence, try this activity. Take a deep slow breath, direct thoughts to right now and think of at least one thing you’re grateful for. 

It may take a few minutes but if done properly, you’ll feel stress levels diminish and wholeness/relaxation wash over you.

But, don’t take my word for it. Try it yourself!

There is always something to be grateful for and by practicing presence and gratitude more often, you’ll undoubtedly see the important gifts, or presents, in your life multiply.

Image courtesy: http://rockymountaininsight.org/the-art-of-presence/