Being Present

Last semester I took my first intro-level marketing course. My professor was a strong, sassy, independent woman that threw around curse words in lecture like it was completely normal to do so. If you know anything about me at all, that description alone should tell you how much I admired this woman. Add on the 25+ years of experience working for big-name brands in the corporate world, and it was almost guaranteed that I was intrigued by every word that came out of her mouth. She would weave stories of her home life and her career within the explanation of course concepts during lectures, and I saw so many parallels between her life and the life I wanted for myself. So when she spent the last ten minutes of our final lecture giving her own life advice, I listened intently. She gave several pieces of advice, but she said the most important lesson she had learned throughout her life was this: stay present in whatever it is you are doing.

I considered this piece of advice for quite a while. It was something that stuck to the back of my brain while I took time to self-reflect this summer. I started noticing how often I half-assed things in my life. I was always running to the next task, never really taking time to sit down and breathe; always working on something, while also stressing about my social life or all the other things I needed to do when I finished.

Since noticing this, I’ve actively tried making more of an effort to be present. I set my phone down a little more when I’m at home or out with friends, and I focus on work whenever I’m sitting at my desk. Just in the small amount of effort I have put forth at this point, I have noticed big changes in my life. I am way more productive at work, and I’m way happier at home. By allowing myself to be completely consumed by whatever is in front of me, my life has started to feel fuller.

Listening to the wisdom of people who are in the position I hope to be in has proved to be quite useful in my own life. I have a long way to go before I am where I want to be, but I can see that I’m making progress. That progress is enough to motivate me to keep trying. As I go into this new semester, I will keep working to be more present, and to enjoy life as it comes.

(featured photo by: Nicholas Morgan)