#83: Embracing the Present Moment: Finding Your Calm in Everyday Chaos
Today, I want to share a story with you around the impact of embracing the present moment. It includes an example of using ten minutes to connect to the present moment. It’s an everyday example so you may have found yourself in a similar situation at some point in your life.
We are often sold this idea that we always need to be in the present moment, and there's almost a stress or a pressure around achieving that. But really, being in the present moment 100% of the time isn’t the reality for most of us.
There are people that live almost always in the present moment, which is fantastic, and it's a goal of mine to keep working in that direction as best as I can. However, if you are someone that struggles with finding a way to be in the present moment or struggles to stay in the present moment, then this story is for you.
This world is noisy in a lot of ways. We have obligations and different things that happen throughout our day that make things challenging or maybe hard to stay in that present moment. And again, I'm not saying that it's not possible, but it's something that, especially if you're starting out on this path, you're trying to incorporate a little more of this mindfulness. You're trying to connect more deeply to yourself. It's definitely a process. It's something that requires time, experimentation, openness, curiosity and a willingness to be open with yourself.
You may drop in and be present for a period of time, and then you may fall out of that, because something happened and you got triggered, or you were moving on with something else in your day and something happened. We're all on this journey. We're all in our own unique place with it. Wherever you are in your journey and with all of this is great. There is no right or wrong, and this is just one story that I hope can help you to see that there are many options for how you access the present moment.
I wanted to set the tone with all of that to explain that we're all in our different places, and wherever you are is perfect. Now, onto an example of embracing the present moment and what it may look like for you.
A Story of Embracing the Present Moment
I got a voice memo from one of my closest friends a couple weeks ago, and she said she thought of me when she had this whole experience. I'll preface to say her work is something that happens outside of an office setting. She goes from appointment to appointment and drives from one place to the next.
She sent me this message and said she had time between two appointments. She was not so much looking forward to the next appointment that she had on her schedule, and she was wondering what to do with her little break. She had about 10 minutes, and she was thinking if she could squeeze in an errand or do something else with her time. And she said that she thought of me because she thought, “You know what, I have these 10 minutes, I can go take a small break. It's beautiful out today. I can go sit outside.”
So, she stopped at a park and sat outside on a bench. She said she thought of me because she reflected, “I really feel like it's your vibe that you share with people and tell them to make these changes or to do these things in small ways. I had 10 minutes I was maybe going to push to get something done. And then I decided, you know what, I'll just take these 10 minutes for myself and have a little rest and time for me.”
So she went to the park, took a break, sat on the bench, and ended up also seeing turtles at the lake. She was enamored with the turtles, and she thought, wow, this is so cool. She took this break she's seeing these turtles. Maybe it's kind of like how sometimes when I see snails around here in France, because they're still so funny to me. But anyway, I digress.
She took this break, and she was telling me in this voice memo how she felt great afterwards. She felt so fulfilled just by taking those 10 minutes, by sitting there by watching nature around her, and really being connected in that way, turning off all of the errands and the other things to do, and really embracing the present moment.
I'm sharing this with you is because this is such a perfect example of a way that you can embrace the present moment and really feel the impact of it, and that impact can last you throughout your day.
She said she went to her next meeting feeling like she was in such a different headspace, and feeling fulfilled in a different way. I share this with you because I want to really express how much, in the words of Yoga with Adriene, “a little goes a long way.” She says that a lot in yoga, and it's the same for this.
Taking the time, even if it's five minutes or ten minutes, to be present, to pay attention to what's going on around you, to connect with nature, to sit with yourself can have a ripple effect to the rest of your day. They can shift something in your energy. They can change the way that you show up.
Embracing the Present Moment Even in You Only Have Five or Ten Minutes
Oftentimes, people are dismissive of five minutes or ten minutes. They think, “Oh, what's the point? What's the use? That's not going to get me to my bigger goal, right?” And it's missing the point. Truly, it's missing the point. Because actually, those five or ten minutes, if you do that every day, it adds up to so much more, and you will start to feel that in your body. You will feel it in your being, it will start to bring you so many shifts and changes in your mind and how you show up. It's really limitless.
Five or ten minutes a day means something, and it can have a big impact. So if you're looking at how you can be more present, if you're worried about stress, if you have a lot of anger, or you have a lot of jealousy, or another type of feeling that you don't want to have, a low vibrational feeling, it can do wonders to connect with yourself and connect to the present moment, to go outside and look in nature, to sit with oneself. This it can change so much for you.
This story is just one example, and I was so happy and surprised, and honestly, I got a little teary as I was listening to it, because my friend said she thought of me right away, and it really stayed with me. It helped me to see that yes, I’m all about finding practical, tangible ways to improve the little moments of our lives.
Conclusion
Recognizing and connecting to this can do so much for you. The power of this type of pause is very impactful. Yes, you could say, she went to the park, she sat, she saw some turtles, she left. It’s really about so much more than that.
It's about embracing that present moment. Chances are she's going remember those turtles for a while. Would she remember if she ran to the store to pick up toothpaste or something? Probably not. But I bet you she's going to remember that she went to the park and she sat and she watched those turtles, and that's going to stay with her, not only as she went to her meeting, but also in other times where she's looking for a quiet moment to connect. She can recall that memory and bring that forward, and it can also remind her that this is a good time to check in: How can I be present in this moment that I'm in now?
It can really have such an impact, and that impact can be in such a lasting way that I think is very overlooked in society these days. We’re often pushed to have an all or nothing approach, or to really push for these big moments and big movements, when really these little moments add up to so much, and they can really have such a profound impact on your life.
Whatever you're going through right now, I encourage you to be open to exploring and get curious about how you can embrace the present moment that you're in, how you can connect more with yourself, how you can shift something, shift something in your energy to support what you're going through in this moment. It's such a magical, magical thing. I really hope you give it a try.
If you’d like to connect further about embracing the present moment or something else related to your personal development journey, please feel free to reach out. I'm on LinkedIn and Instagram. I'm also on Voxer at @MaryClavieres.
If you want support with where you are right now, I'd be honored to work with you. You’re invited to check out my Human Design readings so that you can learn more about your own energy and how you operate. You can also learn about Voxer coaching, which is great for people that are on the go and want real time, customized support and guidance. It’s about meeting you where you are right now and what you're going through. You can message me on Voxer (@ maryclavieres) if you’d like to chat or if you have any questions.
Thank you so much for being here. I so appreciate your time and your presence, spending it here with me, and I'll speak to you next week.
Other Episodes You May Enjoy:
#77: The Secret to Finding Yourself Again
#79: You Are Where You Need to Be
#81: How to Stop Hiding from Yourself and Reclaim Your Power with Elizabeth Guilbeault
