Being present with those around you is first a commitment and then it is a skill. I was committed to being present at the beginning of this year, but the skills were definitely in their infancy.
As I journeyed down the "being present" path I began to develop my skills and found a number of guidelines to help me.
I find that conversations are better when my phone, computer, tablet, google glasses, and even my palm pilot are out of my sight. Even if I remain committed to not interacting with them, they distract me from the human in the room.
I moved my desk as far back as possible so that I could fit some chairs in the office. When someone comes in to talk to me, I stand up, walk all the way around the desk and sit down face to face and we talk.
When my phone is in my pocket, I can not check it when it rings if I am talking to someone else. It sets up a scenario where I must judge between the relative value of the person in the room compared to the person on the phone.
If I am expecting an important call I can not turn away, I set that expectation when starting a conversation.
I try to never take technology to bed with me. The temptation to ignore my wife during those last few precious moments of the day is too great.
What I have not done is create technology free times every day. Someday I hope we can all shelve our technology before dinner and not pick it up until the next morning. But I have not figured out the logistics of that yet.
Being present with humans in this world is hard and not getting easier because the distractions are getting more powerful. I challenge you to buck the trend and start a journey toward being more present. My life is richer for it and I know yours will be also.
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