In The Moment

Ran across a great phrase this week: "Be here, prepared to be nowhere else".

It is all about being fully present in the moment, especially in conversations. It means that when I am talking to you I am laser-focused on you and our conversation, not thinking about the next thing.

It means I don't:

-check my e-mail while on the phone with you
-interrupt our conversation to glance at my cell phone screen and say "oh, man, sorry, i need to get this one"..
-glance at my cell phone to see the latest text message
-think about my next appointment
-try to get you to come around to my agenda

Obviously, this has powerful implications at work, but think about what it would be like if we were "here, prepared to be nowhere else" with all of the important people in our lives:

-our children
-our spouse
-our neighbors
-our parents
-our friends

The gift of attention - in a world as busy and distracted as ours is - is a huge gift.

I am not always good at this, at all.

But I am inspired to pay more attention to this and to do a better job in my conversations this week of being "here, prepared to be nowhere else".