Being present with someone is not always easy.Many times it can take a lot of energy.Especially when we live in such a distracting world.Yet the gifts of being present are tremendous.When we are present we see more.We hear more.We feel more.We know more.Yet so frequently we are pulled out of presence.By our phones.By our computers.By all the stimulation around us.As the world is increasingly vying for our attention, more is done to grab our attention.More advertisements.Louder noise.More movement.More change.Just more of everything.To pull back and pull away from all this commotion takes discipline.It takes reminding ourselves what is truly important to us.And what is important to those around us.Our family desires our attention.So do our friends and colleagues.Everyone in our lives looks for our attention as well.We cannot be present with everyone, so we have to choose.Can we just be present to the one who is in front of us?Can we focus our attention to who is next to us and really see what is going on?We may not be used to it.We may not be ready for it.Yet if we can cultivate presence in ourselves, we can be there for another.Can we even be present to what is going on inside us?Can we quite the mind enough to feel our body?Can we just sit back and relax enough to sense what we are actually feeling?It is not about blocking others out.It is more about going within.And when we can truly be present to what is going on inside us, we can then give that gift to another human being.When we feel ourselves we are better equipped to feel another.When we are present to ourselves we are better able to be present for someone else.When we can just be still and be with ourselves without any distractions, then we can truly be with another human being without thinking of what comes next.And in that moment, we can find the magic within ourselves.

~ Sam Liebowitz, The Conscious Consultant