Practicing being present

It is an oft-quoted statistic that it takes 10,000 hours to master a new skill. This hypothesis was popularised by Malcolm Gladwell in his book ‘Outliers’, where he was referring to work by psychologist K Anders Ericsson. Gladwell’s argument is that with enough consistent practicing and effort, anyone can become an expert in a new field. 10,000 hours equates to 90 minutes per day for 20 years.

Wow, what a thought.

But then, consider some you know who are brilliant artists, musicians, writers, chefs, speakers, sportspeople. No doubt they would attest to the importance of commitment, practice, repetition, reinforcement, and sheer hard work.

That 10,000 hours statistic has now been largely debunked. There is no ‘magic hour of greatness’ and success is multi-factorial and complex. The quality of practice is important, not simply the quantity. The environment in which you grow up and your genetic makeup play a part, as does your mindset.

What interests me about this as I muse here about character traits that we might want to model to those of a younger generation is the importance of practice.

Specifically, practicing being present.

For a while now I have been thinking and writing about being present and enjoying the moment, rather than being distracted by what is coming next. I have written here about this in relation to giving up busyness – an oxymoron for some I know. I have talked about being present when we listen to others, and in our pursuit for happiness. And in the approach to Christmas, I have mused about the challenge to be present and enjoy the preparations rather than being consumed by them.

And you would think that by now I would have got the hang of this, this being present and enjoying the moment business. After all, I’m the one doing the exhorting and encouraging.

But therein lies the importance of that reminder from Messrs Gladwell and Ericsson – this takes practice.

There is a LOT going on just now. A good friend and I remind each other most years of the need to approach June much as we would December. When you have school age children, the end of the summer term becomes as crazy-busy as Christmas. Add to that a number of other plates that I have spinning, and there is a daily – nay, hourly – tendency to be distracted by what I Need To Do Next.

So each day I am learning – slowly, this takes practice too – the art of practicing being present.

Stopping and noticing….

…what is going on around me.

Paying attention…

…to how I am feeling and what my senses are telling me.

Enjoying…

…what I am doing RIGHT NOW without the need to multi-task.

This great mindfulness tool is a wonderful practice to introduce to your day if you too are practicing being present and enjoying the moment. Great for anxiety, for grounding, for switching off to distractions.

STOP. Yes, right now. And notice…

• 5 things you can see
• 4 things you can feel
• 3 things you can hear
• 2 things you can smell
• 1 thing you can taste.

Really stop and savour your morning coffee. Listen to the birds singing and notice the variety, pitch, cheer in their song. Delight in the astonishing variety of green that is around us in abundance in our astounding natural world. Revel in that gorgeous soft fleece or the feel of wind between your newly unveiled toes (socks off, it’s summer!).

These are simple things yes. Trite and meaningless when considered next to our complex and troubled world? I think not.

Enjoying the moment and all the richness therein, knowing that this moment will never happen again is a skill (read this for more inspiration!). It can be achieved, but like most things, it takes practice.

I am practicing being present, and reaping the rewards. Try it with me, and see for yourself.