21 May 2020
Be present. And if you’ve had trouble with this in the past? That’s okay. That’s the nicest thing about the present. It keeps showing up to give you a second chance.
This quote from Ryan Holiday’s book, Stillness is the Key was too good not to share.
Although, I have to admit, I did think about posting it on Instagram, with some totally irrelevant emojis and a photo of my ass in my favourite set of Budgy Smugglers just to hammer home the point, but nevertheless, I think here, I’ll have the opportunity to explore this a little deeper.
I love this passage because it doesn’t pretend to be doctrine.
How many of us have read countless posts, articles and books; or listened to podcasts, Instagram Lives and YouTube clips on some significant aspect of our humanity, that is communicated to us in “do this” or “should be doing that”.
Without detracting from the value of the message, I have always had trouble integrating wisdom communicated from this perspective into my life.
As my eyes landed on the above passage, it felt as if Ryan was there giving me a good old pat on the back and saying “Here’s some advice dude – take it if you will”.
Ryan Holiday doesn’t pretend to be out of the woods, and it’s made evident by the way in which the quote is charged with empathy, and that’s what I appreciate. Simply put:
You’re not a terrible person if you don’t know how to present.
That’s the message here.
So please, don’t beat up on yourself if you can’t sit still, block out the sound of your brothers electric guitar at 10pm (I’m going to strangle that kid), or find yourself thinking about the steak and rice for lunch while you’re not even half way through breakfast.
Because cultivating presence is difficult, but I find it pays to become aware of this.
Maybe it’s not so much the state of clarity that matters, but the intention to arrive at this.
Over time, maybe we do. And if we don’t; if we find ourselves wandering, we can take a moment, smile and realise, it’s okay.
Because, in the words of Ryan Holiday: “[the present] keeps showing up to give you a second chance”.
CHANGE IS THE POINT 