Recall a memory that is etched so crystal clear in your mind that you will cherish it forever. A snapshot in time when all that you were aware of was that exact moment. The warmth of the breeze or the sound of your loved one's laughter, the depth of a connection or the crackling of the fire; the stillness, the joy, the beauty, a first, or a last. Maybe it felt like time stood still.
In that instant, you were fully present and consciously connected, free from distraction or muddle. How else could you have captured the moment with such clarity and ease? What a pity to have missed the experience of being anything other than fully present and consciously connected to the here and now.
Yet in an age that seems to hinge on technology and our will and skill to use it – opportunities at our fingertips, and the fear of missing out – we may be unconsciously absenting ourselves from meaningful and memorable moments. We may be missing out on the real connection to ourselves, our family and friends, and with those who we love and care about the most.
Simply put, presence is a condition of being, an act of drawing near to the present moment. It’s the conscious elimination of distraction, and the deliberate mind shift from being elsewhere to being here – free to experience the who and the what in the present time and space.
The beauty is that when we find presence, we find freedom. It reveals itself along the seam where ‘now’ and ‘not now’ meet. How liberating to know that when we consciously let go of our mental and physical distractions, the technology, and the noise, we will make ourselves open and available to receive the abundance that the moment at hand offers.
Being fully present is loaded with the freedom to relate, engage, influence, and grow. It's the awareness that our absence or distraction from this moment and the people in it cannot be rewritten once it has passed.
Why waste a second more of our time missing out on what we value most, out of fear of missing out on what matters least. Let’s wholeheartedly embrace our freedom and commit to being present and authentically engaged with ourselves, our family, and our friends who matter most in the here and now.
Derek Mogensen, the owner of Photo Conscious, specializes in capturing your moments and adventures so that you are free to be fully present. The father of two loves photographing his own kids, yet regrets being absent from the photos and from the moment by being on the other side of the lens. Through his photography services, he offers people a way to disconnect from the fuss of taking pictures so they can connect with what’s happening in the here and now. He’s a shadow in the background creating a beautiful and lasting record of the pure and perfect moments you don’t want to miss. As Derek puts it, "The present moment always poses the perfect moment." You can see more of Derek’s work at photoconscious.com.
