High performers practice being present. It improves their focus and allows them to tune out most distractions. Being present boosts our memory, increases clarity, and reduces stress. How often do we find ourselves surreptitiously shopping on Amazon while on a Zoom call, or fiddling with our phones when we should be focusing on our family during dinner? We often escape from the present by constantly occupying ourselves, often by overplanning the future, or obsessing about the past, consistently depriving ourselves of the attention needed to truly experience the present.
Before the pandemic, I traveled a lot for work, went to client dinners, socialized with friends and when I was not physically occupied, I occupied my mind with obsessively reading about sports or being on Instagram. The pandemic changed all of that. I was forced to stay home and learned how to slow down and be with myself. It took some time, but it taught me that distraction was one of the primary causes of my stress. Distraction didn’t take my stress away – it just manifested as a feeling of being dissatisfied, unfulfilled and at times, I’ll even admit, depressed. It taught me that I shouldn’t try to escape and to distract my mind but appreciate the value of being present.
Evolutionary reasons
Being present is hard and there are evolutionary reasons for this. Behavioral psychologists hypothesize that humans who best responded to dangers (fight or flight response) were the ones who survived (Matthew H. NiteckiDoris V. Nitecki - Origins of anatomically modern humans). Back then, they dealt with saber tooth tigers, having to build shelters, and prepare for the scarcity of food during winter. These responses got hardwired into our brains. We don’t have to deal with these physical dangers anymore, but our brain still gets triggered by perceived danger. Today, the triggers are invoked from negative interactions with our boss or colleagues, conflict with our spouse or children, and from stressful thoughts about what we should or shouldn’t have done.
The harm of stress on body and mind
Continuous exposure to these everyday stressors impacts our physical and emotional health. Physiologically our brain gets overloaded with adrenaline and cortisol, the primary stress hormones. These hormones increase our heart rate permitting more blood flow to certain parts and reducing blood flow to other parts of the body. Numerous studies have shown that this impacts our brain function, immune system functions, cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal system, and the endocrine system. In other words, too much stress is bad for you.
Being in the zone
High performers have figured out that being present helps their health and makes them more effective. Being present can be called many things; being in the flow or being in the zone. Michael Jordan during the 1992 NBA Finals hit sixth consecutive three pointer and said, "It's beyond me. It's just happening by itself!" that is being in the zone. Athletes who are in the zone are fully present. Not thinking about what will happen if they miss the next shot or what would have happened if they guarded their player. This doesn’t only apply to athletes, but to all high performers.
How to rewire our brain?
To be more present requires us to physically rewire our brain to undo the hardwiring that has been built into us through evolution. Kristoffer Rhoads, a psychologist at Harborview Medical Center explains that our brain develops through neural connections. “Neurons, the information processing cells in your brain, connect to make neural pathways, which are responsible for your thoughts, sensations, feelings, and actions. When we repeatedly do an activity, we strengthen the neural connections involved, which develops the associated regions of your brain.”
Meditation changes the brain
Consistent meditation has shown to be the key to rewire our brain. A study at Massachusetts General Hospital found that only 8-weeks of meditation was enough to make physical changes in the brain. MR images found that the gray-matter density in the hippocampus had increased for the participants. It is a factor that boosts one's learning abilities, memory, self-awareness, compassion, and introspection. Tim Ferriss in his book Tools of Titans, lessons from habits of high performers, found that more than 80% of the 101 high-performing people that he interviewed, have some form of daily mindfulness or meditation practice. Some high performers who meditate are Rick Rubin, Oprah, Bill Gates, Eric Ripert, Marc Benioff, Jeff Weiner, William Clay Ford Jr., and Ray Dalio.
Meditation helps me become present
There are many benefits to mediation. Being more present is the biggest change that I have seen in my life. I now have moments where I recognize that I am caught up in my thoughts. When I am actually present, I am not thinking about what could happen and what I could have done differently. This doesn’t mean that we as humans shouldn’t think, plan, or analyze -- just not all of the time. Over analysis prohibits us to fully live and feel. The neuroscientist and author Sam Harris in his book Waking Up said it so eloquently: “How we pay attention to the present moment largely determines the character of our experience and, therefore, the quality of our lives. Mystics and contemplatives have made this claim for ages—but a growing body of scientific research now bears it out.”
If you are interested in learn how to meditate, start with one of the many mediation apps. The app that deepened my meditation practice is called Waking UP.
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