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What is Beyond Your Default?
For those of you who want to get a hand up in life and show up as a whole-ass human!
So being present is a hot topic because, let's face it, staying in the moment is tough. I wanna say for a lot of us. How about I just say for all of us? It is a human emotional pandemic that we all face because we're again, at the very beginning, I said we're living most of our life in the past or the future and not enough of it right now, like the Van Halen song says. Anyway, I think there are a few key reasons you, me, the listeners, find this week's topic challenging.
George B. Thomas:First, our minds are natural storytellers and natural problem solvers. They're always on the go thinking about what's next, reflecting on what's past, or creating these scenarios that may never ever ever ever freaking happen. Anybody else? Just me, maybe?
Liz Moorehead:Welcome back to Beyond Your Default. I'm your host, Liz Morehead. And as always, I'm joined by the one and only George b Thomas. How are you on this early morning?
George B. Thomas:I am doing great. It's not Monday. It's Tuesday, so this feels a little weird.
Liz Moorehead:Feels uncomfortable?
George B. Thomas:Yeah. Yeah. But I'm down for it. I'm excited for this conversation. Christmas tree or giving myself as a birthday present.
George B. Thomas:That is what we're talking about today. Right? Oh my god. No? I
Liz Moorehead:I probably talk to you more than I talk to anybody else in my life. Right? Yeah. At work. And I still somehow managed to forget your propensity for absolute garbage dad jokes.
Liz Moorehead:That was awful. You should feel awful moving on.
George B. Thomas:I'm sorry, listeners. No. You're not sorry.
Liz Moorehead:You're not sorry. I'm really You're not sorry. You're a gift. Right? Why would you apologize for being
George B. Thomas:a guest? Exactly. It's a gift. I'm a gift. Like, we're talking about being a present today.
Liz Moorehead:To be fair, as an only child, if somebody says presents, I'm like, presents? What what would you get me? Right? But no. No.
Liz Moorehead:We're talking about being present. What it is, why it matters, and how to make it easier. Because, man, has there been a topic on this podcast recently where the idea of being present hasn't come up? Because we talked about it during our episode about the importance of recognizing and embracing the small things in life. We talked about it last week during our episode on happiness.
Liz Moorehead:We also talked about it prominently during our conversations about fear, acknowledging the seasons of our life, weathering the storm through stillness, and countless others. There is no doubt that being present matters. Yet so many people struggle with this. And to be honest, that includes me. So why does being present matter?
Liz Moorehead:I wanna read a quick excerpt from research I found. Now granted, is this research a little bit older? Yes. It's from 2010, but the principles I think probably have only become increasingly true as opposed to less true. Unlike other animals, humans spend a lot of time thinking about what isn't going on around them.
Liz Moorehead:Contemplating events that happened in the past might happen in the future or may never happen at all. Indeed, mind wandering appears to be the human brain's default mode of operation. Like just be happy, just be present feels like a deceptively simple concept that many find to be lingering just out of reach. It's kind of like when you go up to a friend and you're like, I'm feeling depressed, and they turn around. They're like, well, just choose positivity.
Liz Moorehead:Thank you, Jennifer. No. That's not how any of this works. So that's what we're tackling today. And to the Jennifers out there
George B. Thomas:We apologize.
Liz Moorehead:We apologize, but you have now joined the Susan's and the Gina's names I pick because I have people in my life named you who I love, and your name is just fun to say. But this is what we're talking about today. We're talking about being present. I will be honest. George got on this call with a mischievous glint in his eye.
Liz Moorehead:He seemed to be excited about the fact that my response to his excitement about this topic made me a little anxious.
George B. Thomas:Yes.
Liz Moorehead:He didn't do anything to dissuade that anxiety. Mm-mm. So we are going to see where this conversation goes today. I can't vamp anymore. I can't avoid the inevitable.
Liz Moorehead:George, let's dig in.
George B. Thomas:Yeah. Let's do it.
Liz Moorehead:When we say being present, what specifically are we talking about here? How are we defining it?
George B. Thomas:I mean, in in the simplest terms possible, being present is all about living in the moment. It's the act of engaging fully with the now, feeling the wind on your skin, listening intently to a friend, savoring a bite of your meal, but the now. It's a state of active or open or intentional. By the way, Liz, I think we're gonna come back to this word intention and intentional intentionality in life, but it's the state of active, open, and intentional attention to the current experience or experiences that you're having. You're not just physically there.
George B. Thomas:You're mentally and emotionally there too. That's the funny thing. The now, physically, you have no choice. You're there. You're in the now, like, in the moment.
George B. Thomas:Mentally, though, it's a completely emotionally, though, it's a completely right? So at the end of the day, this sounds simple, but it's actually really difficult. When we stop and think about this, our body is always in the now. But most of us humans, mentally, Liz, and you alluded to this in the intro, we live in the past or in the future far more than we actually live in the right now. Also, most people might think that when we say in the present, we mean being mindful or having mindfulness.
George B. Thomas:Like, sometimes that gets a little confusing of the difference of being present versus being mindful. The thing is mindfulness is a bit of a broader subject. Mindfulness is a form of awareness. It's recognized and accepting your thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment with an open, curious, what I might say nonjudgmental mindset. Right?
George B. Thomas:It's a practice often cultivated through meditation where you observe your thoughts as they drift through your mind. We hope, hopefully, you've at some point used the app Headspace or something like it. So when I say observe your thoughts as they drift through your mind, like, you're literally hearing the dude's voice that has probably said that to you, but it's all about those thoughts without getting caught up in the thoughts. So here's kind of how I see it and how I wanna break this idea of being present, intentionality, mindfulness, and then the now attention. This is how I see it.
George B. Thomas:Being present is a component of mindfulness. You can think of being present as the what or the action and mindfulness as the how, the approach to the attitude that you're trying to have. Liz, here's an example. Imagine for a second we're at the park. Us being present at that moment means that we're truly there.
George B. Thomas:We're watching the squirrel scurry, feeling the bench beneath us, hearing children's laughter. I I wish I had, like, children's laughter. I could, like, hit a button and be there. But you're literally absorbing in the now, like, the surroundings. Mindfulness enters the scene when an annoying thought pops up like George sent me a Slack or Liz, sent me a work email or somebody a client.
George B. Thomas:Right? Something comes in. Oh oh, go go. God, I forgot to send an email that was really important. And all of a sudden, the the squirrels are gone.
George B. Thomas:The bench part, you know, that it's gone. The kids' laughter. Like, Here's the thing. Instead of spiraling into worry and letting that thought of that email or that Slack message or that thing that is not there, instead of letting it steal your attention, you acknowledge the thought and then gently guide your focus back to the park around you, coming back into the moment. So that's mindfulness in action, observing your thoughts but choosing to stay anchored in the present, in the, in now, in attention to the thing while being present is about immersing yourself in what you're actually doing or what we're doing.
George B. Thomas:Mindfulness, again, is the broader practice that includes being present, but also involves a conscious awareness and acceptance of your inner state and thought process. Think of mindfulness as the training ground for being present. The more you practice mindfulness, the better you get at being present in the everyday moments of your life. And, Liz, the beauty of this listeners, the beauty of this is the more you I'll use the word savor. Like, the more that you can be present, the more that you can savor, very intentional word there, life's joys, navigate its challenges, and connect deeply.
George B. Thomas:We're gonna get to this connection part as we kinda move forward here, but connect deeply with others. It's about turning ordinary experiences into extra extraordinary ones simply by fully being there, being present, being in the now with your attention.
Liz Moorehead:I love that you have a mastery of these concepts. I'll be honest. I learned quite a bit during that, you know, especially the part where you're differentiating between mindfulness and presence, because I think sometimes those 2 can get artificially conflated. And I'll be honest. I I've I've done that myself.
Liz Moorehead:But I would be curious to hear from you. Do you struggle with this? Do you struggle with being present in the moment, and how does it affect you?
George B. Thomas:I mean, do I breathe? That's my running joke, by the way. When you ask me a question that I'm like, I hate this question. It's like
Liz Moorehead:I know. This is always my favorite part of the show. Right? And I know it's right at the beginning where it's like, here, let me tell you all of these great things I know about presence. Now am I good at it?
George B. Thomas:Absolutely not. Like Yeah. I mean, that's the thing. Like, you literally said before the question, like, your mastery of it. I'm like, that's because I've f ed it up so many times.
George B. Thomas:Like, what are you talking about? It's a master of learning through the failures that I've actually gone through. But here's the thing, to your question. For me personally and listeners, if you get value out of this, then you might be a normal human being. Maybe I'm a normal human being.
George B. Thomas:I think there's 2 archenemies for me. I think there's maybe 4 that I wanna actually mention here, though. So for me personally, when it comes to being present, the first is that I live in a culture of busyness. Society and my surroundings often make me feel like I've gotta be super busy all the time to be seen as productive and successful. Maybe it's just me.
George B. Thomas:I don't know. Well, that constant hustle can really stop us from enjoying the simple, beautiful moments happening right now. And by the way, if you, listened to episode 8 on redefining hustle, striking a balance between hard work and healthy living, you know that I have historically, and even still, by the way, today, have a battle, with this busyness disease, if you will. I mean, shoot. We just launched a brand new website and business on top of what we are already doing.
Liz Moorehead:Anyway It's fine. We love a challenge. We love a challenge.
George B. Thomas:It's like we as humans are kind of caught up, me, especially, up improving our worth by doing a 1000000 things at once that we miss out on the actual joy of just being in the now, in the attention of the now. We miss that joy. So one thing that I definitely wanna try to get better at as I journey myself on this journey beyond my defaults that I still have is one where I don't have to be so busy or feel so busy. Not that I don't wanna work. Don't get me wrong.
George B. Thomas:But I don't want to feel like I have to prove myself by a million little things being done. The second one for me, probably again, just me. Technology distractions, baby. Listen. I'm in front of my computer or my phone way too much in a day.
Liz Moorehead:Oh, that's not me at all. Definitely not.
George B. Thomas:Hey. But for me, it's necessity. It's necessity. Or is it? When I see that red dot with some crazy number in it on my phone, I have to clear it.
George B. Thomas:I see a white dot or dots in Slack, I must clear them right now. It's like freaking Pavlov's dog. Our phones and gadgets keep beeping, buzzing with all sorts of alerts and messages. And before you know it, they're yanking us away from whatever we're doing or whoever we're with. I mean, maybe it's just me just me problem, but I feel most of the listeners just might be able to relate with this one.
George B. Thomas:It's like our focus is getting chopped up into tiny little pieces because we're trying to be too many places at once, but not fully present in any of them. Listeners, I have to ask you. If you sit and you diagnose your life right now, do you feel like mentally, emotionally, you are chopped up into tiny little pieces trying to be everywhere, but you're not fully present in any of them. See, we're trying to be too many places at once, but not fully present in any of them. Just saying that out loud, Liz, by the way, makes me freaking sad.
George B. Thomas:Like, it it breaks my heart to know that I've lived in that space, that some of the listeners are probably living in that space. I think those for me are the 2 biggies that people might deal with that are staying in the moment killers, I'll call them. But I also think that 2 mentionables, 1, stress and worry, I think, is another one that we could easily talk about that kills, like, being in the present because we're stressed about the future. We're worrying about it. We're stressed because we said something 5 minutes ago, 5 days ago, or 5 months ago, and we we don't know if it's gonna come back to bite us in the butt.
George B. Thomas:But, also, this other one is just a general lack of what we talked about it kind of at the beginning of this is a general lack of a mindfulness practice in their daily life. So they're not even doing anything to get better at the thing that is, like, highly important being present in the now with your attention for those moments. Like, we're not even at the gym working it out. By the way, Liz, I could put you on the hot seat. What about you?
George B. Thomas:Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. I do.
George B. Thomas:What about you?
Liz Moorehead:I don't struggle with any of this.
George B. Thomas:None of it. You said. None of what you said. You've got it on lockdown?
Liz Moorehead:Are you freaking kidding me? Oh my god. Well, I was sitting here writing down, taking notes because I wanted to see, you know, how many of these did I resonate with. Culture of busyness, check. Our industry is I I mean, great.
Liz Moorehead:Our industry is not unique. He and I both work in the inbound marketing and marketing automation space. It is the agency world in particular has a great way of making you feel like if you are not maximizing every single possible second that your eyes are open during the day, Are you billable? Are you effective? That is something where you and I have both been working together collectively to deprogram ourselves, and you've been building an agency that creates a culture where that is not the norm, but it's still hard.
Liz Moorehead:It's still that moment of, you know, you and I are coming out of this massive project. You and I have worked now, what, 9, 10 days in a row at least. At some point, that is going to stop here in the very, very, very near future. Yes. And I know the first time that I have that space to myself to breathe, I'm gonna go, wait.
Liz Moorehead:Is there something I'm supposed to be doing?
George B. Thomas:Yeah.
Liz Moorehead:What's going on? The stress and the worry thing is the one that I find to be the most disruptive. Because let's be honest, I have a phone. I have access to TikTok. There is not a capybara or pet toucan video I have not seen.
Liz Moorehead:The algorithm knows me very well and it's comfort TikToks and I love it. Also, randomly, men who end up getting cats even though they hate cats, but then they end up loving the cat, and it's absolutely adorable.
George B. Thomas:There's a TikTok for that?
Liz Moorehead:Oh, absolutely. It's great. I love it. It's fantastic. But stress and worry is the one that I find to be the most disruptive and derailing.
Liz Moorehead:Because with my phone, for example, I have my box. I put my phone in this box and then I put my phone up in my closet.
George B. Thomas:Oh, I like that.
Liz Moorehead:Am I like a toddler having to do that? Yes. But I'm a toddler who can reach high shelves. So I put that up there and when I do not want to give in to those little impulses, I have to physically go to the other side of the room, pull this box out of the closet and then take my phone out. And it helps me manage those little impulses, but I'll admit I feel, like, not great that that's something that I have to do, but, hey, it works for me.
George B. Thomas:I wouldn't feel bad at all, by the way, because I used to have a stand that was on this desk right here. And if you're listening to this, I'll try to make this make sense. But where I'm standing to do the episode, I have, like, a major big screen and 2 smaller screens and all the gear and stuff, and I had yet a stand that my phone would sit on. And so every time it would ding or beep or bop or boop, I would freaking see it. I became more productive when, Liz, you can see it actually just lit up back there.
Liz Moorehead:Yeah. I can see it.
George B. Thomas:Somebody tried to text me.
Liz Moorehead:Oh, no kidding.
George B. Thomas:I always sit it on that desk. That's I literally move the charger there, and I set it over there to charge so that it's at my back. It's muted. I can't hear it. I don't see it.
George B. Thomas:And so when I go to, like, take a break, grab lunch, go use the bathroom, things like that, I'm not trying to get too personal here. But I'll grab my phone, and that's when I'll check my phone or look at my phone. I come back in the office. Boom. It goes back over there on a desk away from me so I don't again, am I being a toddler out of sight, out of mind?
George B. Thomas:I wanna swear right now, but I'm not going to. It's not that kind of podcast. Yes. But, man, the difference in the way I feel and the way that I relax and can actually focus, again, a key topic we'll talk about here in a little bit, on, like, the work that needs to be done, magical.
Liz Moorehead:Well, that was the funny part too because I realized, you know, there was the Liz sometimes has no self control and she's gonna grab her phone and play on TikTok if you don't make it difficult for her to get to it. But then there was the other piece of it where it's the expectation of always being available, of always being on. You know, I had a moment there while you were describing where your phone was. In my head, I was like, oh, that's why sometimes I don't hear from him if I text him. I feel a lot better now.
Liz Moorehead:He's not mad at me.
George B. Thomas:Hey, driving my wife and having that thought. Do you ever check your anyway.
Liz Moorehead:That's the thing. That's funny about this is that it's not only that we struggle to stay present because we live in an attention based economy where people are gaming the system to keep our eyes on our phones.
George B. Thomas:Yes.
Liz Moorehead:We also live in a society now where people know we have these little computers in our pockets and get upset or concerned or personalized us not immediately responding. But like I said, the stress and the worry one, that's the one I find to be the most disruptive. And I wanna talk about this from the perspective of trauma, because I think there is standard garden variety stress and worry, but it was only probably in the last few months that I accepted I had something a little bit more extensive than that. And a lot of it comes down to the fact that, like, over the past couple of years, and we talked about some personal stuff that had happened in my life in the last episode about happiness, like, there's been a lot of upheaval. There have been traumatic events, and it's made me much more prone to have a fight or flight response when something unexpected happens or when things aren't going according to plan because stability is something I'm still reacquainting myself with.
Liz Moorehead:And so what I struggle with sometimes is that if something goes wrong, if something doesn't go according to plan, if something isn't happening in the timeline it's supposed to be happening, I'll sometimes engage in that catastrophic feeling that has a physical expression. It's not just me sitting there being paranoid. It's my body will physically start responding as if it's going through some sort of thing. And that's why that quote from the introduction resonated with me so much is that I had this moment yesterday where I had something similar happen. A thought popped in my head of, well, what if x y z doesn't happen?
Liz Moorehead:What are you gonna do? And I just kind of sat there paralyzed. I had to remind myself, if it begins with a what if, you're just fearmongering in your own brain, and then I had to sit there and kind of bring myself back to the moment. But that that's where I tend to struggle the most in terms of being present. The other ones, you know, I don't know how to explain it.
Liz Moorehead:I feel that they are more manageable even if I'm not good at it, and the stress and worry stuff is the stuff that I feel to be most disruptive. So I'd be curious to hear from you, though. Do you engage in any sort of practices, whether that's mindfulness or present moment grounding? I mean, you and I already talked about our box versus our stand behind us for our phones.
George B. Thomas:Yeah.
Liz Moorehead:What do you do to keep yourself grounded in the present? Yeah.
George B. Thomas:So before I answer that, though, I wanna swing back to something you said. I want the listeners to pull out the word. You said stability. Yeah. And and there is a connective tissue, a let's connect the dots between being present and this idea of stability or feeling stable or more firm or more rooted or grounded in life.
George B. Thomas:If you're taking notes as you're listening to this, just write down the word stability, and I want you to connect the dots for you. What is you being mindful and getting better at being present in the moment? How does that affect your mental, physical, emotional stability? And try to, like, build out a framework for yourself around that term to this topic that we're talking about. So, Liz, to answer your question, it's so freaking funny.
George B. Thomas:This question right here feels harmless. It feels harmless when you ask me, but it kicked my butt mentally. Mentally, like, right hook, uppercut, TKO. I'm like it's like, dang it, Liz. Why are you doing this to me?
George B. Thomas:Then I said, dang it, George. Why are you doing this to yourself? Like, it was your idea to do this damn podcast. Why do you each week need to, like, find ways to, like, punch yourself in the face? Anyway, I'll just get with it.
George B. Thomas:I like to go for walks, and this has been a thing that always made me grounded. I think it's the sun, the wind, the nature of it all. Right? Just getting outside of the house away from technology, but but I have not been taking those walks. And, honestly, as I do this podcast and as I was prepping for the show, I'm like, it's time to freaking change that.
George B. Thomas:Like, I've been making excuses because of the new website launch. I've been making excuses because of clients. I've been making excuses because of things family wise that are going on. And, you know, it's just time to, like, freaking suck it up, buttercup, and, like, change it. Just go out and take the morning walk, take the evening walk, get your walking freaking treadmill plugged the frick back into the wall because it's just sitting there doing nothing on the ground but, like, keeping the carpet down.
George B. Thomas:That's all it's doing, and that's not what it was designed for.
Liz Moorehead:Well, you know, carpets, notoriously squirrelly.
George B. Thomas:I know. I know. Right? So here's the thing. I like doing morning devotions and meditation.
George B. Thomas:But for the past couple weeks, I've been so busy with work stuff, and, listen, those have gone to the wayside. So where my brain goes is I need to stop letting what I like and what is important to help me be in the present moment to have this thing that we're talking about. I need to quit letting what I think is important steal what is important and make it slip right past me, like, right by me. Now a couple of things that I do make sure that I do to kinda bring me back to, we'll say air quotes normal. I love going out to my backyard on a nice day and standing in the grass barefoot and just standing there looking up at the sky.
George B. Thomas:I think that my neighbors probably think I'm weird, but I love looking up at the sky, usually with my eyes closed. And I literally sit there, and I imagine that I'm feeling or I am actually feeling. I don't know. But I absorb the energy from the sun above me and the earth beneath me. And, again, barefoot in the grass.
George B. Thomas:Love that feeling. To me, those moments equal peace or these moments of peacefulness that I get because I can hear the birds chirping. I can feel the wind. I can feel the the, you know, crisp grass. I can feel the heat of the sun, and it is the flip side of standing in my office in front of the technology all day.
George B. Thomas:Another thing that I do, Liz, and it's kinda to go along with why the phone is over there on the desk, but when I'm conversing or having a conversation with other humans, I intentionally make sure to turn my phone over so I can not see the screen, and I silence it. And I know when I say this, you're shaking your head listeners. You can't see her shaking your head, but she knows because her mind probably transported back to a conversation we're having in an airport about
Liz Moorehead:Yep.
George B. Thomas:Two and a half years ago. And the intentionality of making the Listen. Listen. When you, in a nonverbal way, show a human that they're more important than anything else that's happening in the world, AKA through your phone in that moment. This tiny small action for them makes them feel great, by the way.
George B. Thomas:For me, it makes me feel powerful because I'm literally like, nope. This is what I have dictated. This is what I will do, and this is what I have done, and there's power in that. But also because I know that I've mentally impacted the other human in a positive way, it makes me happy. Ladies and gentlemen, call me crazy, but when I can feel happy and powerful in the same moment based on a simple action of flipping my phone over, I'll take it.
George B. Thomas:I'll take it all day, every week, the rest of my life. Like, I'll take it.
Liz Moorehead:Liz, the other thing
George B. Thomas:that comes to mind, though, is that I'm always scratch that, most times, trying to come from a place of positive intent or gratitude. I try to look at what is happening in the moment from this place of positivity and gratitude versus the cesspool of negativity that could be happening in my brain pretty freaking easily, by the way, if not intentional on the thought of being positive or positive intent or gratitude is actually put into action. So that's something that I listen. I'm good at it sometimes. I really suck out at others.
George B. Thomas:But this idea of being positive versus negative, it's a way better state to live in if you're actually trying to be present in that state. I'll take the positive state as my presence versus the negative state. Liz, what about you on this question? What are your thoughts?
Liz Moorehead:First of all, I'm sorry. I'm even now recalling when I sent over the outline. I said, hey. I don't think there are very many emotional grenades this week, so that's a positive. This was not my intention.
George B. Thomas:I accept your apology.
Liz Moorehead:But here we are. I was going back to that memory of us in the airport, and I just remembered feeling special, but it was also refreshing. You know, when we go out of our way to communicate our thoughts, our feelings, our fears, our dreams, or just like what we had for brunch with other people, I think we all feel that pang of when they pick up their phone, check their watch, you know, of, oh, I guess I'm, you know, I'm just not that important.
George B. Thomas:You might as well just reach over and smack me in the cheek.
Liz Moorehead:Yeah. I have friends who were like, why is your phone always on do not disturb during the day? I'm like, well, because I'm busy. And also, I have made choices strategically during the weekend if, well, this is just a time I'm not accepting calls. Now will I periodically check to make sure something, like, an emergency hasn't happened or, you know, you haven't reached out or something?
Liz Moorehead:Yes. Absolutely. But for the most part, one of the things that I actually did for my sanity in order to maintain a present moment hold in my life is to put myself on do not disturb. That has been incredibly impactful for me. I'm not always on do not disturb but 9 to 6:30.
Liz Moorehead:Liz, why are you answering could it be because I'm I'm self employed? Could it possibly be that I am working? Why can't I reach you in the evening sometime? Well, because I'm asleep. Because I'm asleep.
Liz Moorehead:Or maybe I'm just taking some time for myself. I'm much cagier now than I used to be about always being available to me as a as a recovering deeply pathological people pleaser. I've had to put those boundaries up and it has been interesting to observe how people react to it. I had a situation recently where I set a boundary with someone and it wasn't personal. Something was happening in my personal life, I knew I was not able to be present and I said, hey, I need to, like, just take a couple weeks to take care of some things.
Liz Moorehead:It has nothing to do with you, everything to do with me. And just this is just what I need right now. I'm a fairly private processor. I tend to go through things privately, I will engage other people when I'm ready to ask for help, but I'm a fairly private person as much as my public persona may not show. I think you know that about me, George.
Liz Moorehead:I'm a I'm I'm a really I'm I'm really private about a lot of things. I don't like having a live studio audience for my life. And that person got really upset, did not tell me, built up a whole story in their head about it, and said, well, I wanted you to rely on me as a friend. And I said, well, I did. This is not about you.
Liz Moorehead:This was what I needed at the time. And I explained to her what happened and I said, this was actually about somebody else. This was somebody else's business. And what I found that's been interesting as I've started setting these boundaries for myself is that I used to deeply personalize when someone would react negatively to a new boundary. And we talked about this during the boundaries episode, but oftentimes it will illuminate things about the other person when they are when they are butting up against your boundary.
Liz Moorehead:This person is a wonderful person. They have been there through with me through a lot, but there was a moment there where I'm like, wait, did I did I do something wrong? And I rose, no. I just set a boundary for myself. I'm not beholden to anybody.
Liz Moorehead:I went out of my way to say, hey, for the next couple of weeks, I'm just gonna be I'm gonna be doing me because there there is another area of my personal life that requires focused attention. Someone in my life needs my help. And it was scary. That was a little bit of a tangent but that practice I put in place just to be able to be present in my life has had interesting outcomes as a result.
George B. Thomas:Yeah.
Liz Moorehead:I know we're gonna be talking more about ways people can easily embrace presence in their daily lives. I have some practices that I that I'll share during that part of the conversation. But I would say the other thing that I do is I'm an active Headspace user and have I have Headspace and I have calm. This girl is I this girl is stressed and she has a meditation app for every possible scenario. Plus those sleep stories.
Liz Moorehead:Those sleep stories are so good. I'm like, I'm 8 years old. Yes. Tell me more about all of the little snow leopards in the mountains. Like, I love that.
Liz Moorehead:I love that. That makes me so happy. Anyway, the conversation around being present is a popular one for a reason. It's hard. A lot of us want it and aren't doing it well.
Liz Moorehead:But why do you think that is? Why? Because I I don't know if you've observed this. People are talking about this more and more and more and more.
George B. Thomas:It's like an emotional pandemic. But before I dive into this, by the way, because Liz, you're spot
Liz Moorehead:on. Slide that in there.
George B. Thomas:You like that? You're spot on with this question, by the way. But before I answer it, if you're new to the podcast, Liz mentioned the boundaries episode. It's episode 25, ladies and gentlemen. Setting healthy boundaries that fortify your path, foster growth, and create peace.
George B. Thomas:Alright. So with that out of the way, again, Liz, I love this question. This was one of the ones where I'm like, yeah. Okay. Great.
George B. Thomas:Great. Great. Great. Great. Go.
George B. Thomas:So being present is a hot topic because, let's face it, staying in the moment is tough, I wanna say, for a lot of us. How about I just say for all of us? It is a human emotional pandemic that we all face because we're again, at the very beginning, I said we're living most of our life in the past or the future and not enough of it right now, like the Van Halen song says. Anyway, I think there are a few key reasons you, me, the listeners, find this week's topic challenging. First, our minds are natural storytellers and natural problem solvers.
George B. Thomas:They're always on the go thinking about what's next, reflecting on what's past, or creating these scenarios that may never ever ever ever freaking happen. Anybody else? Just me, maybe? Like, I there's something like is it just me moments in this podcast? But it's like our brains have this constant background noise making it hard to tune into the here and the now, making it hard to tune into the present freaking moment because of that background noise in our brain.
George B. Thomas:Then there's our modern lifestyle, and I did mention this earlier. You talked about it too. But, Liz, listeners, would you agree? Does this sound right to you? Your life is fast paced with technology at your fingertips, making it super easy to get distracted.
George B. Thomas:Have you ever noticed that checking one notification can lead you down a rabbit hole of apps and websites, and you come out of the rabbit hole hours later. Before you know it, you're lost in cyberspace instead of being present in your own life. By the way, I don't think this one is only me, Liz. I think this is a global,
Liz Moorehead:Oh, it a 100% is. Give me one hour, and I am an expert on capybara feeding, toucan snuggles. Did you know that when they're happy, when you rub their bill, they honk? I learned that last night.
George B. Thomas:I did. Now I do. Now I do. See see, that's the thing. And and if you're, like, already googling this, as you're listening to this, you're missing the point of this podcast, by the way.
George B. Thomas:This is a global present moment killer, and it also ties into another part of this conversation that as we cannot have this conversation and forget to mention the pressure and expectations society puts on us. We often are measured by how much we do, not by how we experience or enjoy what we're actually doing. So we end up rushing. Do you feel rushed through life, by the way? We end up rushing through life.
George B. Thomas:We end up ticking boxes off our to do lists without really experiencing the moment other than the actual tick of the box. If you're living a life where your goal is to check a box, you are living in the default, not in the beyond your default. And, listen, another thing that has rung true for me is that sometimes being present can be just plain old uncomfortable. It means facing our feelings, and those things are scary. Our thoughts head on without distractions, without being able to escape into our phones, Netflix accounts, or other vices we might use to escape.
George B. Thomas:I feel like we might have talked about that conversation in a historical podcast episode as well. That can be tough, especially if we're dealing with stress, anxiety, or other heavy emotions. But here's the good news. With some practice and intention, we humans can improve our level of being present. Being present in life is like building a muscle.
George B. Thomas:The more we do it, the stronger it gets. And the benefits, well, ladies and gentlemen, they're freaking huge. Better focus, deeper connections with others, more joy, a greater appreciation for the little things in life. If you're a longtime listener, you know that we've talked about that too. Again, what I'm trying to paint a picture here by mentioning all the episodes and the times where you might have heard these things is being present is a key element of living a life beyond your default.
George B. Thomas:So while it's common to struggle with staying present, it's definitely a skill worth developing. And the best part, the more we practice, the more we can enjoy the richness and fullness of life one present moment at a time.
Liz Moorehead:Wow. Way to end a steady stream attack against me personally in such a beautiful baritone, such a beautiful baritone. I'm sure you saw me while you were recording. Like, yep. That's me.
Liz Moorehead:Yep. That damn it, George. Yeah. I get it. Alright.
Liz Moorehead:Fine. Bye. You know what? I thought this question was gonna be the nice one, but apparently Yeah. That was the tough one for me.
Liz Moorehead:You know what I love though? I loved you talking about the checking the box piece and how that is just living squarely in your default because it reminds me of the episode we did about why these small things matter and how do we prioritize them in your life because what can happen, and we talk about this in detail in that episode, is that one of the most insidious consequences of not being present in your own life let's set aside things like stress, trauma, that kind of stuff. You can end up living your whole life waiting for something.
George B. Thomas:Yes.
Liz Moorehead:And there were times last year where I had to ground myself and I had to remind myself of, I understand every aspect of your life is on fire. But you better find some joy in this because this is your life right now. You are living life right now. And you can snap your fingers, an entire year will be gone. And a year in the grand scheme of things may not seem like much, but if you were able to go to yourself the end of your life and give yourself an extra year.
Liz Moorehead:Yeah. That's the thing about being present that is such a critical conversation because it's like a bank account. It's like a compound interest thing.
George B. Thomas:Preach.
Liz Moorehead:Well, it depends on how you swing. Right? It could be death by paper cut. Oh, me not going on this one walk this one time won't won't make a big deal. And by the way, I'm using that as an example not to attack you.
Liz Moorehead:Guess
George B. Thomas:who did go? Just got punched in my jugular.
Liz Moorehead:Who has 2 thumbs, speaks limited French, and also did not go on her walk yesterday. And you know that that used to be like going to church for
George B. Thomas:me Yeah.
Liz Moorehead:For, like, 7 months, and I have slipped as I've been reestablishing my new norms. I'm there with you too, but it's a death by paper cut. Oh, it's not a big deal. Oh, it's not a big deal. Oh, it's not a big deal.
Liz Moorehead:And then all of a sudden warning. Warning. Warning. Your emotional bank account is completely and wildly overdrawn and you have 100 of dollars of fees that the bank will likely not reimburse you for because they're not nice people.
George B. Thomas:Yeah.
Liz Moorehead:But it swings the other direction. There is the compound interest effect of when you cultivate presence in your own life, you think about it differently. You see things differently. You operate differently. It is crippling when I get into those spirals.
Liz Moorehead:It is crippling. I sometimes wanna cry and sometimes I do cry because intellectually, I understand what I'm doing and emotionally I'll feel trapped. Intellectually, I understand I'm robbing myself of the joy. I'm not being grateful for the incredible life that I have because one thing has somehow managed to derail me. And I'm working on that.
Liz Moorehead:Right? Like, I'm I'm baby stepping. I'm doing the work for my What About Bob fans out there, but it's painful. It hurts. Now I wanna take us in a more positive direction here.
Liz Moorehead:We've touched upon the importance of being present, countless episodes. We've been referring to them throughout this conversation. But I want you to take a moment, George, and outline for us specifically being present on its own, just the sake of being present. What are the benefits that come out of that? What are the ways in which we see living a life beyond your default become much more realized because you're prioritizing that mindful present way of looking at life?
George B. Thomas:Yes. Again, love this question. Love it. Love it. Love it.
George B. Thomas:Love it. Let's break this down into simple real talk. Also, these are gonna call back to some of what we've maybe already chatted about or people have heard because, again, there's a fine line, you know, double edged sword or two sides of a coin or whatever you wanna kinda put here around this topic and, like, the lack and therefore benefit of it, and they kind of ring the same a little bit. Benefit number 1 that I wanna talk about is making real connections. Real being the keyword there.
George B. Thomas:We all know how frustrating it can be when someone you're talking to seems more interested in their phone than what you are saying. It's like you're there, but you're not really there. Now flip that scenario. Imagine you're the one giving someone your undivided attention. You're not glancing at your phone, not thinking about your next meeting, your next meal.
George B. Thomas:You're just fully focused on the person in front of you. It is powerful. It is a benefit. When you're truly present with someone, you're not just hearing their words, you're tuning into their tone, their body language, the subtle things that they're not saying to you. You're literally really communicating, not just talking.
George B. Thomas:It's about creating a space where the other person feels seen, heard, and most importantly, understood. And ladies and gentlemen, that's a rare and precious gift in our always on distracted world. It is a benefit. This kind of deep attentive listening can transform your relationships. It builds trust, fosters empathy, and strengthens connections.
George B. Thomas:It's like relationship gold. Humans tend to open up more, share more, and connect on a deeper level when they feel you're genuinely engaged with them. And here's the kicker. This kind of connection not only enriches your relationships, but also enriches you. It cultivates a sense of empathy and understanding, broadens your perspective, and deepens your own emotional intelligence.
George B. Thomas:You start to notice more, learn more about people, and by extension, about human nature and, boom, punchline, freaking yourself. You start to learn about yourself. Benefit number 2, staying cool and collected. Listen. Life can feel like a roller coaster of emotions, excitement, stress, joy, frustration.
George B. Thomas:They all take turns capturing your cranium. But here's where being present and mindful becomes your superpower, your secret tool in navigating these roller coaster moments Thoughts and emotions are cars zooming by at breakneck speeds, and you are strapped on the hood of one of those cars in the middle of this chaos. If you have a visual representation of that brain, then you have been there, done that, seen that, probably have the freaking T shirt. Now being mindful and present is like sitting on a hill overlooking this highway. You see everything moving, but you're not on the road getting tossed around.
George B. Thomas:You observe the traffic, the rush of your thoughts and emotions, but you don't get caught up in it. This perspective shift is powerful. Yes. It's a benefit. When you're present, you're in the driver's seat of your emotions, not the other way around.
George B. Thomas:You recognize your feelings, acknowledge them without judgment, and then you can make a choice. You can decide not to chase after every thought or react to every emotion. Instead, you can respond from a place of calm and clarity. By the way, this doesn't mean that you become emotionless or indifferent. Far from it, you still feel everything fully, but you're not overwhelmed or controlled by your feelings.
George B. Thomas:You learn to recognize that just like a storm, emotions pass. You discover a space within you that's calm no matter the chaos around you. Benefit number 3. How about we all get a little bit more focused, or how about we get super focused? In a world brimming with notifications, multitasking, and constant interruptions, being able to hone in on one task is indeed a superpower, a benefit.
George B. Thomas:It's like having a mental laser beam that cuts through the noise, allowing you to concentrate fully on the task at hand. Imagine you're working on a project, and around you, there's a whirlwind of activities. Phones ringing, people chatting, emails pinging. Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding. By the way, if you're working remote at a coffee shop or are a normal human being, you might not have to imagine too hard.
George B. Thomas:Anyway, being present allows you to anchor yourself in the midst of this storm, maintaining a serene focus on your work. It's not that you're unaware of the chaos. You choose not to let the chaos dominate your attitude. When you're fully present and focused, the quality of your work skyrockets. You're not just ticking boxes.
George B. Thomas:You're engaging deeply with what you're doing, whether you're writing a report, crafting a piece of art, coding, or even having a conversation with another human. Your full engagement elevates the outcome. And let's not forget about the personal mastery that is hard to beat. Benefit number 4, growing as a human. When we talk about being present as a pathway to personal growth, we're really diving into the essence of self awareness, which by the way is a major milestone, important thing, focus on it for your journey.
George B. Thomas:Anyway, benefit, it's like turning the lights on in a room that's been dimmed for way too long, revealing all the details you couldn't see before. Being present allows you to notice your reactions, thoughts, and feelings as they happen. It's like being an observer of your own life, maybe a little bit of an out of body experience. As you become more aware of these inner life workings, you gain the power to change them. You're no longer just reacting to life on autopilot.
George B. Thomas:Instead, you can choose how to respond to your feelings and situations. You start to understand the why behind your actions, which is the first step in creating meaningful change. And remember, personal growth isn't a selfish endeavor. As you grow, you bring more to your relationships, your work, and the world around you. You become more resilient, empathetic, and engaged.
George B. Thomas:Your growth contributes to a ripple effect that touches the lives of others in ways that you might not even realize. So even when your life is cranked up to the max, taking a moment to be present can change the game. It turns everyday moments into something special and helps you live life in what might be a dad joke coming in living color.
Liz Moorehead:In living color, you can do what you want. That's for us elder millennial and gen xers.
George B. Thomas:Old folks. Yeah.
Liz Moorehead:You get a pass on that one because In Living Color was amazing.
George B. Thomas:It was good. I love that. But I
Liz Moorehead:have to be careful. I have to stay present. I can't suddenly transform this into an in light of color podcast. Right. You know, one of my favorite quotes that I came across, not during research for this episode, it was actually one that a therapist told me to help me ground myself, because I can think myself into a ditch if I'm not careful.
Liz Moorehead:Life gives you plenty of time to do whatever you want if you stay present in the moment. I remember just hearing that and it's kind of like one of the it was like a little bomb with a delay. So, like, oh, that totally makes sense. And then I'm like, okay. So I listened to her say it, thought about it, wrote it down.
Liz Moorehead:Okay. Woke up in the middle of the night and went, oh, my god. What would be different about my life right now if I took all of the hours I had been obsessing about this one specific situation in my life over the past 3 months and had been pointing those thoughts in a more productive direction? What could I have accomplished? What would be different?
Liz Moorehead:How much further ahead would I be? Now you always have to be careful about this. Right? Because we don't want this to all of a sudden turn into a thing where it's like, well, I am a bad person, and I'm not capable of doing anything. Right?
Liz Moorehead:No. But it's a good clarifying moment to think about, like, what is something in your life right now that you know is taking a disproportionate outsized amount of focus from you right now. Something that maybe isn't changing. Maybe it's a person who isn't reacting the way you want them to be reacting. Maybe it is something that is fundamentally and irrevocably out of your control.
Liz Moorehead:It is a bell that cannot be unrung. How many hours would you say over the past 2 to 3 weeks you have devoted to either spiraling, thinking, replaying. Now what if somebody said, hey, Liz, here are the 48, 72 hours back in your life. Here you go. Just free time.
Liz Moorehead:The other thing too that was funny about the coffee shop, I had a funny experience earlier this week. There's a coffee shop I love to go to locally. I go there because it helps me write, like, the white noise, being in a small space. I have a very specific table that I sit at. And one of the guys who works there was, like, man, you're so serious about your work today.
Liz Moorehead:And I thought it was fine. Like, sir, that is because I am working.
George B. Thomas:Right.
Liz Moorehead:That is what I'm here to do. Although, I do love the conversation and the coffee. But at some point, Liz has gotta go under here. Words gotta get written.
George B. Thomas:Yeah. Headphones are beautiful.
Liz Moorehead:Oh my god. I love them so much. So what are ways in which folks can easily start to embrace a present moment mindset in their daily lives? And I wanna be very clear about why I'm saying easily. I am not implying that being present is easy.
Liz Moorehead:Just do it. Just be happy. My point is that I think we struggle to do this in a way that is accessible, that is easy to bring into our lives.
George B. Thomas:Yeah.
Liz Moorehead:That's what I mean by easily.
George B. Thomas:Yeah. No. I get it. Let's break this down into 2 different categories of, like, recommendations so that people who do have their pen, pencil, notepad, iPad out, they can kinda break this down. So
Liz Moorehead:I do.
George B. Thomas:There we go. 1st, let's talk about daily or weekly practices we can add to our lives. And then in the moment, we'll talk about, like, in the moment case of emergency tactics that we might be able to pull. So it's it's kind of like, here's my repetition thing to keep me, like, levelized and, like, warning danger. What is that?
George B. Thomas:Danger, Will Robinson. Danger danger. Right? Those moments in life. So morning mindfulness.
George B. Thomas:Begin your day with a moment of presence before you jump out of bed, take a few deep breaths, and set an intention for the day. It could be something like today, I choose to be present and find joy in the small moments of life. By the way, that's the second time we've talked about small moments. And so, ladies and gentlemen, if you were curious, that was episode 31, why the small things in life matter, how to reprioritize them. Anyway, the whole point there, by the way, if you're writing it morning mindfulness and what that looks like for you and what app you use or don't use is totally up to you.
George B. Thomas:The other one is in your day, breathing breaks. I know for you some of you, it's like, oh, that's woo woo. It sounds anyway, breathing breaks. Throughout your day, take short breaks to focus solely on your breath. A minute or 2 of deep conscious breathing can center your mind and bring you back to the present.
George B. Thomas:Number 3, mindful listening. Listen. I'm gonna preach this one from the mountaintops till I see a 1000000 people flipping their phone over at dinner tables. Mindful listening when conversing or having conversations with others, really listen. Really listen.
George B. Thomas:Focus on their words, tone, and expressions without planning your next response in your head. Listen to listen, not listen to actually react. This not only enhances your relationships, but also deepens your engagement with the present. Those three things and then add this in, weekly reflection. Once a week, take some time to reflect on your experiences.
George B. Thomas:Consider when you felt most present and when your mind wandered or just flat out raced away and took you to something that you'd never expected. Understanding your patterns can help you create more mindful moments and reprogram the patterns that might be happening in your weekly, daily life. In case of emergencies, this was fun, by the way. Like, I found some things in this research moment where, like, oh, I'm gonna I'm gonna do that right there. So one that you can use in case of emergencies, the 54321 grounding technique.
George B. Thomas:When you're feeling overwhelmed, engage your senses with this method. Identify 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3, you can hear, 2 you can smell, and 1 you can taste. This technique is a quick and effective way to center yourself in the present. Also, mantra repetition. Choose a word or a phrase that's coming for you and silently repeat it to yourself.
George B. Thomas:Silently repeat it to yourself. Especially if you're in public, silently repeat it to yourself. Anyway, it could be as simple as this too shall pass or I am here. This repetition can act as an anchor bringing your mind back to the present and away from distressing or distracting thoughts. Mindful observation.
George B. Thomas:Pick an object around you. This one is super simple, by the way. I would use the easier or easy thing on this. Pick a object around you, any object, and focus all your attention on it. Notice its color, shape, texture, and any other characteristics that it may have.
George B. Thomas:Observing something in such detail can interrupt the spiral of thoughts that you're having and ground you in that present moment. So just focusing on something. Liz, I'm super curious because I had touched on, like, apps and a couple things here, but what are your thoughts to this question?
Liz Moorehead:I love some of the ones that you mentioned, and I don't know if you noticed me nodding along particularly when you talked about the 54321. That is one that has been absolutely essential for me. That is one that has really helped me. Now you've talked a lot about some of the I'm not saying more basic, but some of the more, I think, broad broad general ideas. And I wanna focus on a couple of things that have really helped me coming from if stress and anxiety is like a little monster gobbling up as much as possible in your life.
Liz Moorehead:I'll be perfectly honest. I'm a big believer in talk therapy. I have a therapist, but there were times where I'm, like, I intellectually understand, and we have spent weeks, months, years with me saying I understand why something is the way it is. I understand the root cause of something, but it wasn't manifesting actual change. In the moment when a traumatic trigger would occur, I would just fall right back down the hole.
Liz Moorehead:And I am someone, as you know, who it's like, is there a project plan? Is there a Gantt chart? Are there KPIs and milestone? Like, I need to have something to do. So a friend of mine introduced me to 2 techniques that have been really helpful.
Liz Moorehead:This will fall under the break glass in case of emergency category. I like how you called it. 1 is called butterfly tapping. It's very simple. You take one hand and you put it on your upper arm, so you cross and then you do the same thing with the other.
Liz Moorehead:So kind of like if you were laying in bed and you have your arm folded on the top of each other. And then you just tap when you're feeling anxious. And I'm like, are you serious right now? Are you you want you want me to it's called a butterfly hug technique. So I'm sitting here like, are you for real right now?
George B. Thomas:Yeah.
Liz Moorehead:But the science behind it is very interesting because what it does is it actually activates our parasympathetic nervous system, which helps lower your heart rate. It engages both sides of your brain. The logic centers that often get turned off when you're going through something anxious. So, like, when you start freaking out, the parts of you that know how to do math no longer know how to do math. And it's one of these little things that just 20 seconds of this and just focusing on your breath can just help bring you out of it into the present moment.
Liz Moorehead:Now this next one, I've gotta be honest. When I first heard the name for this, I had a even bit are you effing for real right now? This was me on the hunt of I'm not giving up talk therapy. There are values in it, but I need things practical things for me to do when I can't get myself out of these moments. It's called EFT tapping.
Liz Moorehead:And essentially, the idea is it's tapping it's actually acupuncture pressure points.
George B. Thomas:Yep.
Liz Moorehead:And you do it in a certain order. They use butterfly tapping and EFT tapping in prison systems to help prisoners and that I actually was watching this incredible video last night where other prisoners that has helped them work through deep trauma in their own lives and they're helping each other, like, it is wild. But it's called the emotional freedom technique. And when I first had was, get the fuck out of here. What are you what are you talking Beep.
Liz Moorehead:Yeah. Absolutely. No. No. And she's, like, just ignore the acronym and do the flipping work.
George B. Thomas:Yeah.
Liz Moorehead:So butterfly tapping is something I use for break glass in case of emergency. EFT tapping, there are recordings that you can watch online that are programmed around specific topics. So I try to do one of those once a week and it does help reprogram how I think about certain things. Because the whole idea is that you are meant to bring a thought into your head on purpose of something that causes you stress or concerns you. And then you reprogram how you think about it when it comes up.
George B. Thomas:Yeah.
Liz Moorehead:And I'll admit the first few times I did, I'm like, I don't know about this stuff. But I stuck with it, and it really has made an actual difference.
George B. Thomas:Yeah. Listeners, I would challenge you to try this. I would say research the tapping and try it. The first time I ran into this, I was very much like you were. I'm like, what in all of God's green earth is happening
Liz Moorehead:right now? Freedom technique. Really. This is what we're going with. Right?
George B. Thomas:I've mentioned that I'm part of this evolved leadership, you know, every other Tuesday we meet. We actually had a special guest came in and and did that with the group. And at first, I was uncomfortable and uneasy. By the time we actually got into it and did it, I was like, oh, snap. So, like, as weird as your mind might be racing right now, listeners, research it, give it a try, and don't judge it by the name or what you think you'll look like or what it sounds like, I challenge you.
George B. Thomas:Try it. And then let us know.
Liz Moorehead:Oh, yeah. Absolutely. I mean, let's be perfectly honest, guys. If being normal and doing all the cool things to manage stress and anxiety works, we wouldn't be here right now.
George B. Thomas:Facts.
Liz Moorehead:Let's just be honest about that. The other thing I'll point out for break glass in case of emergency, there has been a lot of debate about which is better, Calm versus Headspace. I have both because I'm privileged enough to have a paid subscription to both, but that's because I use calm for soundscapes and things like that when I'm trying to focus. But Headspace has two things going for it that if somebody asked me for what my recommendation is, I'm trying to cultivate mindfulness and presence in my life, which one should I pick? I will pick Headspace hands down every single time for two reasons.
Liz Moorehead:Number 1, Headspace not only has meditations, it has courses that teach you in very incremental easy ways that take 5 minutes or less. Okay. This is what it means when we say focus on the breath. I also find the people who do the narration a lot more calming. Andy, who was a former monk, one of the founders of Headspace, could listen to him talk all day long.
Liz Moorehead:But they have that. They also have tons of meditations that are around specific topics and then they fall into 2 groups. So it could be as simple as cultivating focus when you have to work from home to SOS work emergency. So they have 2 types of meditations. Ones that are around topics and ones are, you are in a state of anxiety or panic.
Liz Moorehead:Play this. It will help you. And my god, if those haven't been absolutely astronomical. And then also the sleep stories which I've already mentioned. But we don't need to go down that path again.
Liz Moorehead:George, I have a bonus question for you that was not in the rundown for today.
George B. Thomas:Okay.
Liz Moorehead:This is not trying to catch you off guard. This is a question that I've been thinking about in terms of something I wanted to ask you. Because one of my favorite things about this podcast is I get to hang out with my friend and do this, but you're also a bit of a mentor to me. You're someone who I learn from a lot. How do you tell the difference between moments where you are being a purposeful planner and thinking future and moments where you should be present.
Liz Moorehead:Because we've talked a lot about being present, but we have very busy lives. Busy lives that require forethought and planning. So where do you draw that line?
George B. Thomas:So it's interesting because I think if I'm gonna go into being a purposeful planner, I will have planned a time to be thinking of that plan. Meaning, it's something that I've scheduled in my day to, okay, this is where I'm going to intentionally think about the future and strategize on the plans that I wanna implement moving forward. That's that. In the present is exactly what we've been talking about. It's in the present.
George B. Thomas:It's you can't plan to be in the present. You can only be. And so for me, I would say and by the way, if you look at my calendar, we literally have times that we schedule to talk strategy, to talk planning. Now can my mind wander into some of that and it not be scheduled? Yes.
George B. Thomas:How I choose to either push it back and remind myself that there is a time scheduled for it or to then schedule a time for it and try to get back into the presence, that's an in the moment battle that sometimes happens.
Liz Moorehead:I love that. Thank you.
George B. Thomas:Yes.
Liz Moorehead:Alright. I'm ready to take us home, bud. Are you?
George B. Thomas:Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Liz Moorehead:What becomes possible in life when we prioritize the present moment mindset?
George B. Thomas:Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Episode 9, the importance of relationships for your journey through life.
George B. Thomas:Let's just start there. Deeper relationships. Imagine the depth of connection you can achieve when you're truly present with others. You listen better, respond more thoughtfully, and share more genuinely. These rich interactions foster stronger and more meaningful relationships enhancing your life and the lives of those around you.
George B. Thomas:Episode 20, fact versus fiction. What is a growth mindset really? Personal growth and self discovery. Embracing the present is a journey of self discovery. You become more attuned to your thoughts, feelings, and reactions, uncovering insights about who you are and who you aspire to be.
George B. Thomas:This self awareness is the cornerstone of personal growth, guiding you to live a life that's not just default, but deliberately designed. Episode 32, the freedom plus power of letting go, a life lived fully. Ultimately, prioritizing a present moment mindset allows you to live fully, not just exist. You're engaged, aware, and participating in the dance of life, not watching from the sidelines. Every moment becomes an opportunity to learn, grow, connect, create, and just be.
George B. Thomas:Embracing the present moment is not just a practice, it's a pathway to a life brimming with possibility, depth, and fulfillment. It's about breaking free from your default settings that you have and stepping into the amazing journey that is a life beyond your default.