pres·enceNoun/ˈprezəns/

I had a great conversation with some friends yesterday about presence.  I’ve been thinking about the conversation, and I keep coming back to this idea of relationships and experience being about presence more than physically being there.

In the attentional space in your mind, you can only honestly focus in on one thing at a time.  There have been studies of those that are supertaskers – and you’re not one of them.  As good as I am at it, when I text and drive, I’m only doing one of those things at a time.  There have been lots of cases of people that text and drive and get into accidents.

Presence is key in relationships and experience.  You can go on a date with someone and have dinner “with” them, and be alone.  Conversely, I think you can also be alone in a room full of people.  The thing that makes the difference is presence.

Have you ever been in a date or relationship where you’re talking to the person, but they’re just not there?  It’s cause they’re present somewhere else.  Presence has to do with where you are – and bring who you are there.

So where are you?