We live in a fast-paced, results-focused culture. We also have devices to distract us from the present moment at any time of day.

How often do you pause in a moment to notice what you’re feeling, thinking or sensing?

It’s probably not a stretch to think that most of us are rarely fully present.

Why is presence so challenging, and why does it matter?

Why we prefer future-focus to presence

I’ll be the first to admit that something that sounds as simple as present-moment awareness can be challenging to practice.

Being fully present can actually be uncomfortable, especially if you’re used to running around. You might feel frustration or urgency: “What’s the point of this? I need to get stuff done! I’m wasting my time….”

The discomfort is not only common, it’s understandable. Presence is not our default.

In fact, the brain’s #1 job is to predict the future in order to guide us.

Research shows our minds are drawn toward the future over the present and even the past.

Martin Seligman, psychology professor and author of many books on positive psychology, and John Tierney, wrote in The New York Times, “Looking into the future, consciously and unconsciously, is a central function of our large brain.” One study even found that people thought about the future three times more often than the past.

Interestingly, much of the brain’s predicting of the future occurs without our awareness. Without our controlling it, the brain will touch upon past experiences and information to predict what’s coming next, similar to the way Google’s search engine responds to our searches.

Why presence matters

What, then, is the importance of the presence?

First, in order to change a negative pattern, you must first be aware of it.  Being aware of a pattern or thought requires presence to change it. As I like to say, you can’t change what you’re not aware of.

If you tend toward excessive doubt, worry, or anxiety, your brain has a pattern of predicting negative outcomes. You can change that by first becoming aware in the present moment of the pattern of thinking.

Second, as Seligman and Tierney point out, our emotions exist in the present in order to guide our future behavior. They help us relate to others and decide how to act. But we must be present to notice the information in them.

For instance, if you are speaking with your boss and notice that you are suddenly feeling uneasy about the encounter, you might decide that now is not the best time to ask for that promotion. If your thoughts are in the future or past and not present to what you’re noticing, you may forge ahead anyway, to your regret. But if you get present and pay attention to the feeling, you will wisely decide to wait.

The plane of possibility

A third and powerful reason presence is important – particularly in times of chaos and turmoil – is that many possibilities exist in presence, in a present-moment space of not knowing or predicting.

Dr. Dan Siegel refers to this the “plane of possibility.”

In this place, we can imagine taking different paths and take mindful action in a chosen direction. Or perhaps we hold presence for longer, until a wise path becomes clear.

But unless we pause in presence, pay attention to the information in the moment (internal and external), we are likely thinking and acting in old, familiar ways. In a sense, we’re on autopilot.

Without presence, we are likely to repeat old patterns, which means we cannot access new insights or create new possibilities for a different future.

How to find presence for a better future

How can we build presence? By training your brain to pay attention in the present moment, with practice – like building your muscles.

Of course you can start a formal mindfulness practice. That will get you farther, faster. But you can also start by pausing throughout the day, such as before a decision, in the midst of a problem, and during interactions with others. Breathe. Notice your surroundings (place and people) and your internal sensations (your body and emotions). Get curious about the information. It’s important not to judge it or yourself, but to really get curious.

You can also practice presence in neutral moments. You might start building your presence muscles by setting a reminder on your phone with a word or a question about what you’re noticing in the moment.

And when you’re feeling at a crossroads, you can access the plane of possibility by holding presence longer – likely longer than feels comfortable – to break old patterns, and see what information arises in the pause.

As I once heard Jon Kabat Zinn say, “The future is made of infinite present moments.”