Day Twenty

I did something tremendously fun last night. PF Gay is in charge of the Intervarsity work with fraternities and sororities at the University of Georgia. Intervarsity is a Christian group that works on college campuses with students. PF met Patty, my wife, a few weeks ago and Patty suggested that she get in touch with me. After we talked for a while she invited me to speak at their weekly event.

I spoke at their meeting last night. It was a great time. The small crowd enabled me to interact with the group throughout the presentation, which is something that I always enjoy doing.

A couple of worthy insights occurred last night that are worth sharing. The first is that one of my major gifts is when I am in front of a group that is eager to learn. It is electrifying for me and it creates a dynamic time for the participants. They certainly seemed to be engaged.

That was a good affirmation, but I knew that already. The second insight was really more powerful. One of the most difficult parts of living intentionally is living in the moment. Most of us, including me, spend more time living in the past and the future than in the moment – the only time that we actually have. Speaking to the students last night, I was completely in the moment. I was only focused on them and creating an environment for them to learn.

Living in the moment is both a choice that we make and also a skill that must be learned. I find it easy to be pulled into the past – fears, worries, concerns. It is equally easy to be thrust forward into the future – spending the current moment thinking about the future rather than doing the things that will actually manifest the future we want.

I have found that every time I am fully in the moment, I am most productive, happiest, and most successful. It is cool when you can learn from the obvious.