I’m growing to believe that being present is one of the greatest gifts we can give, to ourselves and to our fellow humans.

It’s not easy, though.

There are a thousand things distracting us from being present all the time — the voices spinning circles inside our heads, to-do lists begging for attention, electronic devices, noise.

Being present is a habit that must be formed, a choice that must be made over and over.

These are some things that help me be present:

• Yoga
• French press coffee
• Deep breaths
• Good music
• Saying thank you
• Books
• Looking at the sky

And these are some things that don’t help me be present:

• Gas station food
• Ipads
• Pants that don’t fit well
• Bullshit music
• Missouri
• Overpriced toiletries
• Magazines

This is a partial list. Make your own.

Then try to avoid the things that DON’T help you be present, and choose the things that DO help you be present.

Together, we can make the world a more beautiful place.

Or rather, we can wake up and notice what a beautiful place the world was all along.

During the month of October, I’m joining the Write31Days challenge to talk about 31 Days of Becoming Human. Click here to read all posts in the series.