How to Be Fully Engaged in Life: A Simple Practice for Presence, Focus, and Joy
I read something today that struck me so deeply, so richly, so profoundly, and yet it was so simple:
“When you learn to live a life that is fully engaged, then you can perform your best and love the challenge.” – Jim Murphy
It made me pause and ask myself:
- How often do we truly use each of our senses throughout the day?
- How often do we take the time to intentionally transition from one activity to the next?
- How often are we fully engaged in the present moment of our lives?
Let’s do a quick check-in together today, which is the same one I did before I started writing this newsletter. I call check-ins like this transition rituals.
Q: What are my thoughts right now? Am I ruminating on the past or projecting into the future?
If YES:
Take a deep breath, making your exhale twice as long as your inhale, taking as many as you need in this way. Then, grab a notebook and write your thoughts down, unfiltered. Give them a voice. Write without correction or judgment (this is called stream-of-consciousness writing, and it is pure gold). Afterward, pull out your calendar. If there’s future thinking or planning that needs to happen, give it a time slot. And if you already know your next steps, schedule those, too.
If NO:
Move directly to the next question.
Q: What is my intention for the next activity, meeting, or behavior?
Define your intention in just a few words. Clarity of intention, without clinging to a specific outcome, keeps you present, engaged, and open to possibilities.
Q: Now, how can I clear my energy and drop fully into this moment?
Name one thing you can see, hear, smell, touch, taste, and sense. Sit with each for a moment before moving to the next.
“Sensing” might be new to you. Think of it as your intuition, your inner knowing. I like to call it God’s whisper in my life, and if I am honest, at times I miss it because I am not present enough to hear. This isn’t about right or wrong, good or bad. Release judgment and expectation. Just be here now.
Here’s what this looked like for me today as I tapped into my senses:
As I look up, I’m struck by the bright blue Miami Beach sky. Today, it somehow feels even more vibrant, bluer, and bolder, just for me.
I close my eyes and hear the layered sounds of Lincoln Road: the soothing splash of the water feature beside me, the shuffling of passersby, and the rhythmic sweep of a broom in the hands of a staff member. (In case you’re wondering, Lincoln Road is closed to cars, just pedestrians, so I am perfectly safe and not just wandering in the middle of the street.)
The air smells crisp and clean, not heavy or overwhelming. My fingertips leave the keyboard and brush against the deeply woven grey fabric of my chair. Yesterday, it was still damp from the rain. Today, it’s dry, and I silently give thanks for being the perfect height, allowing my feet to rest flat on the ground, which is the ideal posture for writing here an hour or two each morning.
I savor the lingering taste of my Starbucks blonde roast americano. If you haven’t tried the blonde roast, you’re missing out; it’s smoother and less bitter than many of their other roasts, and the only way I’ll drink Starbucks. My only wish is that they’d offer it in decaf one day, because while I love coffee, my nervous system doesn’t.
Then I open my eyes and smile. My heart is full. Have you noticed how, when you close your eyes and slow down, the world feels sharper and more alive when you open them again? If not, try it. And let me know what you find.
Finally, I check in with my gut, my intuition, with God. I am instructed to write this because too many of us move through our days like a series of unchecked boxes, never fully engaging with each moment.
Too many people are living as if life is just a series of checkboxes.
What I love about this simple check-in is how quickly it grounds you. In less than two minutes, your mind, body, and spirit are all aligned in the present moment. You’re no longer leaking attention and energy into the past or the future. You’re here, fully available for and engaged with what’s in front of you.
These practices are especially powerful in moments of transition, when you’re moving from one thing to the next. Whether you’re shifting from a meeting to family time, from answering emails to a workout, or from a tough conversation to an inspiring project, taking a few minutes to fully close the loops in your mind on what came before and arrive fully to engage in what’s next changes everything.
When you do this consistently, your mind stops dragging the past into the present. Your body releases tension. You feel free, open, ready to give and receive. You show up intentional, present, and fully engaged. And when you do, something beautiful happens you don’t just do more, you become more.
Because when you stack transition rituals like this throughout your day, something shifts:
- Your focus deepens.
- Your creativity flows more freely.
- Your relationships feel richer.
- Your work feels more intentional.
- You end the day with more energy than you started.
Try this practice at least three times today, before your next meeting, before dinner, before bed. Pay attention to how you feel. Notice the difference in your focus, your energy, and the way people respond to you.
Do you have a transition ritual that you practice in your life and leadership? Share it in the comments below and let me know!
