The Gift of Presence

As I was rushing through the airport to catch a flight, phone in one hand, handbag over my shoulder, trying hard not to spill my coffee as I maneuvered through the early-morning crowds, the cover of a magazine showing an elephant teetering on an exercise ball caught my eye. I only read the first two words of the headline: Forget balance . . . , but that was all I needed to see. I stopped to buy the magazine. It turned out to be the Harvard Business Review. What was it about those two words forget balance that made me feel calm, peaceful, and deeply relieved? After thinking about it for a few minutes, I realized that I was constantly swimming up-stream to attain some magical balance in my life, both personally and professionally. The prospect of abandoning the search felt freeing. After all, balance suggests a state of equilibrium between two things. But who has just two things to balance in life? 

As women of all ages and stages are called upon to play more and more roles, we often feel overwhelmed, on edge, and depleted. Most of us serve as command central for multiple life domains. We have more tasks than time, which means more juggling than balancing. Simultaneous demands and high expectations imposed not only by others but also by ourselves have led to pervasive multitasking and our ongoing, futile quest for balance all of which are exhausting us. 

Is there anything that can help make us be more calm and less chaotic? More at ease and less burdened? More focused and less distracted? Are there some things that we might already be doing and ways of being that are important for us to continue for our well-being? The answer is a resounding Yes! The mental state of Presence can provide exactly what we need in our lives.

Presence is a calm, clear, open, receptive state of mind that can also simply be called mindfulness or mindful awareness. It s being aware by paying attention to what s going on as it s happening without getting carried away

Caroline Welch is the CEO and Co-founder with Dr. Dan Siegel of the Mindsight Institute in Santa Monica, California. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School with a master's degree from the University of Southern California, she started her career in law as a corporate litigator. Welch has served as a Los Angeles County court-appointed mediator, as well as in house counsel at MGM Studios and Spelling Entertainment Group. She began her mindfulness practice forty years ago while working in Japan as an English teacher for three years. Welch provides lectures and workshops to enhance well- being in our personal and professional lives. She and her husband live in Santa Monica with their dog Charlie, and have two adult children.

A gift for us all filled with practical insights about the power of mindfulness.
ARIANNA HUFFINGTON, founder and CEO of Thrive Global

This is an important, eye-opening book. . . . Caroline Welch offers pragmatic mindfulness exercises to discover one s purpose in life, to summon the courage to change direction if necessary, to set priorities, and to let go of what simply can t get done in order to cultivate inner peace and harmony.
SHARON SALZBERG, New York Times bestselling author of Real Happiness and Lovingkindness

In this inspiring guide, Caroline Welch synthesizes wisdom from across cultures and walks of life,
drawing from her own remarkable, yet relatable life and the experiences of dozens of women.
ELISSA EPEL, PhD, professor at the University of California San Francisco, and New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Telomere Effect
 
It s so easy to forget what matters and race through our decades. Caroline Welch s wise and clear
book shows us how mindful awareness can give us back our life. This fresh and entirely accessible
guide will help you reconnect to your true purpose, call forth your inner resourcefulness, and
awaken the fullness of your heart.
TARA BRACH, author of Radical Acceptance and Radical Compassion
 
Caroline Welch offers us a timely prescription for vitality and resilience for women and men in
an age of distraction, providing a scientifically sound and accessible path to clarity in our busy
lives. . . . This accessible guide harnesses the research findings of how being present with open
awareness can transform your medical health and even slow the aging process.
MARK HYMAN, MD, head of Strategy and Innovation at the Cleveland Clinic Center
for Functional Medicine and New York Times bestselling author of Food: What the Heck Should I Eat? and Food: What the Heck Should I COOK?
 
If you have an