How to Live Life in the Present Instead of Chasing Performance

I couldn’t help but think of my unbridled pursuit of performance and the stressful misery produced by my hurried lifestyle.

Posted on

What do you want your life to be about?  I asked myself this question the other day as dawn ascended in shades of lilac over the tree line.  I want to learn to live life in the present, embrace God’s gifts, and enjoy my kids.  But I’m still learning, and the process is anything but perfect.

I reflected on the previous day, and I saw some things I didn’t like: my tendency to hurry through certain chores, impatience with my family, and an undercurrent of stress flowing beneath all my moments.

There were no epic disasters.

There was too much striving and not enough joy.  My day was more about performance than presence.

I hurried through my early morning prayer time because I was eager to dive into household tasks before the pitter-patter of little feet stirred. Performance.

I rushed through laundry, scrubbing floors, wiping down windows, and doing outdoor chores because I was eager to get through my list before the kids arrived home from school.  Performance.

Many of my moments were all about getting something done so I could get onto the next moment, and really, is that any way to live?  Perform, perform, perform.

It’s not the life I’m trying to live, but it’s the life I seem to chase with my white knuckles holding onto the steering wheel of my days.  I’m stressed, and I need to get off the freight train of productivity.

 

Imagining the Life You Want to Live

As a new day dawned, I read the following words: “Slow down. Take a deep breath. What’s the hurry?  Why wear yourself out? Just what are you after anyway?  But you say, ‘I can’t help it’” (Jeremiah 2:25 MSG).  I knew they were words for me.

Originally written to the people of Judah, these words warned God’s people not to chase what would only bring them misery.  I couldn’t help but think of my unbridled pursuit of performance and the stressful misery produced by my hurried lifestyle.

The words of my varsity volleyball coach echoed in my mind: “Imagine yourself succeeding, and you will prepare yourself for success.”  He taught us to visualize ourselves acing our serves, digging the hardest hit balls, and hustling on the court.  The premise was simple: Prepare your mind to win, and your body will follow.

Thinking of his insight, I imagined the day ahead of me.  One by one, I imagined the tasks, and then I imagined pursuing presence instead of chasing performance.  I imagined resisting the pull to slip into a flurry of stress about what needed to be done next.

 

How It All Played Out

As the day unfolded, I pushed back against the strong desire to hurry and perform.  I felt the anxiety in my chest, and I named it.  But I did not submit to its summons to hurry and produce more.

I resisted the usual annoyance that often comes with completing the tasks I don’t particularly care for: putting away laundry, waiting for the buckets of water to fill so I could go outside and care for our animals, and checking the oven for the sixth time to see if the roast had cooked through yet.

Instead of grumbling through these tasks, I breathed through them.  I felt the warmth of clean laundry, the cold sting of the water as it filled the buckets, and the fiery heat of the oven as the rush of hot air dried my skin.

When the school bus returned at 3:35, I stopped everything to sit and listen to my children.  I let the mounds of papers wait.

We talked about games at recess and pizza for lunch.

I was present.

Not performing.

 

How to Live Life in the Present

I have not arrived.

But I am becoming.

What about you, friend?

Let’s get back to our first question: What do you want your life to be about?

Do you want it to be about getting stuff done?  Being organized?  Being put-together?  Looking good?

Or do you want it to be about loving well and living in a wholly present kind of way?

Do you really want less stress?

You might have to sacrifice to get there.  You might have to remake your schedule, let go of some commitments, release perfectionism, or lay down an obsession.

Pause to consider what one step you could take today to move in this direction.

When we live present, we are less stressed.  We enjoy our lives with our senses.  We’re more content.

 

Your Invitation to Live Life in the Present:

Imagine what it would look like to move slowly and be fully present throughout all the tasks you need to complete throughout the upcoming day.  Imagine the places you will go and the people you will see.  What will it look like to be fully engaged and filled with peace?  What will it look like to pursue presence instead of chasing performance?  Imagine it all.

And then go live your life.

You won’t do it perfectly, and that’s okay.

You might just realize it’s worth trying again the next day – and the day after that.

 

 

 

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Stacey Pardoe

Featured Image by PDPics from Pixabay

 

The views and opinions expressed by Kingdom Winds Collective Members, authors, and contributors are their own and do not represent the views of Kingdom Winds LLC.

About the Author

Stacey Pardoe is a Kingdom Winds Contributor. Stacey's hope is that her words will inspire you to seek God in the midst of your ordinary moments and encounter his love in deeper ways.