“Eddie’s book Living Inside-Out will resonate strongly with anyone who wants more out of life but also wants to create balance. Changing your life begins with a decision; this book gives you a unique opportunity to embrace that choice in order to create positive, lasting change in your life.”
“Eddie has cracked the code when it comes to creating a happy, healthy, and prosperous life.”
“Living Inside-Out is a must read for anyone who wants to overcome what is holding them back from achieving their own greatness.”
Featured Expert – Brian Biro
The ultimate secret to living from the inside out is also the most important key to building trust instantly with everyone you touch and moving beyond ego to genuine peace of mind. The secret centers around a simple, yet immeasurably profound principle called being fully present.
Perhaps the most powerful way to understand this principle of being present is to look clearly at what it is not.
Several years ago when I was the vice-president of a large training company, I became painfully aware of what it means to not be present. At that time we were a family of three with my wife Carole and me, and our oldest daughter, Kelsey who was five years old. Driven by an unrelenting, nearly suffocating feeling of overwhelm, I had fallen into the habit of reaching the office by 5:00 a.m. and not returning home until well after 6:00 in the evening.
On most weekends I was away, teaching seminars around the country. Not once did I see my daughter get ready for kindergarten. Not once did I surprise her by picking her up from school to spend some special, unexpected moments together. I mistakenly convinced myself that I didn’t have time. I had to be at the office first and to put more hours in than anyone else. After all, I was driving myself for my family, wasn’t I?
When I trudged wearily through the door at 6:30 or a quarter-to-seven each night, Kelsey ran to me the instant I appeared in the house. She threw her arms around me and told me how much she loved and missed me as she looked into my eyes with pure joy. She then began to tell me all about the wonderful things that happened all day-special, magical things that only happen when you are five years old.
And, I missed it. I didn’t hear a word she said. You see, when I walked in that door, my body showed up. But, my mind, my heart, and my spirit were still back at the office. The most important people in my life were right there waiting for me. But I never really saw them or heard them when they most needed me because I was not present.
This went on for months until one morning as I drove into work I suddenly realized what my lack of presence was communicating to my wife and child. In that excruciating moment it felt as if someone had bashed me full-force in the stomach with a sledge hammer. Emerson once said “What you do screams so loudly I can’t hear a word you’re saying.” Nothing screams so loudly as our presence or lack of presence.
Every evening when I marched blankly through my front door, my thoughts still focused on the day’s events or worried about tomorrow, I expressed to Carole and Kelsey much more clearly than through words that they were not as important as all those other matters. As I continued to drive that morning, all I could see in my mind was Kelsey’s shining eyes so filled with love. I was overcome with suffocating feelings of remorse and loss. Sobbing uncontrollably I finally recognized how many precious moments of connection I had lost with her and Carole by not being present. In that instant I finally understood that there was nothing more important to me than being fully present.
By being present we let others know at a heart level how important they truly are. We do the same for ourselves. It is the cornerstone of living from the inside out. This is our greatest opportunity as parents, friends, professionals and caring human beings. When others feel important they begin to live up to their potential. And only when we are present can we truly discover our own. Our presence breathes faith, belief, and positive expectation into every moment. Without this presence, we cannot truly give.
Being fully present is not something you can fake. It is not a technique. It is not even something you do. It is something you decide and then become. Do you know when someone is actually fully with you in mind, body, and spirit? Can you even tell over the phone?
The answer is clear. We have a definite sense of whether the person on the other end of the line is truly present or drifting off and not truly connected. When we make the conscious and consistent decision to be fully present to the very best of our ability, we open ourselves to more joy than we’ve ever imagined and create the possibility to make the difference for which we were put on this earth.
Remember: The past is history
The future a mystery
The gift is now
That’s why we call it the PRESENT! UHL
