What is presence? How does it effect us and how does it show up?

WHAT IS PRESENCE? HOW DOES IT EFFECT HOW PEOPLE SEE US!

We often speak of someone being "present" or of an organization being "a strong presence in our community". But how many times have you stopped to think about causal factors of a strong presence?

What is it about that person or organization that makes their presence so powerful?

Your presence can be defined as the energy that you project, the quality or feeling that you bring to a situation or space, through your being.

Presence is all about how you "show up" to life on all levels; physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually.

A presence is an energetic space created by a combination of who you are, at your essence and how aligned you are with that essence, as you meet the world every day. Your presence shows up in how you meet challenges, opportunities, dreams, and visions; how you engage with the world.

A number of years ago, I started to ponder what "presence" really meant, what created it, why was it important? I recognized that one's "presence" is actually the first and often most significant thing that they bring to a situation, to a relationship, to life. In time, I realized that exploring and refining "presence" was one of the underlying themes to everything that I do as a writer, speaker, mentor, and workshop leader; first becoming clear about the energy that I bring to any particular situation, and then helping others do the same.

I've learned that when I am truly grounded in my soul mission and surrender to it as the guiding force for my life, then my "presence" is much more powerful and inspiring, both to myself and others. Furthermore, when I expand my awareness to the bigger picture of any moment; what is going on and what wants to happen within a larger context-and become a steward for helping the greatest potential of that moment unfold, my presence becomes even more powerful and impactful.

Interestingly enough, I've also realized over time that when I am standing in my greatest "presence", I'm simply letting the energy move through me. I'm not trying to be a powerful presence or to be a leader or to say or do the right thing. I'm just entering into the flow, tapping into what wants to happen, and letting it intuitively show me the way to create that new reality. I'm in the flow of unleash, focus, and align; unleashing the potential, focusing my intuition and intellect to be in service of the great opportunity available or the potential waiting to emerge, and aligning energy by doing all I can to create the optimal conditions for that potential to unfold into reality. I'm busy focusing on the "being" and trust that the "doing" will flow out of that automatically if I am truly in alignment.

A powerful presence can serve many ends. A powerful presence can be self-serving and oppressive of others, or it can be uplifting, inspiring and empowering to others. Imposing your will on others, such as we have seen by infamous dictators throughout history, requires manipulation of energy and forcing an agenda. These people and organizations could be said to be transformational in that a culture transforms in response to their presence. However that is transformation by force in service of the individual agenda and ideology of that leader. By design, it serves only a few at the expense of the many. History also shows us that it is not sustainable over a long period of time. On the other hand, transformational presence as we are defining it here is about inspiration, empowerment and becoming a steward for what wants to happen for the greater good of all.

How we "show up" in the world as individuals and organizations (our presence) is a significant factor in how our society grows and transforms at all levels.

The more authentic and dynamic our presence, the more effective we will be in serving the positive transformation and evolution of our world.

(Of course specific knowledge and understanding within our particular field or area of expertise is also critical).

To take a free Presence assessment, go to my test and assessment page.