The Biggest Life Hack — Being Present
Always
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson decide to go on a camping trip. After dinner and a bottle of wine, they lay down for the night, and go to sleep.
Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend.
"Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see."
Watson replied, "I see millions of stars."
"What does that tell you?"
Watson pondered for a minute.
"Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets."
"Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo."
"Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three."
"Theologically, I can see that God is all-powerful and that we are small and insignificant."
"Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow."
"What does it tell you, Holmes?"
Holmes was silent for a minute, then spoke: "Watson, you idiot. Someone has stolen our tent!"
They say fools can't see what's in front of their nose. They, not me; I'm not courageous enough to call a distinguished academician like Watson a fool.
So, let me tell you this story of myself: one evening early December last year, my friends and I are seated poolside at one of the very fancy hotels in town. In the student union of this federal university, we have become something of a cabal.
Three of them, still undergraduates, one has been anointed the "supreme leader" of a very large faction, another was an exco in the incumbent administration, and the other narrowly lost the presidency in the previous election and became a critical stakeholder in the union.
I graduated, but never left the union. At least, not completely, as I'm in line to go in for another degree. Together, we have done very serious things in the past.
This time, we are backing a presidential candidate for the coming elections. We are short on budget and need fundraising. So, two days ago when I caught wind that this young, rich businessman was in town for a retreat, I worked hard to set a meeting. He obliged.
It was impromptu as the man was to travel out of the country the next day and like I mentioned — we were short on budget. We barely could convey ourselves to and fro, but it was our only chance and we had to take it.
This is why the cool, breezy evening found us poolside at a fancy hotel that day.
Promptly, the big man arrived with an entourage of three other people, one of whom was a vivaciously beauteous lady we suspected was his girlfriend. Later, in his introduction, he'd assure us she was not.
After light pleasantries, I beckoned on the barman and instructed him to supply everybody with what they desired to drink. Mind you: we were short on budget. But I was hoping, just hoping that the big man would understand that we are "students" who'd likely have very little money to spend and so, would order a bottle of warm water or downrightly decline.
I, then, cleared my throat to begin as I was the one who set the meeting and in no desire to waste a rich man's time.
I had said just a few words before I noticed, to my utter astonishment, that the man ordered a drink that cost 7,000 Naira. My internal temperature rose several degrees immediately and my forehead broke a sweat. But, I shrugged mentally and was ready to forge ahead when the lady ordered a drink that cost close to double the big man's own. My throat dried up and suddenly I was unable to speak well.
What are we going to do now? I can't pay for all of these! This will surely be an embarrassment!
Throughout my speech, I was calculating bills in my head, anxious; what will he order now? By the time we are done here, how much will be the bill?
I forgot the name of the candidate that we were backing (and he was seated right there!), and only through much effort did I recall the post he was even contesting for, forgot our ideology and why we would — and in fact should — win.
I was just thinking, thinking. And in the end, said nothing that made sense. The big man remarked jokingly; "If you are going to be the one speaking for your friend, I’m not positive about his chances."
I brought my glass of water to my lips and with it, swallowed the obvious slight.
Certainly, I'm no Mandela nor Malcolm X, but I have pacified an angry mob and spurred people into a protest before. So, what happened?
I wasn't present. All up in my head calculating the odds of someone ordering a bottle of Hennessey next and where to find the money to pay for it, I fumbled what was supposed to be routine work. Sounds familiar, fumbling routine work? When you spilled the coffee? Flunked the group presentation? The times you felt foolish? Were you present?
Anxieties, insecurities, and now technology with its overload of distractions, are all hellbent on keeping us absent from the present. And we goof up moments we'd normally conquer, even relish.
Che sera sera — what will be will be
It has to start with acceptance. And trust in the dynamics of the universe.
Whatever happens, however dark your path, try not to fall into the abyss of thinking the universe is against you or you don't matter in the grand scheme of things.
Look at the bigger picture.
Life isn’t about what you want, sweetheart — there are rules to this.
Think of life as a train that has a schedule only the driver knows.
When you are there when it is there, it leaves with you.
When you are there and it isn't there, then you have to wait. And wait, until it comes, when it does come. Patience.
Because in the end, what will be will be.
Motivational speakers rarely mention luck when talking about success. I stopped listening to those suckers before I turned eighteen.
I read memoirs and biographies/autobiographies of successful people instead.
Andrew Carnegie, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Phil Knight, Warren Buffett, Wole Soyinka, Abraham Lincoln… all emphasize that it all comes down to luck. All the hard work. Everything.
When you want something (really want something), the universe will conspire to help you get it.
- Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist.
Argentina won the last FIFA World Cup edition in Qatar. In the finals, against France, if you watched that match you’d know that it all came down to a millimetre and a split second — if Kolo Muani had tipped the ball just a fraction higher in the last minute, France, and not Argentina, would have been world champions.
For every tiny thing that went right, there are hundreds (heck, millions) of possibilities that it could have gone wrong. And humans aren’t even remotely, fractionally capable of factoring even a quarter of them. We overrate ourselves — we aren’t that powerful.
The good news is, the universe is on our side. Maybe that's easy for me to say because I subscribe to the school of Anthropocentric teleology.
But isn't the sun where it is because if it comes down an inch closer we'd burn to ashes?
Sorry: that's a rhetorical question.
Back to my story. At the end of the evening, after I flunked the whole thing, even before we wrapped up, the big fella paid for all the drinks and gave us some change to stay and enjoy ourselves if we liked, unsolicited!
How did he know?
He also promised to support us in every way he can. He said, matter-of-factly, that he was totally impressed with our ideas and vision as young people.
I breathed out slowly. Gratefully.
What was all the fuss about?
"Anxiety (worry) is an abuse of the imagination"
- Prince Ea
In the end, what will be will be. After doing all that we can, we must trust in the stars to do the rest.
Always being present means you will be at your best, always.
It means you will be aware, always.
Not being present means you will fumble the things you are good at, always.
Always being present means you have hacked this thing called life, the whole…damn…thing.
