Living in Real Time: Learning to Trust the Present Moment

Last month, I shared some thoughts on presence and its role in how we lead ourselves, our businesses, our teams, and our families. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been unlearning another layer of this practice: How to live more in the moment with how my body feels and what it wants.

For most of my adult life, which is as a single mom raising two kids while running my own businesses, I lived by my calendar. Every day was defined by appointments and commitments planned far in advance. It gave me a sense of control, but it also kept me from being truly present. There were times I didn’t even know what my next day looked like until I checked my calendar.

Recently, I’ve been experimenting with leaving parts of my days, as well as weeks, unplanned. Instead of scheduling everything, I’m learning to trust the moment. If an opportunity arises, I can choose it then. And if nothing is planned, that time becomes an opening for rest, reflection, or simply tuning in to what I need.

There’s still a little voice that worries about missing out if I don’t plan ahead. But what I’ve discovered is that unscheduled time brings more possibility, magic, and spontaneity. It’s teaching me to live in the unknown and to let life unfold, rather than hold on to the illusion of control.

This practice isn’t about abandoning structure altogether; I know when working with clients or groups, planning is necessary. But in the spaces I can keep open, I’m building trust: Trust in myself, in the moment, and in life itself.

Maybe this is what many of us need right now. Practices that help us stay grounded in the present. Not the distraction of control, but the deeper security that comes from knowing we will meet each moment when it arrives. In a world full of change, that feels like a safe place to live.