I was waiting in the lobby of my massage therapist’s office this week. Happy to be there to have a massage with my extraordinary orthopedic massage therapist Deborah Cimo, I was feeling good and anticipating feeling even better after Deborah did her magic on my neck and back.
The door from her private office into the lobby swung open and the room was suddenly filled with energy, aliveness, love and presence! Into the room swept a well-known minister who pastors a very large Houston church community. I knew him instantly from his TV commercials. What delighted me was the loving power of his presence that filled the lobby. He literally filled the room with spiritual energy! He touched my heart as he looked at me and said, “How are you?” He could have passed through the lobby without acknowledging me but he did not. He took the time to connect soul to soul in a brief exchange of attention. I will bet he does not even remember, because he does this with everyone he encounters.
The quality of presence that this man radiated has been earned over years of intentionally loving others, being of service, reaching out to connect and letting his soul energy touch others. This kind of presence comes from consistently opening oneself to God and sharing that energy with others.
Speakers, communicators, leaders, teachers, the idea of developing your presence so you can fill a room is not frivolous. It is the way to have the most impact, make the most difference and transform people in your sphere of influence. Seek to open your mind and body to the higher presence of spirit so that your own presence fills the rooms in which you speak and touches the souls of all you encounter.
Here are some suggestions for intentional practice of presence:
- Intend to love others. Open your heart consciously. Invoke the spirit of love by inviting love into your body.
- Make connection with people you encounter by seeing and receiving them.
- Ground your mental focus in your body regularly.
- See the good in others and acknowledge them often.
- Ask, pray or meditate to bring spiritual presence into your physical body.
