PRESENT
Use It
PRESENT is about managing COMPLEXITY. The PRESENT compass point anchors you in current reality rather than wishful thinking or catastrophizing. This compass point is about clear-eyed assessment of your actual situation—the resources you have, the constraints you face, and the specific challenge in front of you. It eliminates the gap between where you are and where you’re starting from, allowing you to take effective action from here, now.
When reality seems overwhelming (complexity), you use PRESENT to ground in what’s actually here
The Challenge: We often get stuck between where we are and where we want to be—caught in wishful thinking about resources we don’t have or paralyzed by worrying about future problems that haven’t happened yet.
The Explorer’s Insight: “I had to stop wishing for things I didn’t have and start using what I did have… once I did that, everything started to fall into place and I became unstuck.” – Verna van Schaik, World Record Holder
When I found myself stuck at 152 meters underwater with my fin trapped, my mind raced ahead to all the catastrophes that might follow—running out of air, missing decompression, getting bent. But none of those were my actual reality. My reality was being stuck, right now.
The Reality Shift: When complexity feels overwhelming, PRESENT grounds you in what’s actually here rather than projected fears or wishes. You stop trying to solve imaginary future problems and focus your energy on the specific situation in front of you.
Questions This Addresses:
- Why do I feel paralyzed when facing complex challenges?
- How do I stop waiting for “perfect conditions” before starting?
- What do I do when I feel overwhelmed by all the things that could go wrong?