During my time trolling around, I have seen quite a lot of discussion on "being present" and how practicing presence of mind is a great tool in achieving lucidity. While "being present" sounds like a fairly self-explanatory concept, I find that there is actually a lot of ambiguity to it. I am starting this thread in order to hear out everyone's personal definition of the idea.

If you have ever seen Get Smart with Steve Carrell () then you may remember a certain scene: Woman says: "Don't look at him; use your peripherals" .... "Do you see him?" Steve says: "No, I'm just making my eyes wider". That is sort of how I feel when I read about being present. Forum says: "Practice being present." I say: "Okay, I'm trying to soak in every detail. Boy oh boy that is some nicely textured tile grout!"

This is the long way of saying practice makes perfect, but only if you practice correctly. So I pose the question to you: What is the proper way of being present, and how do you know you are doing it? Does it only happen when you meditate? Is it merely acknowledging that you are where are? Is it a state of thoughtlessness (no daydreams, no planning, no internal dialogue - just soaking in your environment through all your senses)? If the overall goal is to live presently rather than just be present when you think about it, could that be disruptive?

My examples above might be a little exaggerated, but the main thing I am looking for is a clear definition of presence, a way of knowing I've achieved it, and any methods, tips, and tricks you'd like to share to make present-living seem easier to achieve. I'm new to all of this and want to make sure that I am practicing correctly from the get-go.

And now, I open the floor to you: