The benefits of pausing and being present in a fast-paced world

By Shane Robitaille

I recently spent two days traveling to Michigan for an interview and was reminded about something I haven’t thought about in some time. When we pause and take the time to be present, we gain a much better view about other people, ourselves, and what is happening around us.

I didn’t set out to do some kind of social experiment. In fact, I was facing four interviews the next day so my primary focus was ensuring I was ready for any question or scenario that I was confronted with. But as luck would have it, I left for the airport with an ocular migraine, which impacts my vision in one or two eyes for a short period of time. As such, my phone and laptop didn’t get a lot of attention and I had the opportunity to observe and interact with some amazing people that I likely would never have met, if my face was buried in a screen.

First, I met a wonderful 72-year-old woman who owns a shoeshine pop-up at the airport. She only listens to gospel music and fears that more and more people would rather throw away their shoes and buy new ones instead of taking care of them. She wondered out loud about how the world can survive when we throw so much away. She told me she had to drop out of high school to take care of her mother and has been working ever since. When I told her I was getting my ten-year old Doc Martens shined for an interview the next day, she smiled and gave me extra polish for good luck.

I also met the coolest limo driver. He was holding my name sign like John Cusack held his boom box in the Say Anything movie. On the trip to the hotel he told me he got tired of working for everybody else’s dreams so he started his own transportation company with one car, then two, then many more. The company exceeded his wildest expectations so much that he is getting back into real estate, which was his first passion. Also, he was in the hip-hop scene back in the 80s, but since he couldn’t breakdance, he ended up becoming a DJ. We could have talked for hours.

I met an older woman at the hotel restaurant. She has been a hostess for almost two years because, although she is getting older, she still wants to be out in the world and working. She’s not sure if the hostess gig is going to be long term since she really wants to be a writer. Also, she gave up her cell phone because she missed actually talking and seeing people. I hope she starts writing. She’s got stories that the world needs to hear.

And then there is Sam. Sam is a 54-year-old waiter at the hotel restaurant. He’s from Lebanon but has lived in Detroit most of his life. He’s got a buzzing energy, a friendly smile, and a natural curiosity about the world around him. Underneath his name on his name tag it reads, “My passion is family.” He works hard and wants the best for his three daughters. When asked what his dream job would be, he said it didn’t really matter, as long as he could help people. He also said that he has never really thought about a dream job before, and thanked me for asking him. He’s going to think about it.

I don’t travel too much but when I do, I’m reminded about how many awesome people there are in the world, if we only look around a little, engage, and maybe smile a little more.

Imagine if we applied this approach more often to our professional interactions? Getting rid of our phones and laptops isn’t feasible but making an effort to be more present, engaged, and to actively listen, can go a long way towards building rapport and communicating effectively with our colleagues and business partners. Sometimes elevator pitches, sound bites and quick interactions are necessary, but taking a little more time to build and sustain relationships can make all the difference in the world.

When I left my house to drive to the airport, I was grumbling about my blasted ocular migraine. I worried about how it would impact my vision but I had no idea that it would actually make me open my eyes wider than they normally would be, and that I’d be better off for it.

(My ocular migraine resolved itself and my eyes were 100% better the next day for my interviews.)