It’s so important to be thoughtful. To consider — ahead of time — what you’ll say, how you’ll perform, the way you’ll act.

Yet when we do this too intensely in real-time, we miss what’s right in front of us. We’re pulled out of the present, lost in our own thoughts.

To be so sure that we’re responding clearly and from the heart … that we’re not fully listening to the person who’s speaking to us. Or to be so concerned with our own performance that we’re not listening to the other actors. This balance is suboptimal.

Our brains are always thinking, always calculating. The job is to tune our ears and to direct our attention. Our words and actions (from our heartfelt intention) they will serve us well at the right time. Don’t miss too much of the present in consideration of them.