Too often we move through our work lives on autopilot. We check boxes, respond to emails, hop from one meeting to the next, and get things done. The momentum of it all can be dizzying—and if we’re not careful, we start to mistake movement for meaning. We perform our roles, but we forget to inhabit them. We forget that how we work is as important as what we do.
But presence—real, embodied presence—is where purposeful work begins.
Presence isn’t about being perfectly focused or blissfully calm. It’s about choosing to show up with intention. It’s about bringing our values into the moment, instead of leaving them at the door. And it doesn’t require hours of free time or elaborate rituals. A few minutes of deliberate attention, repeated regularly, can transform the texture of our workday.
This simple practice is something I call a Centering Loop—a short, repeatable process to help you return to yourself, reconnect with what matters, and re-engage with your work from a place of integrity. It draws from research in psychology and neuroscience, but more than that, it draws from the deep well of human wisdom: that our way of being shapes who we become.
You can use this practice at the start of your day, between tasks, or anytime you notice yourself drifting into disconnection.
One: Pause to Realign
Before you launch into your next task, take a moment to stop. Set your phone down. Close your laptop. Close your eyes if that feels helpful. Take three slow, intentional breaths.
This is more than just a breather. It’s a nervous system reset—a way to shift from the reactive mode of stress and urgency into a state where real reflection is possible. In this moment, ask yourself a quiet question: What really matters right now?
You don’t need a profound answer. Maybe what matters is showing up with kindness. Maybe it’s clarity. Maybe it’s just getting through the day with your integrity intact. Whatever arises, let it come gently. This is your anchor.
Two: Reconnect with Your Values
Once you’ve realigned, bring to mind a core value—one that feels alive for you today. It might be courage. Compassion. Curiosity. Precision. Choose one that resonates, not from obligation, but from truth.
Now, speak it inwardly: Today, I bring [value] into what I do.
This isn’t a performance. You’re not trying to “prove” anything. This is an internal orientation—a way of aligning your next action with the deeper story of who you are becoming. Research shows that anchoring ourselves in values like this improves motivation, focus, and resilience. But more importantly, it reminds us that we are agents of meaning, even in the smallest moments.
Three: Engage with Presence
As you return to your work, do so a little slower. Just ten percent slower is enough to notice what’s really happening. Feel the keys beneath your fingers. Hear the tone of your colleague’s voice. Notice when you’re reacting, and offer yourself the space to respond instead.
Ask yourself, Am I here right now, or am I just performing?
That question, asked gently, can pull you back into contact with your life. And that’s what this practice is really about: contact. With yourself, with your work, with the people around you. This is how our livelihood becomes purposeful—not by changing everything overnight, but by showing up differently to what’s already here.
Start Where You Are
Some days you’ll forget to pause. Some days you’ll feel like you’re just going through the motions. That’s okay. This isn’t about perfection. It’s about remembering—again and again—that how you work matters. Not just for your performance, but for your wellbeing. Not just for your outcomes, but for your becoming.
Work can be a treadmill. Or it can be a path. This practice is one way to choose the path.
