Date: 29th September 2025

Video & Transcript  

“The Hidden Profit in Being Present”

Have you ever sat with a client or a team member or even with your own thoughts and felt you were only half there, not distracted exactly, but not fully present either?

You're nodding along, you're smiling, maybe even throwing in the occasional comment or the right phrase. But underneath, part of you is thinking about the next meeting, the next idea, perhaps even the next holiday.

Now it is subtle, but you and I know that people can tell when we're like that. And here's the truth of it, our businesses are impacted too because presence is profitable.

The World of Distraction

We live in a world, don't we, that's addicted to speed, to hacks, to multitasking, everything at pace. But the real advantage, the real wealth lies, I believe, in going deeper in in-depth.

When we slow down and show up, truly show up, something shifts. Clients stop comparing us. They start trusting us. Prospects stop doubting. They start actively engaging with us.

And our ideas, well, they get this is gonna be a strange word, but I think it's true. They get edgier.

The Power of Edge

You know, I love the word edge. I've used it for years. It was even the title of my long running audio newsletter, The Achiever's Edge.

I found a poem years ago that I used to use a lot. However, I was wrongly saying the poet's name. It was not William Apollinaire, as I always used to say. It was actually by Christopher Logan. It goes like this:

Come to the edge, we might fall.
Come to the edge, it's too high.
Come to the edge, and they came
and he pushed and they flew.

I always thought the story was about the mother eagle to her chicks. But obviously, as it says here in the poem, perhaps it was the father eagle.

And the whole idea was that we need to step off the edge and see if we can fly. That's what that's all about. We need to change the way we've done things in the past.

The Nuance of Presence

Anyway, back to the point. When we're fully present, we start noticing the nuances, the hesitation in someone's voice, the flicker of interest when we hit on the real issue, or their concerns as their eyes narrow.

You've heard me talk about the caruncle before. Perhaps even the unspoken problem behind the seemingly obvious question.

You know, it's in these moments, these micro moments of attention that our mental geniuses live.

Present isn't passive. It's powerful.

Intentional Attention

Now this isn't about becoming some kind of weirdo. It's about cultivating a habit of attention, of intentionality.

In my book, paid!, I talk about being richly rewarded for the value you deliver. Let me add something to that. You can't deliver value if you're not fully there to recognise what's needed.

I know that from the mistakes I've made in my life.

Being present is the fastest way to become the most valuable person in the room.

Learning from Brandon Bays

Let me tell you about an experience I had, which is so memorable and speaks to this very idea.

I'd heard about Brandon Bays, the author of the brilliant book The Journey. Brandon used to work with Tony Robbins, particularly in the mind body connection space, and I thought she'd be a brilliant guest for my Achievers Edge audio newsletter.

And so I made a contact with her office and arranged to go meet her and interview her.

The interview was fantastic. She was great. She came out with so many powerful ideas to help people get past the mental blocks in their lives. Tell you what, I would highly recommend her book. It's called The Journey.

What took me by surprise was the way in which Brandon listened. It was as though I was the only person, not just in the room, but the only person in the world as her concentration when she was listening was intense.

I mean, it wasn't off-putting intense. It was intense.

I did ask her about it, and she explained that she made a habit of focusing purely in the moment and to disregard what had happened previously and had no thoughts about what was coming up at all. That just wasn't her way.

And whenever that experience comes back to my mind, it reminds me to be better at listening and certainly to be fully present.

You know, I believe our potential clients are queuing up for that feeling. They'd happily pay for that experience.

The Takeaways

So here's the takeaways from this idea:

• Let's not just show up. Let's actually arrive there.
• Let's not just hear what people say
• Let's listen intently.
• Let's not just be present, but totally and utterly present.

Simply because when we are present, our presence creates gratitude.

And gratitude, that's a major seed of loyalty, of referrals, and, of course, repeat business and reputation.

And with all that in mind, well, why wouldn't we?

I wish you ever success in all your adventures in life as you be, do, and have whatever you set your heart and mind upon.

Peter

Peter Thomson

‘The UK’s Most Prolific Business Development Author’  

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PPS: Check out my #1 Bestseller: Time Management is Dead! 'How to Earn Twice as Much in Half the Time' here