Marcus Aurelius on living in the present
We talk a lot about “building the future.” How much time do we actually spend living in the present? If your daily reality is all work, all growth, all next step, when do you actually get to enjoy the business you’ve built?
Marcus Aurelius put it simply:
“Forget everything else. Keep hold of this alone and remember it: each of us lives only now, this brief instant.”
I used to be the business owner who was always looking ahead. I remember hitting one of my biggest revenue goals and, instead of celebrating, my first thought was, “Okay, now what?” No pause. No satisfaction. Just another moving target. It took me years to realize that if I never learned to be present, I’d never feel successful — no matter how much my business grew.
A lot of entrepreneurs are caught in the same trap. We tell ourselves we’ll slow down once we hit the next level. If we don’t practice being present now, we won’t magically develop that skill later. Without it, we miss the best parts of life — not just in business, but in everything else.
The hedonic treadmill
Most owners believe that once they reach a certain level, they’ll finally feel content. The goalposts always move. The “hedonic treadmill” is hardwired into our psychology. After an initial boost of satisfaction from achievement, we quickly return to baseline and set even higher targets.
In a 2019 Harvard Business Review study of high-performing CEOs, 72% reported that despite achieving their initial business goals, their satisfaction plateaued or declined within months. The problem wasn’t their ambition. It was their inability to fully experience and internalize their success before moving to the next target.
If you don’t develop the ability to appreciate where you are now, you’ll always be chasing a future that never arrives.
This doesn’t mean you stop striving. It means you learn to experience and appreciate success while it’s happening, not just in hindsight.
The hidden cost of always looking ahead
Many owners resist slowing down because they believe if they don’t keep pushing, they’ll lose momentum. The fear is understandable in a hyper-competitive marketplace. Research tells a different story.
A McKinsey study found that burnout costs U.S. businesses approximately $125-190 billion in healthcare spending annually. When you’re constantly thinking ahead, your mind is scattered. You make rushed decisions. Overlook opportunities. Miss details that matter.
Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, attributes much of her success to her practice of celebrating the small wins and taking deliberate time to be present. “I’ve trained my brain to find the good in every situation,” she explains. “This isn’t just feel-good advice — it’s been essential to my resilience as an entrepreneur.”
Presence as competitive edge
Mark, a SaaS company founder I worked with, was so focused on scaling that he never fully engaged with his current clients and their implementations. His business was growing 26% year-over-year. His client satisfaction score had dropped from 4.6 to 3.8 out of 5. Team turnover had doubled.
When he finally allowed himself to be fully present with each project — instead of mentally jumping ahead — his business didn’t slow down. Within six months, client satisfaction rebounded to 4.7. Retention improved 14%. His team reported 30% higher engagement. Most surprising to Mark, revenue growth actually accelerated to 34% because satisfied clients started referring others at twice the previous rate.
Contrast that with Joann, an e-commerce entrepreneur who refused to “take her foot off the gas.” Despite warnings from her advisors, she maintained her relentless pace, skipping from opportunity to opportunity. After three years of impressive growth, she faced a customer service crisis that cost her business 40% of its value when she couldn’t see the operational problems hiding beneath the growth numbers.
Being present is more than mindfulness or personal fulfillment. It’s a competitive advantage.
Better pattern recognition. When you’re fully engaged, you spot opportunities and risks that others miss. Reed Hastings credits Netflix’s pivot from DVD rentals to streaming to “paying attention to what customers were actually doing, not just what the growth metrics said.”
Stronger client relationships. Clients can tell when you’re distracted. Being fully present in interactions builds trust and loyalty, which research shows is 7x more valuable than customer acquisition.
Enhanced team performance. Google’s Project Aristotle research found that psychological safety — which comes from leaders who are present and attentive — was the number-one predictor of high-performing teams.
More innovation capacity. The brain’s default mode network — responsible for your most creative insights — only activates when you step away from constant future-planning and allow your mind to process in the present.
The best businesses aren’t built by people who grind endlessly. They’re built by people who know when to push and when to pause.
A framework for presence
Integrating presence into a demanding business life requires more than good intentions.
Schedule presence triggers. Calendar alerts for “presence pauses” before and after important meetings. A “celebration protocol” for when you hit milestones (and stick to it). Physical environment changes to signal presence time. A special chair. Lighting. A space. My go-to is a hot cup of tea.
The 5-3-1 method. Five minutes of morning presence practice — simple breathing or gratitude. Three fully present conversations each day — no devices, no distractions. One hour per week of strategic presence — reflection without planning.
Measure what matters. Most owners track business metrics religiously but never measure life satisfaction. A simple weekly check-in: what moments did I fully experience this week? Where did I rush past something important? What brought me genuine satisfaction, separate from achievement?
Build the muscle. Start with 60-second presence intervals throughout your day. Gradually extend to five-minute, fifteen-minute, and longer periods. Use transitions between meetings or before calls as presence opportunities.
From endless striving to purposeful growth
Imagine a business where growth and presence reinforce each other rather than compete. Where you’re fully aware of the journey while still moving toward your destination. Where success is measured not just in revenue milestones but in lived experiences.
This isn’t idealistic. It’s strategic. In a business landscape where burnout and disengagement are epidemic, the owner who masters presence has an unbeatable advantage.
For the next week, commit to the 5-3-1 method. At the end of seven days, assess how you feel and any changes in your business decision-making. Most owners I’ve guided through this process report not only greater personal satisfaction but clearer strategic thinking and better team relationships.
Your business exists to serve your life. When you’re actually present for that life, both thrive in ways that endless striving can’t achieve.
About the Author
Ron Tester is a physical therapist with thirty years in the field. He built, grew, and operated a multidisciplinary home health company employing PTs, OTs, and SLPs through a successful exit. He now coaches outpatient PT, OT, and SLP clinic owners on operating at the owner level. Certified Executive Coach and Book Yourself® Solid Coach. Learn more at https://www.rontestercoaching.com/about.