The depth and multilayers of mindfulness transcend the notion of just being present. Anyone can pay attention in the present moment, but the level of awareness varies from person to person.

There’s no way of knowing how present someone is by just observing them, although you can certainly tell a distracted or inattentive person from someone who isn’t. But what determines how present we truly are is how present we are with ourselves, and only we can know that by how aware we are of our own present-moment awareness.