So much in our lives goes unnoticed around us because of our busy-ness, the rut of monotonous routines and the dulling of our expectations. The Universe, though, loves to speak to us through the mundane and the ordinary right in front of us. There is magic always waiting to explode in our lives through one simple act – noticing.
Noticing Is Essential to Becoming Your Best Self
Noticing is essential if we are to become who we truly want to be. “Becoming” almost always requires us to change, but how can we change unless we first notice what needs changing? Sometimes it’s our family, close friends or daily contacts who will point out an aggravating habit, negative attitude or action that we are not aware of.
A friend of mine was a struggling and super stressed first-year teacher. One day a student asked her why she always walked around with her fists clenched. She had never before noticed this telling habit.
That was the moment she recognized and admitted how anxious and miserable she was teaching, and it prompted her to honestly re-evaluate her career choice. The next year she went back to school and trained for another profession that brought her greater satisfaction, fulfillment and fewer tears.
Rely on the Voice Within
But we can also learn a lot about ourselves and what needs to change if we’ stay tuned in to our deepest emotions.Several years ago, I invested a lot of my personal finances to create a design product that I loved but struggled to find a marketable niche. How I hated the business part!
I was determined, though, to hang in there and make it successful. Deep down inside, my emotions were yelling, “I don’t want to do this anymore.” But I ignored it.
After months of exhaustion and frustration, I woke up one morning clearly hearing, “Put it away, take your losses and move on.” What I noticed most about this inner voice was that there was nothing emotional about it now. It was an honest, realistic appraisal of my situation, and I was ready to hear it. I knew it was time. I packed my product away and moved on.
Noticing Transforms Your Home into a Sacred Space
I nourish homes. My top priority as an interior designer is to transform an ordinary space into a safe, nurturing, sacred space. Our personal spaces should welcome and cradle us.
We should feel a sigh of relief every time we walk through our front door because this is where we can truly be who we are meant to be. Our home is meant to be a soft place to land and a strong place to launch us every day.
It’s All in the Details
Creating a sacred space is far more than the obvious design elements like choosing a new wall color or sofa fabric. It’s also about noticing the unseen elements – the energetic and spiritual connections. A beautiful, supportive space is found in the details of all three.
I have had clients who were drowning in clutter and didn’t realize it. They had ignored the clutter for so long that it simply became part of the background of their living space. Once they noticed it, they began to feel how diminished the beauty, brilliance and energetic balance in their home had been.
Keep Your Spiritual Connections Front and Center
I love to bring spiritual connections into a home by helping my clients create a personal altar or display a sacred symbol that allows them to express their beliefs, personality, hopes, dreams and intentions. Both are great ways to keep this most important part of our lives front and center each day.
Don’t let your dreams and aspirations fade into the busyness and overwhelm of life. Notice and nourish them daily so they can bring you continual encouragement and strengthening of heart and spirit.
Noticing Allows Us to Savor Life
Research has shown that the happiest people are those who take time to notice and appreciate the little things in life. They have learned to savor the ordinary and discover their own meaning and joy through it.
I experienced a moment to savor recently while baby-sitting my 16-month-old grandson. I was keeping him for a weekend while his parents were out of town, so I had plenty of time to hold him in my lap and sing to him, which is one of my favorite things to do.
This one special time, though, I noticed how intently he was watching my face and every word I was forming. Suddenly, he reached up with his little fingers and pressed them to my lips.
The Power of Small Moments
It was such a small thing, an almost unnoticeable thing that has happened to millions of parents and grandparents around the world throughout the centuries.
But as I allowed myself to linger in and feel the beauty of that moment, I was so overcome by this love and connection to my first-born grandchild that my eyes filled with tears.
In sharing this story with friends and family, it’s been hard to express the depth of love and emotion that I felt. But with every retelling, I get to savor this moment over and over again. The beauty of what could have passed in a flash unnoticed will continue to linger throughout my lifetime.
Marvel in the Mundane
Noticing is one of the most important practices we will ever cultivate. Look for epiphanies and messages in the small things, the quiet things and the people you almost didn’t see. There is magic in the ordinary and mundane. Marvel in it and discover that no day in your life has to be lived without miracles.
How often do you stop what you’re doing and just notice the little things around you? What special moment made you pause recently? Have you made a habit of noticing or do you go through life in a busy, unintentional manner? Please share with the community!
