The Art of Noticing: Finding Beauty in the Overlooked
Our culture is obsessed with the monumental. We chase grand goals, celebrate explosive successes, and fill our feeds with spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime moments. In this rush for the magnificent, we often lose the ability to appreciate the simple, quiet beauty that surrounds us every single day.
During my Master's studies, my mind was constantly wrestling with complex, abstract problems. My focus was always on the "big picture," the final thesis, the grand conclusion. My daily walks were just a means to an end—a way to stretch my legs while my mind kept churning. I was looking, but I wasn't seeing.
There's a practice in many contemplative traditions, from Zen Buddhism to the writings of transcendentalists, that emphasizes the art of just noticing. It's a conscious decision to pay attention to the present moment, to the small details often dismissed as mundane.
- The poet Mary Oliver captured this perfectly in her instructions for living a life: "Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." (As quoted in "Upstream: Selected Essays").
This is a philosophy for a richer life. What happens when you stop searching for the blockbuster moment and start noticing the wildflower growing in a crack in the pavement? You find that the world is far more generous with its beauty than you ever imagined. You are not just seeing a flower; you are practicing the habit of gratitude. You are training your brain to find the positive, a skill far more valuable than any single achievement.
The Habits Warrior Bridge:
This shift in perspective—from chasing big, distant goals to appreciating small, daily actions—is the foundation of a sustainable journey of self-improvement. I built Habits Warrior not just to track monumental goals, but to honor the small, consistent efforts that are often overlooked.
When I log my daily habit of "Find one beautiful thing" and link it to my Wisdom stat, I am casting a vote for a different way of living. The app doesn't just record the action; it validates its importance. The +1 I see on my stat is a tangible reward for the quiet act of paying attention.
It helps me remember that a truly well-lived life isn't just a series of grand victories. It's a mosaic, assembled from thousands of small, beautiful moments that we consciously chose to notice.
Sources:
- Oliver, Mary. Upstream: Selected Essays. (The quote "Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." is widely attributed to her and reflects the core theme of her work as summarized in this collection).