In 1928 a bacteriologist at St. Mary’s Hospital in London called Alexander Fleming returned from holiday, and by chance, noticed that that some mould on a petri dish had stopped the bacteria growing. This eventually led to the development of Penicillium, which transformed medicine.

Have you ever lost your keys in the house? You know you used them to open the front door; your phone was ringing, and you remember sitting down and having a conversation. But now you need to go out again and the keys have disappeared. You must have put them down somewhere… The chances are that you’ve done something like this or know someone who does. When an important object like a set of keys, a phone, or a purse mysteriously vanishes, it was generally placed somewhere by someone who failed to notice what they were doing in the moment. We’d like to think that we’re perceptive individuals and notice most things. The truth is that there are many subtle barriers to really noticing in the moment. 

For much of our lives, it’s very easy to take the world around us for granted. We get caught up in activity, including our thoughts, are not always aware and alert, and often fail to notice and appreciate how rich and wonderful the world around us really is.   

Noticing means seeing, taking note of perceiving. Noticing is where we choose to place our attention when we connect our attention to our awareness. Noticing connects us with reality, which can lead to insights and understanding. When we really notice we become the active, rather than passive, witness of our experience.

So, what are the barriers to noticing? The first is that we’re creatures of habit, some that serve us and some that don’t. Habits are embedded routines that work outside our awareness. The human brain uses up to 20% of the body’s total energy, more than any other organ, so it makes sense to take shortcuts. For instance, not fully processing the familiar, filtering out what’s not important, and using assumptions. A good example is that our visual field is only really focussed on the centre of our eye, while everything else is relatively blurred in the periphery. 

Another barrier is that our attention is easily distracted by the busy and noisy world around us, as well as our mind-wandering thoughts. And thirdly, due to work overload, stress, lack of sleep, or anxiety, we sometimes don’t have the energy or capacity to really notice. 

So how can we improve noticing as a skill? One answer is to bring curiosity and beginner’s mind to our experience. Physicists say, “Reality is not what you think it is”; it’s much richer and more complex, so there’s always something to be curious about. Beginner’s mind means seeing things as if for the first time, rather than through the labels and assumptions that normally filter and limit how we perceive reality. With greater openness, we are more open to possibilities. We can also make sure we have the energy and capacity to notice, by getting a good night’s sleep, exercise, and nutrition.  

The things we notice do not need to be big and significant; sometimes they could be really simple or mundane, like noticing a flowering weed growing out of the pavement. 

Ten suggestions for using awareness, beginner’s mind, and curiosity are noticing: 

1. Where your attention is in any moment
2. Where your attention goes when your mind wanders
3. Other people as they are in that moment, with openness and kindness
4. Your sense of connection with others
5. The beauty of the natural world around you
6. The wonder of the soundscape you are in
7. Physical sensations in your body and points of contact with the world around you
8. Feelings and emotions so you can acknowledge them as they arise
9. Old habit patterns and the impulse to react, so you can respond skilfully instead
10. Where you place important objects like keys, a phone, a purse, or a wallet

We are only alive to our experience in the present moment. If our attention is somewhere else, we can easily miss the rich vibrancy of life in that moment. By noticing more, we can change old habits and bring a bit of ease into our lives. For instance, by noticing where we put down our car keys, as an act of caring and kindness for our future self. 

Suggested weekly practice

• When you walk use curiosity to really notice what’s going on around you. For example, the wildflower growing at the side of the pavement, the blackbird calling in the trees, or the coolness of the air on your face.
• Try playing a game of labelling your experience; thinking, breathing, seeing, walking, as your attention shifts around and see how long you can keep it up.
• Use the times you put down daily objects like keys, phone, purse or wallet as a prompt to bring yourself into the aware and alert present. This will also help you remember where you put these things when you next need them.

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Guidance

Find somewhere undisturbed and sit in a comfortable, dignified, and upright posture, where you can remain alert and aware.
There are two guided practices for this session. You can close your eyes, or lower your gaze while the meditations play.

• Play the first settling practice, then read through the session content, which you can print off if that helps.
• Then play the second practice to explore noticing.