Developing a Deeper Noticing Practice

Do you pick a word of the year? This year mine is “notice”. I’d love something a little sassier or badass but for some reason this word has been sticking. And of course, now I’m noticing the word “notice” everywhere I look, so I thought I’d explore the word with you today and see what comes up.

The word came to me this year because the main focus of my business currently is having more people discover who I am and the work that I do. The other word I could have used for this is “visible” or “visibility”, but that word always seemed so forced and in your face. I’m never one to seek out the spotlight if I can help it, and “notice” felt more subtle and approachable. If people notice me, then it’s a good start. But I got to thinking that even that was very one-sided, so really, it's about me noticing other people. This felt more rooted in generosity because to really see or notice a person and what they’re up to is an act of kindness, and that felt far more aligned to me.

Beyond just noticing people, I want to do a better job of noticing my own habits, patterns, and the things around me. Almost like a mindfulness practice. When I’m out on a walk, I notice how the snow is shimmering like diamonds, or the beauty of the moon in the sky on a clear day. I notice the stress and tension I feel in my body and try to relieve it instead of ignoring it. I notice when my daughter is seeking attention and closeness and although I can’t always honour it fully, I can acknowledge it. Most of all, I’m noticing that rushing makes it nearly impossible to notice these things. Although it’s only 22 days into this word of the year, the lesson to slow things down is clear.

The Limits of Noticing

The dark side of the word is twofold:

1. To notice does not require any additional action. I can notice things all day long, but at some point it could be more helpful to do something about it. Sometimes noticing is enough, and other times it isn’t. I also don’t want to hide behind the word, so I need to be aware of my temptation to do that.
2. Then of course the more I notice the more actions I see to take, and that can be overwhelming. I can’t possibly take action on everything I notice, so discernment is key. It’s almost like “noticing blinders” are required so I can transition from noticing to focus when needed.

So now the word has some nuance and complexity. I don’t think these things are roadblocks, but they are worth paying attention to.

You Can’t Schedule Noticing

Or at least, I can’t. When I chose this word, I immediately went into my calendar and scheduled “Noticing Practice” on a weekly recurring basis. That didn’t really work so I broke it down into tasks and scheduled those, and that still didn’t work. Each week I consistently skip over them and pretend they don’t exist. And, honestly, it does seem kind of dumb to plan when I’ll notice something. 

Instead it has just become something I build into my approach to my activities. I’m just keeping the word top of mind when I do things and seeing if that’s enough.

Using Tarot as a Noticing Practice

Stay with me here! I’ve started using daily tarot and journalling to solidify my noticing practice. What I do is ask the deck a question, draw a card, try to read the card on my own just by looking at the picture, then read the detailed meaning in my guidebook. From there I’m getting some interesting information, like:

• What kinds of questions am I asking the deck about? What patterns are in the questions?
• What are my feelings about the answer? Do I agree? Disagree? Regardless of what card I draw, I can often find the answer in my reaction to the card, not the card itself. 
• When I take time to reflect on the question, the card, and my reaction, I learn even more about what I’m seeking.

When I’m done, I journal a few lines about the question, the answer, and my response, just to document it so I can read it back later. 

Not only has this been a fun and enjoyable practice, but I truly am also learning lots. Regardless of if you believe in the divine power of tarot and the universe, it can still be an incredibly insightful practice.

(Just for fun I drew a card for this article to use as the image…it was the ten of cups. Very appropriate since that card is all about happiness and fulfilment!)

Since I know you’re going to ask, the deck I use is Oak, Ash & Thorn, and the journal I use is 13 Moon Journal.

Do you want to notice more?

If this is resonating with you and you’d like to add some more deliberate noticing into your day, where do you start? Here are a few prompt questions you can consider:

• What about this article struck a chord with you? What does that tell you about what you’d like to do?
• What are you already really good at noticing?
• What do you feel like you’re not noticing enough? What would you like to notice more?
• What would be different about your life/business if you noticed more intentionally? What impact would it have?
• Is there a pattern to when you feel most rushed? When do you tend to slow down?
• What would a noticing practice look like to you? How would you implement it?
• What will help you remember to do more noticing?
• How will you counterbalance the dark side of noticing?
• Would you like to record it in any way? What would that look like?

Let me know what you come up with! I’ll try to keep you posted throughout the year with any new insights I discover along the way.

Key Takeaways and Next Steps

• Rushing makes it very hard to notice things
• The downside of noticing more is it can be overwhelming, especially if you’re trying to take action on everything you notice
• Tarot cards can be a playful way to hone your noticing skills
• Use the prompt questions if you’d like to develop a deeper noticing practice for yourself