Are You Looking Or Are You Seeing?

Something that is really important in your self growth journey is your ability to be aware of what’s around you. That’s why mindfulness and perspective practices are so effective, because it brings your attention to things that are existing beyond your immediate and comfortable reality. But if we want to get the most out of our awareness, we need to go one step further. It’s not just about looking at the things around you, it’s about seeing everything for what it is. 

Do you notice the difference? Your observation is only as strong as the impression it leaves on you, and if you really want to extract information from your surroundings you need to invest in it. You need to be curious about the way certain things provoke certain emotions. You need to question your processes and understand why you operate a certain way to see what the consequences of that are, good and bad. It requires more energy and focus to see, which is why we don’t do it as naturally. 

It’s a similar argument as to why people “go through the motions”. Have you ever noticed you’re doing something just to check the box and say you did it? That is looking. It’s not approaching the activity with a desire to dive deeper, and it limits your ability to extract more value. 

So I turn the question over to you - When it comes to your environment and the things around you, are you looking or seeing? In your daily habits and choices, are you looking or seeing? Life is so much richer when it has depth, and when you begin to see things in greater detail you’ll realize that there’s so much more to see.