Have you ever noticed how some people like to watch the sunset, sit for hours beside the ocean, relaxed as if their life has no other purpose? There are people who enjoy long walks, slow music, and less crowd. Some of them will have an immense following; people like them because of their calm and cool demeanor. They might be the funniest in the room, yet never insensitive. They do not panic easily in tough situations, and most of the time they get what they want.
They are always helpful and you can count on them. They seem to be so different from the rest of us, as if they know something that we don’t, as if they are the ones with some kind of clarity. They don’t run, they don’t chase, they don’t exist on the surface level but in the depth. People call them mature, genuine, intelligent, and most of the time cool. These are the few people you can rely on for anything and everything—and they never disappoint.
So what do these people know? The art of noticing.
It is astonishing how something so subtle and organic to human nature can be so ignored and forgotten to exercise in our day-to-day lives. Let’s dive more into it.
Even though it is said to be an art, I completely disagree that it is a skill that is not natural to human beings. I believe if we have consciousness, the ability to think, and the capacity to act on our thoughts, it doesn’t take a lot of work to notice things around us.
The importance of it and the beauty that it holds, as well as imparts to one’s life, is beyond imagination. It makes you stronger as an individual in today’s world where everything is fast—people, things, jobs, feelings, and whatnot.
It improves your life at so many different levels that once you start paying attention to details, you will see the changes quite evidently. You will start reading people. Your relationships will get better. You will have more authority around you. Your value as a human being increases, and you will have more positive results in whatever you do in life.
You will start seeing the world from a very different lens. You will start noticing the hidden answers to difficult questions. You will realize the beauty of life and happiness in small things. Your life will not be the same once you adapt yourself to be the person who can see beyond what is visible. You will become more sensible as well as sensitive toward the world.
Now comes the elephant in the room: how do we actually do it?
How can we learn or execute it? I believe it is something that can only be practiced—over time, it simply begins to happen. You do it and you may get it right the first time itself. There is no rocket science in this.
The art of noticing is something that we have to keep doing in order to acquire it. We have to consciously pay attention—that is all it takes.
Pay attention to everything you do—what you see, what you hear, how you feel, what you say, how you behave—basically everything under the sun. You have to be in the present. You cannot think of anything except what is in front of you.
You can never let your mind wander around when you have things going on right now. A place at the table in the present moment is more valuable than anything the past held or the future may bring. The present is one of your biggest strengths.
We are born with a brain better than all existing life forms in the universe known to us. What most of us lack is attention. We don’t observe things around us. We are so busy mindlessly chasing things in life that we don’t realize what we are actually missing in hindsight.
According to Swami Vivekananda, “The highest manifestation of strength is to keep ourselves calm and on our own feet.” This philosophy emphasizes self-mastery, inner calmness, mental control, and the ability to remain balanced and self-reliant.
I know it is not as easy as it sounds. It may feel like being on your toes all the time and never having a moment to relax. But let me tell you—it will create magic in your day-to-day life.
Whatever I said above is what we must be doing on a regular basis. Being attentive to even the smallest of things will give you an upper hand. There will be more chance that you will turn victorious in most situations. It will give you the ability to govern your own actions and emotions.
At the end, I will leave you with one final thought: life is vast, but time is limited—so go after everything you can in this lifetime.
This is such a timely reminder. We often mistake ‘busyness’ for ‘effectiveness,’ but you’ve beautifully highlighted that true power lies in presence. I love the distinction you made—that noticing isn’t a complex skill we have to learn, but a natural state we have to reclaim. Your point about ‘seeing beyond what is visible’ really resonates; it’s the difference between just moving through life and actually experiencing it. Thank you for sharing this perspective!