Noticing

The late Stephen Covey said, 

"The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice, there is little we can do to change; until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds."

When we get really busy "doing stuff," we fail to notice a LOT.  Most of what we fail to notice is in the psyche, the mood, the emotion of others within our sphere of influence.

Most of us realize that we are highly dependent on those others to help us accomplish our goals, to live happily and harmoniously, to be effective, to be productive.  (Those who don't realize it are either delusional or narcissistic). 

The folks who work with and around us need for us to notice.  Notice things like:  their pain, their struggles, their troubled relationships, their unfulfilled dreams, their successes, their difficult circumstances, their talents, their wayward children, their financial hardships,.........

They don't need for us to diagnose or to give advice or to "fix" or to prescribe.  They simply need for us to notice.

Our noticing is the first step in authentic connectivity between us and them.  Once we notice, new channels of communication open up between us and them.  

Noticing is not about manipulation.  It is not about optimizing performance.  It's about connecting authentically, deeply, caringly.  

The thing is, when we incline ourselves to noticing, the noticing gets returned.  We are all affirmed and supported when that happens.  We really need for others to notice back.

In case you hadn't noticed.