The Art of Paying Attention
Romanticizing Your Life is Backed by Neuroscience [The companion series to #TheSummerofSmallWonders]
The sound of a much-needed early summer downpour was music to my ears a few days ago.
Welcome to day 01 of #thesummerofsmallwonders!
In addition to sharing my journey here and writing as I normally do, over the next 12 weeks I’m also going to be writing a 8-part series that’s part letter of courage, part workshop, and part journaling prompts.
The Art of Paying Attention: How We Choose to See the World Changes Everything
I know for some of you, simply having me say “go notice beauty” can feel a little overwhelming without some structure to help things along.
There is an art to noticing the things that make your heart come alive.
And it takes practice. We have become so conditioned to be distracted and entertained, we often lose touch with ourselves in the process.
For those who want a more structured step-by-step guide… here a few pointers. I’d recommend you keep a pocket notebook with you so you can do this on the go.
We are team hope-posting over doom-scrolling here. Not sorry, but no algorithm gets to dictate what holds my attention. Or yours!
Consider this…
What if you could have the best summer of your life?
Regardless of the circumstances surrounding you. Without taking a dream vacation. Apart from expensive purchases. Right where you are.
What would that look like? What if it was as simple as sipping tea under a tree and letting yourself soak in the warmth of the earth?
Eating an ice cream cone by the nearest lake.
Packing a picnic and a book for the park.
Planting your sprouted sweet potatoes instead of throwing them away.
Going to a farmers market.
I am convinced savoring our moments is what makes us truly wealthy.
Here’s where to start on our Summer of Small Wonders…
Bookmark this page or file this email.
Get a small pocket notebook. This one is a great option.
Look for one small wonder, simple joy, or micro moment of meaning each day for starters.
This is also a great activity to do while waiting in line or people watching. Or with your morning coffee. Or staring out a window.
Write each one you find in your notebook. Sure, you can use your phone, but a notebook won’t beep at you. (Going analog has so many benefits from the act of hand writing things alone.)
Take 30 seconds to see if anything else comes to mind… these could be insights, questions, curiosities, further observations. Jot those down too.
Then every few days (you set the pace that works for you), write 5 things:
2 simply joys » Things that made you smile or light up. Sweet moments you observed. Kindness. Goodness. Hope.
1 thing you learned.
1 thing you want less of
1 thing you want more of
Share in the comments here if you’re a paid subscriber. Or share on Instagram or Threads with the tag #thesummerofsmallwonders.
Want to break out the art supplies? Create a reverse bucket list.
Instead of sketching the things you want to do for the season, sketch/paint/document the things you did that brought you joy.
Mint chocolate chip yasso bars on a hot day.
The pigeon peas growing in the humid June air.
Making a favorite summer Lemon Balm tea.
The sound of rain
You get the idea. 😉🍦🌊🍓🤿
This practice is often called romanticizing your life. And it is backed by neuroscience.
Romanticizing your life, the practice of intentionally noticing and savoring the beauty, meaning, or poetic potential in everyday experiences—is not just a feel-good, fluffy exercise.
It’s a neurobiologically grounded method of regulating your nervous system, shaping your attention, and building resilience in the most whimsical of ways.
I used to think it meant pink flouncing dresses and daisy fields. Both of which are lovely… but not so much my style unless it’s a blue nap cottage style dress.
But the more I dug into things, the more solid the science behind these kinds of practices became.
I thought, “Gosh, it would be so fun to turn all of this into a learning experience.” So this weekend I created an 8 part series that will be rolling out over the summer.
The Art of Paying Attention: How We Choose to See the World Changes Everything
Surprise! Welcome to part 0, the introduction. Each post, I’ll be sharing some key points here for everyone, and then there will be some details and prompts that are reserved for our paid subscribers.
Paid subscribers, you are the reason I can do this work. I can’t thank you enough! For all of you who support in other ways by reading, sharing, quoting, following… I am so grateful you are here and all you do as well.
And that we all get to build this community together. Dream. Come. True.
Now for even more of the fun stuff 🎉 ! Did you know? ⬇️
01. Romanticizing your life literally rewires your brain.
There’s a well-known saying in neuroscience circles called Hebb’s Law. It says, “Neurons that fire together, wire together.”
Our brains are not static. They are shaped and change overtime. This is called neuroplasticity.
Romanticizing life involves a purposeful cognitive shift: you intentionally frame your everyday experiences in meaningful or beautiful ways.
This strengthens positive neural pathways, making it easier to access joy even in challenging times.1
So by finding small wonders, using the fine china just because you can, adding fruit to your water, savoring a morning coffee, watching the evening light dance on your desk, you are changing your brain in beautiful ways.
How empowering is that!