As 2024 draws to the end, I have spent some time reflecting on my word for this year – noticing. When I selected it in January, I knew that it was about becoming conscious of things; it is the act of seeing something, often for the first time. I set myself the challenge to ‘notice’ and see the world around me as clearly as possible. I was aware that in the busy life of work and family, perhaps there were things that I wasn’t noticing and I wanted to turn that around.
This year has been a little unusual for me in many ways, and I have noticed many things that were fascinating me; the big one was the sudden appearance of dragonflies, almost everywhere I went! Now, I am well aware of the frequency illusion (also known as the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon), in which someone notices a specific concept, word or product after recently becoming aware of it – just like when you buy a certain brand of car and suddenly the roads seem full of the same one! I wondered if that was what was going on; I wondered if my much-anticipated tattoo design was drawing my attention to the sudden appearance of these mythical looking creatures. I quietly pondered until others started talking about the reappearance of them also!
I also leaned into how I like to learn – I read, I explored, I pondered and I made connections.
I leaned into the High Road – in order to recognise what was happening I had to be attentive to details and subtleties; I had to seek underlying patterns patiently and I had to understand that connections take time to emerge; I had to rely on all of my senses to really gather information that would help me understand what was happening around me.
And in the midst of that I realised that I was ‘just’ noticing…
I was seeing things, but I needed to step into real curiosity if I wanted to grow and learn. It was then that the penny dropped!
I actually want to not only notice, but to genuinely be the best I can be in all aspects of my life. I want my life to be transformative; I want my legacy to influence others; I want to know that I was able to tilt the earth just a little to make it a better place for as many people as possible. I want to know that my life and work had an impact that was useful and had deep purpose.
Suddenly the noticing of the dragonflies turned into a much larger personal reflection piece!
My word for 2025 – observing.
I have noticed the dragonflies, but now it is time to watch, to be patient, to be curious and determine the patterns. Noticing is a great place to start, but in observing the bigger picture emerges and allows growth and transformation.
In observing, patterns become the things that require a response, and I know that my restorative habits will keep me grounded in a world that can seem completely random at times!
I wonder if stepping from ‘noticing’ to ‘observing’ will help me to find the synchronicity in 2025?
