“Damnit, I’m Doing That Thing Again!” (The Unsung Hero of Progress).
Noticing… is an underrated part of progress.
An essential part.
Change happens after we create awareness of what’s currently happening.
Change comes from seeing what is there, and choosing to do something else instead.
I had an Ah-Ha moment during my (small) meditation practice the other day.
I was meditating on my way to an audition (a very thought-swirly time for me).
My goal was to stay focused on my breath and if/when I found my mind wandering, my task was to bring my awareness back to the breath/ the present moment.
My mind kept wandering, at a rapid pace.
And every time it did I went:
"Damnit! There is went again!”
“Come on Beth, just stay present!”
“I suck at this, what does this mean about me?”
(Judgement, judgment, judgement)
But then I realized that:…
Noticing it is the goal.
Bringing my precious resource of attention back when it wanders is the goal,
and I can’t practice bringing it back if I never let it wander
(which of course it will…otherwise meditation wouldn’t be a practice).
Noticing isn’t proof of failure. It’s an invitation to practice.
A chance I wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t created the space to practice something as meaningful as mindfulness and presence.
A big part of my job as a voice teacher is to point out the habits my students have
…but don’t notice because they’re -well- habits.
Here’s how it goes:
Once I point it out, they can’t unsee it.
And once they see it they try to fix it.
Then they do!
Then the habit takes over again.
And they go “Danmnit, I’m doing that thing again!”
And I say “That’s wonderful! You noticed it without me having to remind you! That means we’re on the path to getting better…”
Better doesn’t happen without this moment….these repeated moments.
We all want to skip right from knowing what to do to just doing it.
But any verb ending in “ing” takes practice.
Which takes noticing.
Are you noticing something you’d like to be different?
If so,
Congratulations!
Noticing is the win.
You’re getting better!