July 2021: Discover Better
Are we missing out on joy? Are we caught up in negative loops? Can we discover better? Can we see and hear afresh?
I see a picture, sketched and noted;
Assume reality, run my scripts.
Looking again now
I see anew,
Discovering better.
seeing now
We ‘shortcut’ reality: rather than process everything afresh, we operate on what we expect, noticing only what is unexpected. It’s quick, it’s easy. What’s more, we annotate this mental picture... assigning to each element a feeling, on a scale of dislike to like. Our version of reality is simplified and covered in post-its. But what if we notice and write negative post-its with more intensity than positive ones? Fresh eyes can notice the good and keep negatives in true measure.
take 5
Pause and look around, ideally somewhere you spend a lot of time. As your eyes settle ask ‘do I feel like / dislike / neutral?’ Look around some more, with appreciation - notice design, skill, complexity, effort, utility, happy associations.
…and an experiment!
Choose a regular scenario e.g. arriving at work or being with family. With detachment, notice in detail your reactions - what are your likes / dislikes / neutrals to people and place? Can you add more appreciation? Are the ‘dislikes’ fair, do they relate to everyday reality? Keep noticing afresh. Over time, does this regular practice change what you perceive and how you feel and react?
quotes…
The real voyage of discovery consists, not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes ~ Marcel Proust
The identity that we ascribe to things is established by the mind ~ David Hume
I think there is beauty in everything. What 'normal' people would perceive as ugly, I can usually see something of beauty in it ~ Alexander McQueen
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Roddy xo
Roddy Bray is a speaker & facilitator with a background in anthropology. His workshop series ‘Being for Beginners’ explores ideas for wellbeing, and is used widely at the University of Oxford. To learn more about the course contact Roddy: thrive@antidotecafe.com
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