How much attention do you pay to your environment?  Do you notice what’s happening around you?  How careful are you regarding details pertaining to, for example, your job?

Pay attention

Many people go about their daily business as if they wore blinders.  They focus on a goal yet ignore everything else.  It’s as if nothing existed but their singular aim with the rest of the world meaning next to nothing.  This is not the right approach to take because:  details do matter.

Lost opportunities

Glossing over important details means that you will lose golden opportunities.  Your understanding will be diminished; you will be more rigid and less flexible; your capacity to enjoy life will be curtailed; and you will miss out on life-transforming knowledge.

Intricate interconnectedness

We are not isolated beings single-mindedly following personal agendas.  We are socially-interconnected beings whose behavior affects everyone and everything around us.

High-definition reality

In order to fully experience the richness of our existence, we need to stop “blindly” pursuing limited, personal gain.  Our gain will come in full when we admit that we are interwoven into the social fabric.

The 5 steps to seeing detail and increasing awareness

1. Observe  Your ability to observe (whether documents, people or situations) will increase your acumen.  The power of observation (i.e., paying attention to minutiae) will draw you closer to reality.
2. Remember the details you see  After observing important details, write notes to help you remember what you’ve seen.  You could, for example, keep a work-related journal and use dates and times to record matters of importance.
3. Incorporate what you’ve seen  As you re-read your journal entries or notes, remember the details you described using the written word in your mind’s eye.  This will increase your ability to:  connect with the world around you; develop your memory; and, ultimately, improve your work performance.
4. Understand the relevance of detail  When you read your journal, you will realize the high degree to which people and events are interconnected; where you belong in the story; and the great importance of minutiae in all things.
5. Enjoy your new, heightened awareness  It would not be an exaggeration to say that paying attention increases awareness.  Paying attention to the details (e.g., of your job) will enhance your ability to hear and see; focus; and make connections that will increase your awareness and, in turn, result in benefits.