The Pathway to Paying Attention
- Todd Rowley
- Sep 17
- 4 min read
Why Attention Matters
Most of us live in a world that prides itself on speed. Faster connections, instant responses, constant updates. Yet in the rush, something vital slips away: the ability to truly notice.
Paying attention is more than focusing on a task; it’s opening yourself to the richness of the moment. It’s the difference between rushing past a flowerbed and seeing the intricate folds of a single bloom. It can be the literal stopping to smell the roses.
How can you practice the art of paying attention? How can paying attention transform your relationship with the natural world, with others, and with yourself?
The Problem of Distraction
Attention is scarce. Every day, we are bombarded with notifications, noise, and obligations. Studies suggest that the average person checks their phone over 90 times a day. We scroll, skim, and multitask, but rarely sink into deep noticing.
The cost is subtle but real:
We miss the beauty that’s right in front of us.
Our conversations stay surface-level.
We lose the ability to sit quietly and think.
Busyness tricks us into believing we’re living fully, when often we’re just filling time.
The Shift from Looking to Seeing
Paying attention requires moving from looking to seeing. Looking is passive. Looking is simply taking in shapes and colours without thought. Seeing is active. Seeing is wondering why, how, and what else?
Think of a birder. To most walkers, the forest is green and full of indistinct birdsong. To the birder, each call, flight pattern, and wing flicker is recognizable. Same forest, but one person sees while the other merely looks.
Curiosity deepens seeing. When we ask “Why is the bark peeling like that?” or “Where is that bee headed with its pollen?”, the world reveals its hidden layers.
Nature Journaling: A Pathway to Attention
One of the best ways to practice attention is through nature journaling. When you sit with a notebook outdoors, you’re forced to slow down. You jot down the shape of a leaf, the angle of the sun, the call of a bird you can’t yet identify. It’s about noting the small things in the environment that you would otherwise overlook in the busyness of the day.
This simple practice does two things:
It anchors you in the present. You can’t sketch a flower without truly studying its petals.
It sharpens your noticing. Over time, you begin to see patterns like seasonal shifts, subtle colour changes, and even animal behaviour.
Take comfort in knowing that this journaling can take place anywhere. You don’t need to spend hours in the forest. You can spend time in your backyard. Consider these entries from my personal observation journal:
"I notice the traffic on our street. There’s a constant hum of the city punctuated by passing cars. I wonder what silence is like in nature. I wonder if it’s possible. I wonder the the city hum would be replaced by the sounds of the wind, of water flowing, of birds, or even bugs fluttering. I wonder if there is such a thing as silence even in nature."
and
"I notice how peaceful my spirit is. I am blessed. In nature I am connected, yet there’s so little I know. I am grounded to the earth. My feet rest nestled in the grass. I am reminded of where we are from."
Nature journaling is about paying attention long enough for the world to show you something you needed to see.
Expanding Attention Beyond Nature
The art of attention doesn’t stop outdoors. Imagine what happens when we bring that same practice into daily life:
Conversations: Listening deeply instead of planning your response.
Cities: Noticing small architectural details, the rhythm of footsteps, the colours of a market.
Travel: Savouring not just the landmarks but the quiet gestures like an old man sweeping his stoop, the smell of bread drifting from a bakery.
Home: Seeing the ordinary with new eyes—the texture of wood grain, the sound of rain on windows.
Paying attention transforms the mundane into the meaningful.
The Benefits of Practicing Attention
Why bother cultivating attention? Because it shapes how we experience life.
Emotional: Slowing down reduces stress and increases joy. Noticing beauty creates gratitude.
Cognitive: Attention strengthens memory and sparks creativity. Writers, artists, and problem-solvers all depend on this.
Relational: Being truly present deepens trust and connection. People feel valued when you notice them.
Spiritual/Philosophical: Attention is a form of reverence. It’s a way of honouring the world - creation - instead of rushing past it.
The payoff is tangible. Life feels richer when you’re tuned in.
Practical Ways to Cultivate Attention
Attention is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. Here are simple practices to begin:
Nature Journaling – Take 10 minutes outdoors with a notebook. Sketch, write, or list what you notice. Use details. Be as vivid as the world around you, wherever you are.
The Five Senses Check-In – Pause and name one thing you can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch.
The Noticing Walk – Walk your usual route, but look for three things you’ve never noticed before. In your neighbourhood, look at gardens, shifts in the sidewalk, and new cars. In nature, notice the bark on a tree, the way flowers dance in the breeze, or how shadows move across the land with the shifting clouds.
One-Detail Journal – Write down a single detail from your day that caught your attention.
Digital Sabbaths – Put the phone away during meals, walks, or conversations. Give your attention fully to what’s in front of you.
Each is a doorway into deeper noticing.
The Art of a Curious Life
Paying attention is an art, and like any art, it takes practice. It’s not about perfection, but about cultivating presence.
When you begin to see instead of just look, listen instead of merely hear, and notice instead of skim, you enter a more curious and abundant life.
So next time you walk outside, or sit across from a friend, try this: pause, notice one small detail, and let it expand. That is the art of paying attention.
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