Keep Looking: A 2-minute Practice for cultivating appreciation
Image: Rodolph at English Wikipedia.
One of my top Via Strengths is “Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence.” For me, when I am in a space that is brimming with beauty - the natural world, a well-designed building full of lovely touches (see Art Nouveau or Japan) - I feel the environment singing - my visceral experience is akin to a finger being run along the rim of a crystal glass. I’ve learned in talking with others that there are different experiences of this sense of alignment - a full-bodied sense of appreciation and being a part of that excellence. What is your experience of this embodied alignment?
These experiences bring about awe and our appreciation cultivates positive emotional attractors (PEA). We feel uplifted, inspired, peaceful, joyful and/or just plain happy.
Often we think we need to do something huge to catch this feeling - go to the Grand Canyon, for example. But, we can cultivate this sense of appreciation daily, or multiple times a day.
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I offer this 1 to 2-minute practice to develop a sense of appreciation. Try it before your next meeting!
Pick an object that is frequently in your environment - an object that has some use to you, as you have kept it around. But, perhaps it is an object that you take for granted or don’t really think about often. Some suggestions: a clock, a pair of scissors, a favorite mug, a candle, your phone, a plant.
Take 30 seconds and really look at this object. Notice its shape, color, form, texture. Is there anything you love about how it looks? What do you like about its design? Name that in your mind. Keep looking. Notice new things. Name them too.
Take 30 seconds. Use your other senses to experience this object - you could listen to it, pick it up in your hands, run your fingers along it, taste it (for some things!), smell it. What do you appreciate about how this object sounds, tastes, smells, or feels in your hands? Name all of these appreciations in your mind.
Lastly, take 30 seconds to bring to mind how this object connects you to yourself, to others, to the environment. Express appreciation for the role this object plays in your life.
Bonus Points: consider how this object came to be in the world - the people that crafted it, the materials that were used, the seeds that were planted and nurtured, the love from which it was given to you. Express gratitude for all beings and processes that were involved. (This is part of Thich Nhat Hahn’s mindfulness practices.)
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This process can also be translated onto practices in the natural world and with others (especially partners!) - just ensure the necessary consent and remember the subjectivity of those you decide to admire!
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Dancer and Choreographer Susan Rethorst walked around with a spoon for quite some time, because she was drawn to it in some way. She would continue to find things to notice and appreciate about the spoon and this research inspired two of her dances.
How might your appreciation of the previously unnoticed and unappreciated inspire you or add value to your life?