THE YEAR OF NOTICING

An open letter to anyone who’s ready to pay deeper attention.

The wonderful Michael Bungay Stanier once suggested replacing the whole “New Year, New You” machinery with something much more human. Setting aside goals or metrics, he suggested an intention.

Having failed to achieve too many resolutions over the years, I decided to try it. 2024 was the Year of Listening. Last year was the Year of Mindfulness. And this year, after a few clues in my journaling and a handful of internal nudges, I’ve landed on 2026 being the Year of Noticing.

I’m sharing this because you might feel the pull too.

Without being too meta on this I've begun to notice am noticing more. In conversations with clients. In my own journaling. In the way a certain phrase lights me up, or a silence suddenly deepens, or a small internal shift tells me something real is happening.

Maybe you’ve had those moments too, when life taps you on the shoulder long before you’re ready to turn around. This year, I want to pay attention to that "tap". And I’d love you to walk with me for a while.

How do you notice?

If we sat down over coffee, I’d ask you this gently but directly.

• Some people notice through the body; a tightening of the jaw, the realization they are holding their breath, maybe a spontaneous smile or sinking feeling in the gut.

• Others notice through emotion; the colour of a moment shifting, something feeling "heavier"

• Many notice through patterns; an unexpected or repeated word, a disrupted rhythm, a story that loops back on itself.

• A few notice a shift in energy; the conversation slows, takes a sudden turn, or unexpectedly becomes more alive.

• Another I have experienced is the memory echo; a thought returning three times in one day, a memory resurfacing without explanation.

None of these are mystical. They’re simply signals from a brain and body trying to tell us something important, before we override it with habit, speed, or responsibility.

So in the Year of Noticing, I want to experiment with these signals. To see what they reveal. To train the attention the way you might train a muscle, gently, repeatedly, curiously.

If you feel called, you can experiment too.

The Reflection Loop

Lived experience is a good teacher; lived experience through the lens of active reflection is the best teacher.

Noticing only becomes meaningful when we work with it, when we give it shape, language, and a place to land. So I’m starting the year with a simple version of what I’m calling The Reflection Loop.

The Reflection Loop

1. Notice the signal (a shift or sensation).

2. Name what it stirs, suggests, or might mean.

3. Nudge a tiny integration: Something you will do with 1 and 2 above

This is light, memorable, and good for everyday use.

Tracking the Year of Noticing

Here’s the experiment I’ll be running:

At the end of each day, I’ll ask myself one simple question:

“What did I notice today?”

Not “What went well?” Not “What did I achieve?” Not even “How did I feel?”

Just: What did I notice?

A sensation. A moment. A clash. A spark. A breath. A pattern. A whisper. An echo.

Over time, my hypothesis is that these tiny entries become a record of how the world speaks to you, and how you speak back.

An invitation

If something in this calls to you, even faintly, join me.

Notice one thing a day. Run it through the Reflection Loop. See what unfolds.

And as we move through 2026, I’d love to know:

How do you notice? What tells you something meaningful is happening? And what do you do with the things that catch your attention?

Walk with me this year. Let’s practice noticing together.