As far back as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with the feeling of delight. One could argue that everyone enjoys being delighted, but the difference is I’m conscious of it. I pay attention to things that spark delight, but I also take notice of the feeling itself. In The Book of Delights by Ross Gay, he describes this as “…a kind of delight radar…or the development of a delight muscle.” The idea is: the more you practice paying attention, the more delight calls to you.

I recently stumbled upon this quote: “I cultivate an attitude of joyous expectancy,” which isn’t a practice in noticing, but it reminded me of it in a different sense. Being aware of delight turns into almost an expectancy of a joyous feeling. Sometimes it’s not even something joyful, but it’s alarming. It’s a delight in both the mundane and the profound.

It’s not a hard skill to cultivate; it takes practice and awareness. Once you get used to it, you will start to notice things more intuitively. There are many ways in which you can do this, but I want to keep it simple.

If you want more ideas read The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker. In his book, he maps out a variety of different practices you can try based on their difficulty. It can be as simple as spending a few minutes looking out your window, to as difficult as picking five sounds that define your neighborhood. They’re all doable, but some take more concentration. For now, I’m just going to share accessible ways you can take notice of things and experience more flashes of delight.

Carry a Notebook

For the rest of the month, carry a notebook around with you everywhere (even if it’s only inside your house). Make an effort to write down anything that makes you pause. If you’re not used to noticing pauses, force them. What sounds do you hear right now? What color light is filtering through the windows (one of my favorite things to pay attention to)? What does that strawberry taste like? Can you describe it in five adjectives? Can you draw something that inspires you instead of taking a picture with your phone? Write down words, phrases and sentences that you like and make you think. This is one of my favorites for inspiration. Many times, I will be totally blocked as to what to write or share in my newsletters or blog posts, but I will look back at my notes to see if any of them can tumble into a new idea or story to explore.

This is also a great place to copy Ross Gay and start a delight diary. Can you write down something that delights you every day for the entire month?

Scavenger Hunt

I play this game with my kids all the time. I ask them on our daily walks or at the beach—really anywhere—to look for one specific thing. Maybe it’s spotting everything yellow. Or looking for things shaped like hearts. This is a great way for your kids to focus and stay present. Kids are much better at this naturally because they have fresh eyes and minds. It’s also a useful game for you to play as well. Even if you’re sitting in your home office all day, take a few minutes every day to look around for a different thing to notice.

People-Watch

My dad loves to people-watch and he used to make it into a game when I was a kid. Whenever we were standing in a line or bored waiting, he would ask me to look for someone and describe a few things I see about them. Then he and I would create a story about that person. Doing this during my childhood likely influenced my love of paying attention and exploring human behavior. It’s also a great way of practicing the art of noticing, and it’s a lot easier to be delighted if you’re aware of things around you.

These are only a few things you can do to incorporate more flashes of delight into your life. Give it a try and share them with us on Instagram.