One new thing a day

I walk the same path to the supermarket almost every day. The same streets, the same houses, the same thoughts in my head. What still needs to be done, what didn’t work yesterday, what’s coming tomorrow. Just everyday life. Until I gave myself a simple task: Find something new – every day.

No big revelations, no enlightening mantras. Just: What do I see, hear, or smell today that I missed yesterday?

A new graffiti on the wall. A forgotten flower between the cobblestones. The sound a bicycle makes when it slowly rolls over gravel. A window that hangs crooked in its frame. A dog peeking through the curtains.

This is mindfulness as I understand it. Not sitting cross-legged, not with an empty mind – but right in the middle of life. It’s not about thinking nothing. It’s about thinking something different. Fewer worries. More now.

This little exercise – one new thing a day – has sharpened my focus. On what’s already there, but too often overlooked. It’s not a new technique. Not an app. Not a big project. Just a moment of attention, in a completely ordinary place.

And the beauty of it: You can’t fail. Even if you find "nothing," you’ve still taken a few seconds away from the constant inner noise.

Give it a try. You don’t need time for it – just a small glance to the side.