๐ฏ The Ordinary Dividend
How to notice the good parts of life before they become memories.
Read time: 3.9 minutes
Welcome to Better at Life, the weekly newsletter where I share one simple, actionable idea you can put into practice today to build better habits, sharpen your mindset, and live with more intention.
Have you ever finished a perfectly good day and realized you barely remember enjoying any of it?
Maybe you had a nice conversation over coffee, ate dinner with your family, or took a walk on a beautiful afternoon. Nothing particularly extraordinary happened. But looking back, there were moments you probably would have appreciated more if you’d been paying attention.
I think this happens more often than we realize. We become so accustomed to thinking about what’s next that we move through what’s happening now without really experiencing it.
And sometimes, the moments we overlook are the very ones we’ll wish we could revisit someday.
I call this The Ordinary Dividend.
It’s the value we receive from everyday experiences when we take the time to notice them. Not because the experiences themselves change, but because our attention to them does.
In a previous newsletter, The Enough List, I explored how constantly trying to improve everything can keep us from recognizing when something is already enough.
There’s a related problem with how we experience our days. Sometimes we’re so focused on making life better that we fail to notice the good life happening right in front of us.
Write this down:
Some of life’s best moments don’t need to be improved. They just need to be noticed.
This Week’s Action
Try a simple practice I call The Second Look.
Once each day, when something ordinary feels even slightly enjoyable, pause for ten seconds and give it your full attention.
It might be your first sip of coffee, a conversation with a friend, or the quiet moment when you finally sit down after a long day.
Ask yourself three questions:
- What’s happening right now?
- What makes this moment worth noticing?
- What would I miss if I hurried through it?
You don’t need to write anything down or turn the experience into another habit to track. Just notice it, appreciate it, and continue with your day.
Why This Works
Our attention naturally gravitates toward unfinished business. There’s always another task, another problem, or something coming up that needs our attention. Even during good moments, our minds often wander toward whatever happens next.
The Second Look gives us a small opportunity to interrupt that pattern. By deliberately noticing an ordinary experience, we give ourselves a chance to appreciate something while it’s happening rather than only recognizing its value afterward.
The goal isn’t to be present every second of the day. That’s probably unrealistic for most of us.
It’s simply to become a little less likely to miss the good parts.
Try This
At some point this week, you’ll probably experience something enjoyable that seems too ordinary to remember.
When it happens, silently tell yourself:
I’d like to remember this.
Then give the moment ten seconds of your attention. No phone, no photograph, and no pressure to make it more meaningful than it already is.
See what happens when you stop trying to capture a moment and simply experience it.
Weekly Reflection
Before you move on from this email, think about the past week.
Ask yourself:
What ordinary moment would I enjoy experiencing again?
Did I recognize how good it was while it was happening?
What similar moments might I be overlooking?
Write down one moment that comes to mind. Then consider how many more might be waiting in the week ahead.
If this idea feels useful, feel free to pass it along to someone who might need it this week.
We spend a lot of time trying to create a better life. That’s worthwhile, but it’s also worth remembering that a better life isn’t always somewhere in the future.
Sometimes, it’s already happening.
See you next week โ a little better at life.
______
Dr. Chris Mullen
Bring Better at Life to Your Organization
If these ideas resonate, this is also the work I bring into organizations and leadership teams.
I partner with organizations that want clearer thinking, stronger decision-making, and more sustainable performance.
Engagements typically include:
- Keynote speaking for conferences and leadership events
- Leadership development workshops for teams and managers
- Team strategy sessions focused on alignment and execution
For senior leaders seeking deeper application, I also maintain a small executive coaching practice.
