We often associate observation simply with sight. We associate observation with 'looking', and 'spotting' something in the distance, or even something around the corner. Here is the dictionary's definition:
Observation noun: 1. An act or instance of noticing or perceiving.
2. An act or instance of regarding attentively or watching.
3. A faculty or habit of observing or noticing.
Just the kind of definition you would expect from such a commonly used word, but observation is more than just seeing the physical. In all actuality, it is not seeing at all. Observation is so much more than just picking out things in the world and interpreting them. Robert Greene, New York Times Bestselling author of Mastery emphasizes on the importance of observation.
"Knowing your environment inside and out will help you in navigating and avoiding costly mistakes. You are like a hunter: your knowledge of every detail of the forest and of the ecosystem as a whole will give you many more options for survival and success. Second, the ability to observe any unfamiliar environment will become a critical lifelong skill."
We should not only see the world around us, but understand the world around us. Our minds are incredibly fast at seeing, interpreting, and then moving on, we almost have no time to process and think on exactly what it was we just witnessed. So caught up in the next thing, we lost track of just how important or key people or things are in our lives. Understanding is what we need, the ability to see the unseen.
Observation is not simply sight, but feeling. Being introduced or presented with a situation that just did not feel right. Knowingly almost instinctively what to do, and what not to do. Gathering all of this information through what we observed about the event at hand, and then crediting something we often call "intuition" to guide us.
When we learn to apply this, it can become thought of as a sixth sense. Learning and adapting to new times and new situations, we can observe all of our surroundings, and use our heart to guide us through them. Convince yourself of the importance of true observation, and see your attempt at attaining it as something extremely positive and necessary. For the future belongs to those who attain the skills of importance and combine them in the most creative of ways.
