We've Noticed with Amy & Hayley
It’s morning, Amy invites me to her home and right as I step in the front door, she asks if I’m ready to go. “My neighborhood has food trucks pop up sometimes, and today it’s a coffee pop up! Let’s drive, my treat.” We get to the line to see neighbors picking up their coffee and catching up in the lot. In a masked, distanced line—there is a tangible feeling of real connection. Amy notes this, and tells me that she loves what the coffee company is doing for the community. So we immediately start going through our purses and wallets, looking for a Noticed item to give the barista. “This is so unlike me, I always carry Noticed cards in my wallet—” I pull out one of our mirror decals to gift to her. Picking up our lattés, we get to Notice the baristas by telling them thank you for spreading smiles and gifting them a mirror decal before heading back to the house.
Hayley:
Well that was really special! Thank you for taking me! What was the name of the coffee company in the lot?
Amy:
Hayley: Now, that is delicious. Amy: So good. I love it.
Hayley: Alright, it’s the last rapid fire session of the year! Here’s the first question: One thing this past year has shown is how much the media we watch affects our mindset.
Is there anything that you've watched on Netflix that has been uplifting this year?
Amy:
One thing I've enjoyed is This Guest Needs No Introduction by David Letterman. It's a great watch while I'm working out. I put it on and always learn something new about whoever he’s interviewing!
Hayley:
Yeah, more in depth. Are there any podcasts this year that have been helpful to listen to?
Amy:
Well, there is this new YouTube series that just came out. They've done four episodes so far and it's really good. It's called We Got You. There's three co-hosts and they interview a special guest. In one episode they interviewed someone who had experienced being a refugee. She had an incredibly unusual experience with isolation, and went from being a completely active teenager to being in complete isolation to spare her life. She then came to the United States and has been very successful. It gave a great perspective considering the isolation that many people have been experiencing during the pandemic. The stories are all focused on honoring resilience - which you know I think is so important.
Hayley:
Any uplifting news you've heard in the community lately? Amy: I’ve Noticed the efforts Nutrition Services in the public schools are making right now to make sure that meals get to kids that are not at school. It’s amazing to me.
Hayley:
What habits do you use to support the New Year feeling like a fresh page turn?
Amy:
Wow, that's a great question. I think first and foremost, it's just the time I have to give myself to pause and be intentional. Back in March of 2020, a teacher sent out an email that eventually got to me. He wrote about wanting to be proud of who he was when he looked back on this time. And that has driven me this past year. So that thought will continue to push me forward. Hayley:
Words are powerful. That’s amazing how that stayed with you all this time. Do you have any affirmations you have been focusing on?
Amy:
It might seem like an exaggeration, but I'm focusing on Notice goodness. I mean, literally holding that in my mind. Because there's so many times where my natural proclivity is to be frustrated. And it's like, hold on. Notice goodness. And then the next affirmation is like, remember, there's goodness to Notice.
Hayley:
I like the second one being paired with it. How do you make affirmations a part of your daily routine? Amy:
There are a couple of ways. I do a one minute mirror challenge in the morning, where I check in with myself before I head out. It helps me to take a deep breath and identify what I need for my mindset before walking out the door. If I need a boost in confidence, for example, then I take that time to find an affirmation on that. I also Notice three good things about myself, three good things about other people, and three good things about the world before I fall asleep at night.
Hayley:
It sounds like you put it in parts of your routine that come up over and over again. So it happens over and over.
Amy:
Yes. I always tell kids, do it while you're brushing your teeth. Because you're going to brush your teeth every day, hopefully. Find something you already do naturally.
Hayley:
I think it’s neat the mirror decal came from a routine that helps you. And we have some really exciting news about something everyone does every day, do you want to share it?
Amy:
Yes, yes!! So one thing that people do every day is check their phone. So! To support affirmations, we’re releasing our Notice Goodness lock screens for the new year! Hayley:
I’m so excited they’re finally coming out! How can people get these to use? Amy:
They are on the store page. Completely free, just hit the download icon, add it to cart, and input their email. There are some really fun ones to choose from, depending on what your focus is for the day.
Hayley:
I personally really enjoy them. Alright, last Noticed Shout Out of 2020! Amy, it’s the end of a challenging and curveball year. Who do you want to Notice and give a Shout Out to?
Amy:
So there's this really special lady named Anna Vahrenberg who has organized what's called The Spirit of Giving Committee, at Holy Spirit Church. She's organized Christmas present drives to benefit the families of Great Beginnings, which is an Early Childhood Center in Lee Summit. She's done it for years, and did not back down from the challenge during a year where there's lots of disconnect in the community.
She has been organizing and getting the word out, and it’s so kind and giving of her time. It has grown so much that now there's like 50 or 60 families who get Christmas presents because of it. She works it like a full time job and gets it done.
Her son got married during this Christmas season, and all the presents were being collected the next weekend. It's right in the middle of her life, and she's just made it happen and it's so gracious. She's an amazing human.
Photo Credit: Sincerely Jules Studio
Another person that comes to mind is Tony Robbins. I know it might sound crazy that I would notice Tony Robbins, but when the pandemic happened he started trying to figure out how he was going to connect with people. So he had this huge studio created with a wall filled with TV screens.
He did it so that over 500 people could be on zoom in the same room. Which brought people together and spread a lot of encouragement.
He’s also created a Facebook group that's open and it's called The Comeback Challenge. There are so many stories from real people on there and it has become a support community for people who have chosen to move forward with challenges right now.
Hayley:
Great shout outs. So excited for 2021!
Amy:
Me too!
