The Discipline of Noticing

Bridget McNulty’s Daily Glimmers is a small book that met me in a season where I wanted to stand taller, not sink into exhaustion. I was looking for something that didn’t demand perfection or promise instant transformation but instead offered a way to feel steady and present. What I discovered was lighter than the usual self-help guide, yet surprisingly powerful.

A Book That Strengthened My Season

This small collection entered my life at a time when I was determined to find steadiness rather than chase another quick fix. I was not looking for a manual that promised transformation in ten steps. I wanted something that could meet me where I was and offer clarity without pressure. 

The Premise: One Tiny Moment Each Day

The idea is simple: one moment of ease or joy every day of the year. Not the grand victories or milestones, but the fleeting scenes that often slip past unnoticed. A warm breeze moves through the house on a summer afternoon. My brother is telling me there is no rush when I am already wound tight. My dogs leaping onto me, demanding attention, and forcing me to laugh at the mess they have created. Each page offers one of these prompts, and almost immediately, I began to see my own.

The Shift in Attention

As a reader, the change was subtle but powerful. My attention moved. Instead of scanning only for what was urgent, broken, or disappointing, I started to notice the parts of the day that felt calm, kind, or unexpectedly gentle. Nothing around me changed dramatically, but my nervous system felt less strained. The book did not demand effort. It invited me to pause.

Why It Matters

Most of us are tired. We live in a culture that measures happiness by productivity, achievement, or visible success. Yet what if the real measure is something smaller and more sustainable? What if noticing a single moment of ease is enough to steady us? This practice does not offer a new performance metric. It offers anchors.

A Modest Routine

Two minutes, one page, one thought. It fits inside the busiest life. It does not ask for discipline in the traditional sense. It asks for attention. And attention, when shifted even slightly, can change the texture of a day.

Imperfections and Strengths

Some entries feel too sweet for my taste, and if I read too many in one sitting they blur together. But when I use it as intended, one or two prompts, then close the book and carry on, it works. The simplicity is its strength.

What You Actually Get

You get language for those flashes of “I am okay right now.” You get a gentle interruption to the stress loop. And if you stay with it, even loosely, you begin to collect your own list of moments that steady you. That list is portable. It is yours long after the last page.

The Deeper Gift

The real offering is not the prompts themselves but the discipline they encourage. To notice is to resist the pull of urgency. To notice is to claim a small piece of calm in a restless world. To notice is to remember that joy does not always arrive in grand gestures. Sometimes it is the wind moving through the room, a kind word from someone close, or the chaos of dogs reminding me that life is messy and alive.

Attention as a Choice

Reading reminded me that attention is a choice. I can choose to notice what is broken, or I can choose to notice what is whole. I can choose to notice what is missing, or to notice what is present. That choice does not erase difficulty, but it does create balance.

A Practice, not a Cure

This is not a cure. It is not a promise of transformation. It is a practice. A practice of noticing, of pausing, of naming what is gentle. And in a season when my mind was tired, that practice was enough.

A Question for You

In the middle of your own busy life, what would change if you noticed one small moment of ease today? Perhaps the answer is not just relief but empowerment—the reminder that you already hold the strength to steady yourself, one glimmer at a time.

*Daily Glimmers is published by Penguin Random House, South Africa.